DEAR DR. ROACH: I hope you can help me. I have a pain that I would be embarrassed to share, in my small town, with the person who makes my doctor appointments, then the young girls who take my blood pressure and weight, and then, finally, with the doctor. I’m in my late 40s. In […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read the letter from the man who took niacin to lower his cholesterol, which resulted in diabetes. I am not sure if you are aware that red yeast rice, which I have been taking, is supposed to reduce cholesterol. To my knowledge, it has no side effects. My doctor said my […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have suffered for several years now from irritable bowel syndrome. I believe my symptoms began after back-to-back bouts of food poisoning, possibly norovirus. That said, I noticed something curious, and a gastroenterologist said that while it was not uncommon, he could offer no explanation. I thought maybe you might have a […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your recent column on PSA screening for prostate cancer. As an oncologist who specializes in prostate cancer, I wanted to add that it is important for patients to understand that 1) screening is very different from diagnosis and treatment, and 2) that the PSA test is a very good and […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: In your recent column on pseudogout, you didn’t discuss treatment. I had it earlier this year, and after a while it went away. It was very painful. Is there any medication to help it? — D.B. ANSWER: Pseudogout, like gout, is caused by the deposition of crystals inside a joint. But rather […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have a problem taking antibiotics that treat infections. Every time I do, I have an unpleasant reaction. For something like a UTI, is it possible to get a one-dose treatment instead of taking a number of days’ treatment? I probably could tolerate one day. I tend to panic over side effects, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I had a St. Jude’s aortic valve put in in 1998. I have taken Coumadin since that time. A couple of years ago, my doctors changed the goal for my INR to 2-3. I don’t know why. I get nervous about having a stroke from a blood clot when my reading is […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’ve been having trouble with boils for a couple of years. Last year, my doctor told me that it was a staph infection. After about a week on the antibiotics he prescribed, I started to develop an allergic reaction: a rash all over my body. I was told by a local clinic […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 66-year-old woman who had early-stage breast cancer and routine sessions of radiation after a lumpectomy. Everything went very well. Less than two years later, I had a mild silent heart attack. I have always been healthy. My high blood pressure has been checked routinely and controlled with medicine, in […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 75-year-old woman who had successful cataract surgery two months ago. However, it left me with swollen eyelids and noticeable pouches under both eyes. My doctor advised that some people have a reaction like mine. I was told that the swelling should abate by six months. The healing was excellent, […]