DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 62-year-old woman who has dealt with heart palpitations for many years. I have seen a cardiologist, and after many tests — including a heart catheterization after a false positive on my stress test — he has determined that I have a strong heart with no problems. I have told […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a nonsmoking woman living with a smoker. He smoked cigarettes outside. Now he is vaping, but inside. How dangerous is secondhand vape smoke? I am having a problem finding any information on the subject. Could you please inform me? — H.D. ANSWER: You can’t find much because there is little […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a male, 67 years old, and I am afflicted with urinary problems — having to urinate several times a night, burning after urinating and the need to urinate often in small amounts only. My doctor prescribed tamsulosin, 0.4 mg. For more than a year, I have taken one capsule every […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a very active 78-year-old woman. I had a CT scan for calcium and an aneurysm of the ascending thoracic aorta was found. In 2014 it measured 3.6 cm and in 2019 3.7. My doctor flippantly said “I’ll see you in five years.” No other comments from him. Is there anything […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 84-year-old white male who is undergoing a procedure next week. My pre-op CAT scan results showed many “white spots” in both upper legs, and I’m told that this plaque is a calcium-based substance. This caused me to ask the physician assistant if the pH of a person’s blood could […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a psychotherapist with an expertise in working with adults who experienced childhood trauma. I know that early trauma can lead to later mental health challenges and see this in my practice. The ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences Study), conducted in the mid-’90s, reveals that trauma and other adverse experiences in childhood (abuse, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: After reading your recent column on sedation during colonoscopy, I wanted to mention that I have asked for no sedation during two colonoscopies in the past several years. I did this after reading an article in the newspaper. People commented with replies, many of which were of the “don’t bother with sedation” […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I always thought that I had a cast iron stomach; however, after a bout of suspected food poisoning about six months ago, I’ve had two incidences of violent vomiting for about a half hour. Both of the preceding two meals included shrimp, which I have eaten often in the past without a […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: After taking prednisone for several years I suffered a fracture of the tibia. My doctors took me off the prednisone and prescribed generic Fosamax. My last bone scan says that I have osteopenia and that I am 17% at risk for a break. A friend of mine said she can’t take Fosamax […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’d like information about a rare condition called Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome. The person I am asking about with this condition was born in 1958 without a uterus or vagina, and has one kidney. Were there any medicines or pills given at this time to pregnant women that could cause this condition? The mother […]