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Dr. Donohue

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Asthma medicine to blame for hbp?

DEAR DR. ROACH: I use Advair every day, two times a day, and I now have high blood pressure. I have heard there is a connection between the two. What can be done about it? Will this be a long-term problem? Thanks. — E.G. ANSWER: Advair is a combinati...

• Dr. Donohue • Friday, May 24, 2013

Cirrhosis not reversible

DEAR DR. ROACH: Could you please explain why alcoholics get distended abdomens, and would the disorder reverse itself if someone quit drinking? — J.P. ANSWER: Alcohol causes injury to liver cells. The liver has the ability to regenerate. In some peop...

• Dr. Donohue • Thursday, May 23, 2013

Testosterone serves a legitimate need

DEAR DR. ROACH: Could you help explain the preponderance of testosterone-enhancing drugs that I see advertised lately for "low male libido"? Do they contain anabolic steroids, and if so, shouldn't they be prescribed under the strictest medical supervision and for reasons other than "low m...

• Dr. Donohue • Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Life quality should balance medicine use

DEAR DR. ROACH: Several years ago my husband received a stent for a 99 percent blockage. What had kept him alive was a network of collateral arteries, thanks to a lifelong high level of exercise. His cardiologist put him on Crestor, and he became an old man before his time — muscle ...

Dr. Donohue • Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Elevated TSA does not always require treatment

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 64-year-old woman in fairly good health and who takes no medications. Both my mother, 88, and my sister, 53, take medication for hypothyroidism. In the past four months, I have had bloodwork done three times to check my thyroid and had slightly elevated TSH scores (...

• Dr. Donohue • Monday, May 20, 2013

Even topical estrogen can cause side effects

DEAR DR. ROACH: For the past five years I have been using vaginal estrogen. I was first given Estradiol Cream. I have always had very thick, curly hair. In less than a week I started noticing hair coming out in my hands when washing it. Within a couple of months, my hair started to look t...

• Dr. Donohue • Friday, May 17, 2013

Delusions are real for the sufferer

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am writing on behalf of my mother. For the past 17 months she has been experiencing what she feels are parasites coming out of her skin. She has seen multiple doctors, including skin doctors. They have done blood tests, X-rays and endoscopies, and she has been given seve...

• Dr. Donohue • Thursday, May 16, 2013

Calcium supplements are not necessary for all women

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have been taking 1,000-1,200 mg of calcium daily for a long time now — more than 12 years. I am 46. I don't get much, if any, dairy in my diet, but I am a good vegetable eater. Should I be concerned about calcium supp...

• Dr. Donohue • Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Using Tylenol in treatment for RA

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 80-plus-year-old man with rheumatoid arthritis. My doctor has reduced my methotrexate dosage due to his concern about kidney damage. He prescribed Tylenol. My question is whether Tylenol also has a potential problem for my kidneys. — R.B.

• Dr. Donohue • Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Treat kid with OI as a kid, not a kid with a disease

DEAR DR. ROACH: My great-grandson was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta. He had his first leg fracture before his 2nd birthday. I understand there is no cure. How do we help him be the best he can be? — A. ANSWER: Osteogenesis imperfecta is some...

• Dr. Donohue • Monday, May 13, 2013

There's no home remedy for COPD

DEAR DR. ROACH: In a recent column, you recommended "very aggressive treatment" of the COPD in a man who was nearly passing out when coughing due to a cold. I know a man who has been diagnosed who continues to smoke a non-filtered brand of cigarette. His coughing is persistent, and he cou...

• Dr. Donohue • Friday, May 10, 2013

Chiropractic manipulation is mostly safe

DEAR DR. ROACH: My 11-year-old daughter suffered a stress fracture on her lower spine a couple of years ago from doing back handsprings in gymnastics. She wore a back brace for a while, and now has no more problems in that area. However, her upper back/shoulder area has never been the sam...

• Dr. Donohue • Thursday, May 9, 2013

Watching carbohydrate intake is not a bad diet

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 55 years old, take no medication and am in good health. However, I'm about 25 pounds overweight. Starting four months ago, I eliminated most carbohydrates from my diet — no pasta, potatoes, rice, flour, bread or sweets. I have always eaten many vegetables and fi...

• Dr. Donohue • Wednesday, May 8, 2013

CPAP use does not worsen sleep apnea

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband said I snore, so I went to a sleep lab and was diagnosed with borderline sleep apnea. The doctor said I could get the CPAP machine, but it was up to me. I chose to get it, and I use it every night. Now, when I nap, I wake myself up gasping. Could the CPAP be mak...

• Dr. Donohue • Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Ear pain that comes and goes is hard to diagnose

DEAR DR. ROACH: Please, please help me. I've visited my allergist, the ear-nose-throat specialist and my own internist. None of them has ever heard of my problem and don't know how to help me. Starting in 1990, every couple of months I would get an awful pain on on...

• Dr. Donohue • Monday, May 6, 2013

Is there a link between cancer and stress?

DEAR DR. ROACH: Several of my friends developed breast cancer shortly after the death of their husband, child or someone else close. Your comments, please, regarding great stress and cancer. — M.W. ANSWER: I think there are two issues here. The first...

• Dr. Donohue • Friday, May 3, 2013

A bump at injury site on lip causes distress

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 93-year-old male. In February 2012, I fell on a hospital sidewalk. Along with some other minor injuries, I cut my upper lip. The hospital's emergency room put three sutures in my lip to close the wound. In a few weeks the cut had healed, but to this day a small lump...

• Dr. Donohue • Thursday, May 2, 2013

The connection between vitamin D and weight

DEAR DR. ROACH: Is there any connection between extremely low vitamin D-3 level (mine was 15) and weight retention? I recently caught the tail end of some doctor's show on TV and I counted back: Summer of 2010, I started losing weight. I was swimming a lot for exer...

• Dr. Donohue • Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Carefully weigh pros and cons of growth hormone

DEAR DR ROACH: I am very concerned about my grandchild's growth — or lack thereof. She is 6 years old and has not grown at all this past year. She is 42 inches tall and weighs 40 pounds. She is the smallest child in her first-grade class. When they have family activities, some of th...

• Dr. Donohue • Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Thyroid hormone not known to cause respiratory side effects

DEAR DR. ROACH: My mother is 81. In August of 2012, she went to the doctor for a physical. She had been taking no medication other than an albuterol inhaler as needed. They diagnosed her with hypothyroidism and prescribed 0.025 mg levothyroxine. Within 24 hours of taking this drug, her br...

• Dr. Donohue • Friday, April 26, 2013
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