Dear Dr. Gott: I read your column a while ago about a 77-year-old woman who was experiencing hair loss.

At the age of 75, I, too, was losing my hair. My doctor checked my vitamin B-12 level, and it was very low. I was started on the tablets that dissolve under my tongue.

It has been just a few months since I began the B-12 and I now have a thick, healthy head of hair again. Perhaps this suggestion will help the woman and maybe some of your readers suffering hair loss.

Reply: There is evidence hair loss may be connected with a deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals, specifically B-12, zinc and biotin.

We sometimes fail to realise that the body is a system designed to function as a complete unit. As part of that unit, hair requires proper nutrition.

A function of B-12 is the formation of healthy red blood cells, which are necessary to transport oxygen throughout the body.

You are correct in that some people complaining of hair loss tend to have low B-12 levels. Oddly, the body stores B-12 supplies for longer than a year. Therefore, a deficiency is not something that occurs rapidly but is long-standing.

Some sources of the vitamin include milk, eggs, poultry, fish, shellfish and fortified cereals. Some people may also require injections of the vitamin in order to achieve better absorption.

You were fortunate your physician ran lab work and discovered the deficiency. He or she assisted you and, in turn, you may be helping many others who read this column. Thank you for the tip.

To provide related information, I am sending you a copy of my newly written Health Report 'Vitamins and Minerals'.

Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped number 10 envelope and a cheque or money order for $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, Ohio 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

Dear Dr. Gott: My loved one has primary progressive aphasia.

He cannot remember anyone's name, including his own. All nouns are forgotten, and even 30 seconds after you remind him, he has forgotten again. This is a horrible disease.

Repy: Primary progressive aphasia (also known as frontotemporal dementia or Pick's disease) is a rare neurological condition that affects a person's ability to speak.

Language capabilities become increasingly impaired over time. The condition may be acquired because of brain damage such as occurs from stroke, tumour or head injury, but the diagnosis is usually one of exclusion.

Symptoms vary from person to person and include difficulty identifying objects, failure to understand written words, the misuse of grammar and pauses in speech when searching for words.

Oddly, those pauses generally do not occur when making small talk.

Symptoms usually begin between 55 and 60 years of age and worsen over time.

Risk does not increase with age, and it is unusual for FTD to present after the age of 75.

The condition is more common in men than in women, and several gene mutations have been linked to the disorder.

There is no specific testing for diagnosis, nor is there any specific medication for control.

Some physicians have been known to prescribe drugs geared toward Alzheimer's patients; however, their effectiveness has not been documented through research.

Because of a lack of testing for the specific disorder, Alzheimer's, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and related disorders should be ruled out before diagnosis can be made. Speech therapy is often helpful if symptoms present in stroke or head-injury cases, but may not be successful for aphasia patients.

Non-verbal communication and communicative assistive devices from the National Aphasia Association may be beneficial. Call the NAA at (800) 922-4622 or visit them on the web at www.aphasia.org.

Dr. Peter Gott is a retired physician and the author of 'Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet' and 'Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook'. Contact him c/o United Media, 200 Madison Avenue, fourth floor, New York, New York 10016