DEAR DR. GOTT: I know you like to inject a little humor into your columns every now and then. Here's a true story you might want to use.

When I reached my 80s, I had to begin eating sparingly of some foods and to eliminate some others. Now I must give credit to my wife, for she has been doing an excellent job in handling my menu ¿ that is, up until now.

For breakfast, she likes oatmeal chock-full of raisins. Now, I like oatmeal, too, but just don't care all that much for raisins. One morning, I walked into the kitchen and asked her to do me a favor.

"What is it?"

"I wish you'd put just seven raisins in my oatmeal."

Boy, she hit the ceiling. In a loud and raucous voice, she yelled, "You're getting hard enough to cook for, now I've got to count the darned raisins?!"

DEAR READER: I think you were fortunate in not getting beat up. I assume this whole event depended on her sense of humor. Thanks for writing.

DEAR DR. GOTT: Could you please help me? I am heavy and have folds of skin on my stomach and behind my breasts. I wash every day, but they still smell. Sometimes I can't stand to smell it. It smells like strong sweat. I keep them powdered after I have washed. Is there anything that can help me?

DEAR READER: Where skin chronically touches skin (such as beneath your breasts), the area is dark, moist and warm, an ideal environment for the growth of bacteria and yeast. You might have an infection.

First off, your physician should order bacterial/fungal cultures to determine the cause of your problem. Then you can be treated.

Second, are you a diabetic? This can aggravate the issue and, given your weight, you might need additional therapy.

Third, losing 10 or 20 pounds may help you tremendously.

Finally, consider liposuction to reduce the amount of fat within the folds of skin.

DEAR DR. GOTT: I would like to know what can happen to a person's body and health if he or she had a severe case of frostbite. I know that it does something to a person's circulation, but I am asking if it can affect the internal organs such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, etc. I am wondering about a severe case in which the hands and feet swell, break open and turn black. I would appreciate your input.

DEAR READER: Frostbite is severe tissue damage as a result of exposure to extreme cold. It is literally the freezing of cells and tissues. The extremities (hands and feet) are commonly compromised because they do not have adequate fat layers and cannot maintain temperature readily. Internal organs are generally not affected because they are protected by fatty tissue. Furthermore, freezing of the internal organs is almost certainly followed by death. Once the tissues are destroyed, they cannot be repaired.

Hands and feet that swell, break open and turn black are the result of ice crystals that form within the tissues. The tissues turn black as a result of loss of circulation. In this case, the frozen water within our hands and feet expands beyond the capacity of the skin, thereby forcing it to split open. That amputation of limbs affected this severely is almost certain.

Doctor Gott is a retired physician and the author of the new book "Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet," available at most chain and independent bookstores.