DEAR DR. ROACH: I have venous insufficiency and have a laser procedure by a vein specialist coming up in a couple of weeks. I don’t know much about the procedure and wondered if you can expound on it. I am 79 but get told that I look 14 or more years younger. I exercise a […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My brother, who was extremely active and athletic in his younger years, is now in his early 70s. His decision to have both of his knees replaced several years ago was not due to any general pain, but to an inability to bend his knees more than 90 degrees. It was limiting […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: In March 2023, my 94-year-old mother had a shingles episode on the right side of her neck, head, ear and (to a lesser degree) right cheek. The active blisters lasted about three weeks. Since then, she’s been experiencing continued neuropathy that involves itchiness, a sense of desperation, and some pain. She’s been […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 81-year-old man in reasonably good health. When I had trouble falling asleep, I would take a swig of Zzzquil, which worked perfectly every time. However, since then, my cardiologist told me to stop taking such products, so I turned to 5-mg tablets of melatonin in the evening to help […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: You recently stressed the need for at-home blood pressure monitoring for the control of blood pressure. Which brand should I buy? — L.L. ANSWER: Home blood pressure monitoring adds a great deal of information to in-office blood pressure monitoring, since it ensures that the blood pressure is being optimally controlled. A few […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 93-year-old woman in good health. I take 40 mg of lovastatin once a day for high cholesterol, but my cholesterol levels are always high when tested. My physician is not concerned, but I am. Why isn’t lovastatin bringing down my cholesterol levels to normal? — S.A. ANSWER: Lovastatin (Mevacor) was […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: In a recent column that touched on taking laxatives daily, you mentioned a sugar called lactulose that you recommend for constipation. I’m wondering if other sugars have the same effect. My 70-year-old wife drinks several cans daily of diet lemon-lime soda that contains sucralose. She also tends to have fairly loose, even […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My wife recently underwent a successful open heart surgery with two valves repaired and one replaced. During her post-surgery recovery, she experienced an issue with the timing of several prescriptions and their impact. We learned that there is a big difference between taking a prescription medicine “twice a day,” versus taking one […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 67-year-old healthy male, but I do take Humira for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It does a wonderful job for me with no side effects. It does such a good job that I can periodically extend the time between injections, such as one every three weeks instead of the recommended dose every […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 62-year-old female who has focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) that was diagnosed in 2001. After several years of treatment with prednisone and cyclosporine, along with an ACE inhibitor, I was in “remission” and listed as stage 3. At the time, the life expectancy of someone with FSGS was 10-20 years, […]