DEAR DR. DONOHUE: A month ago, I caught a cold. Since then, I haven’t been able to taste anything. Eating has lost all its appeal, and I have unintentionally lost 10 pounds. My doctor tells me I just have to live with it. Can you suggest anything that will bring my taste back? — R.B. […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am writing to ask you to fill in for my doctor, who is quite tight-lipped. He told me I have protein in the urine. I am 43 and have three children. I asked him the significance of this, and he just shrugged his shoulders. He wants me to give another specimen […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: The right side of my nose is totally blocked, and the left side is getting there. If I walk at all fast, I have to breathe through my mouth. I don’t like seeing doctors, but I figured I had put this off for too long. The doctor says I have nasal polyps, […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: In the past year, I have been intimate with three men, all of whom I know pretty well and all of whom hold responsible positions in the business world. This past month, I had a vaginal discharge and some itching. I consulted a doctor, and the diagnosis was a trichomonas infection. I’d […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: For half a dozen years, I’ve dealt with psoriasis, and most of the time it is under control. This past year my fingers became stiff and swollen. I thought it was ordinary arthritis, as I am 55. My doctor says it is psoriatic arthritis. I never knew psoriasis could cause arthritis. The […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Our neighbor’s cat had a litter of kittens about three months ago. She has given away all but two of the kittens. My daughter, 10 years old, spends much time with these cats and would like to have one. I have some reservations. Two weeks ago, she showed me a bump under […]

Shin splints, a meaningless diagnosis DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My basketball-playing teen has sore legs. They told him at his school that it is shin splints. My husband says this is common, and that my son can play through the pain. I wonder if that’s wise. Is it? This boy never complains about anything. He is […]

Cirrhosis swells abdomen DEAR DR. DONOHUE: From my earliest days until five years ago, my dad drank a couple of six packs of beer every day. I am now 30. He wasn’t an abusive father, but his drinking made life difficult for us. He is now 75 and hasn’t had a drink for five years. […]

Polycystic kidney disease raises blood pressure DEAR DR. DONOHUE: A serious problem confronts my family, and I would appreciate your input. When my husband was in his 30s, the doctor discovered he had high blood pressure. It struck the doctor as odd that someone his age would have such a high pressure. He did many […]

Cold exposure makes for painful fingers in Raynaud’s DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Winter is a hard season for me. If I don’t wear a couple of pairs of gloves, my fingers turn white and hurt when I’m in the cold. This year it worried me enough to prompt me to see a doctor. She says I […]