DEAR DR. GOTT: I imagine you will be deluged by fellow eczema sufferers outraged by your comment that eczema, while annoying, is harmless. Obviously, you have never experienced this horrendous condition.

I have been a victim of this disease off and on for all 72 years of my life, and I can tell you that eczema is far from harmless. In fact, annoying is a pale term for the suffering we endure to a greater or lesser extent.

I was sent home from Los Angeles Children's Hospital when I was an infant wrapped in tar salve and outing flannel. My mother was told that I might as well go home to die instead of racking up more medical expenses. I won't go into detail over the ensuing 72 years, but I can say that for me, the eczema wasn't fatal, but there were some years when I wished it were.

I would encourage you to contact the National Eczema Association. It is a relatively new organization that I only wish had been available when I was a youngster. Their phone number is (800) 818-7546 and their website is www.nationaleczema.org.

It does wonders in helping parents cope, granting research funds and spreading news of research findings and other sufferers' successes.

I enjoy your column immensely and champion your efforts to make "doctorese" intelligible to the average person while maintaining a sense of humor and proportion. I would not have gone to the trouble to bring you up short on this one topic if I had felt you would ignore my letter. I realise you can't know quite everything.

DEAR READER: I am sorry to hear that you have suffered, but to the best of my knowledge, eczema itself is not fatal. That is not to say that complications cannot arise that have the potential to be deadly.

Because most eczema sufferers have a mild immune abnormality of the skin, this can occasionally allow certain viruses to enter the body via ulcers from scratching affected areas. These infectious agents include herpes zoster (both simplex one and two), vaccinia, coxsackievirus and molluscum contagiosum. Rarely, some of these can spread to the internal organs and cause serious infection that can lead to death if not brought under immediate control.

Because I am not a dermatologist, I am not completely up-to-date on the latest information and treatment options for eczema. However, the primary treatment remains treating the dry skin that most of these patients have. I urge you to be examined by a dermatologist, since you are continuing to suffer rather severely. He or she should be able to give you more information about which type of eczema you have and the best treatment options for you.

DEAR DR. GOTT: You had a column about the medication Seroquel. You correctly stated that it was an antipsychotic medication used to treat bipolar disorder and related mental and emotional illnesses. As a therapist, I am aware that it is often prescribed in low doses as a sleep aid, as well. I thought you might want to add this so as not to alarm the patients who are taking it for insomnia.

DEAR READER: The original column you mentioned was about the medication's potentially harmful effects in the elderly. Antipsychotics, such as Seroquel, may be used for insomnia but are generally not recommended due to significant side effects. There is also little evidence that they are effective.