By Paul G. Donohue M.D. January 12, 2011 12:00 AM

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: In 1970, when in college, I had a friend who bruised so badly that she looked like a battered woman. The doctor at the health care center told her to take vitamin C because it strengthens cell walls. She did, and the bruising stopped.

My father died of ischemic stroke and had suffered from heart disease. My mother has had several hemorrhagic strokes. I am 60 and started taking baby aspirin. I am bruising more. I am thinking about adding vitamin C to my program. Will it interfere with the baby aspirin’s blood-thinning effect?

Ever hear of scurvy? It’s not seen much these days, but in the 15th through 18th centuries, it was a common disorder and was rampant among sailors. Dr. James Lind, a British naval surgeon, experimented with groups of sailors, giving them a variety of treatments. The group given a daily lemon and two oranges recovered quickly from all the signs and symptoms of scurvy. those signs are small and large bruises, bleeding from the gums, coiled hairs, joint pains and impaired wound healing. Perhaps this was behind the college doctor’s prescription of vitamin C for your friend.

Vitamin C is involved with the synthesis of collagen, one of the major support tissues in the body. It’s a powerful antioxidant, neutralizing oxidants, which are byproducts of cell metabolism that wreak havoc in the body. it aids in the absorption of iron. it keeps the immune system healthy. it stops the bleeding and bruising of scurvy by strengthening capillaries, the smallest of blood vessels. I find no information that it interferes with aspirin’s anti-platelet effect. Platelets form clots that sometimes occur in arteries and obstruct blood flow. The result can be a heart attack or a stroke.

With your mother’s history of hemorrhagic (bleeding) strokes, you should consult your doctor before launching into daily aspirin.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 63-year-old male. I work out three or four times a week, doing aerobic exercise as well as weight training. from November to April, I officiate basketball at the college level. Last year, during a routine physical, I was diagnosed with low testosterone. My doctor scheduled me for bimonthly injections in his office.

Recently a friend told me that her husband was diagnosed with low testosterone and that his doctor prescribed a pill. is testosterone available as a pill?

Testosterone is available as a pill. However, oral testosterone isn’t the best way to correct a deficiency. it doesn’t reliably provide sustained blood levels of the hormone. to overcome this obstacle, doctors choose other methods of delivering it or prescribe a testosterone that has been chemically altered.

Testosterone does provide good blood levels through injection, a skin patch or a tablet placed between the gum and the cheek.

If injections are not your cup of tea, ask your doctor about these other methods of delivery or the substitution of an altered testosterone molecule.

Readers may write to Dr. Donohue or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando FL 32853-6475.

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