DEAR DR. ROACH: Our 18-year-old has been exposed to mono. Can you provide some information about this disease, including symptoms, treatment, complications and dangers of exposure to other family members, including toddlers and senior citizens? — F.J.M. ANSWER: Infectious mononucleosis symptoms can be caused by several viruses and one parasite (toxoplasmosis), but classically, it is […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am writing to you about an orthopedic problem for which I hope you can suggest a treatment. Apparently, not having my bike saddle high enough has caused pain in the right side of my right knee. Cycling is now my primary source of exercise, as I am no longer a runner. […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I recently had an episode of food poisoning with vomiting and diarrhea. It lasted four hours. I live alone. I’m 84, and in good health except for chronic atrial fibrillation and well-controlled high blood pressure. My question is, When does it become serious enough to call a doctor, and how do I […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My mom recently passed from COPD. She smoked for 50 years, while pregnant and all through our childhood. Riding in the car was the worst. My question is, How will the secondhand smoke we were subjected to impact our health in the long term? Is there anything we should do or mention […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was recently prescribed a CPAP machine for mild-moderate obstructive sleep apnea. I have a history of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and wondered if the pressure of the CPAP might cause the vertigo to kick in. — L.B. ANSWER: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is believed to be caused by calcium crystals in […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Frequently, after eating and most often after dinner, I begin to sneeze. The sneezing goes on up to 10 times. It doesn’t seem to matter what I eat or where I am. My husband calls the episodes “sneezures,” and we found that if he tickles me, I start to laugh and the […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I love fish, but I am worried about mercury. I read that one could get too much mercury by eating too much fish. I can find no reference to mercury on the packaging. I also like to finish a package before going on to something else. By eating fish three or four […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: What can help a senior citizen with profound hearing loss? Many audiologists say a hearing aid can definitely help, but it seems it never happens. Mild and moderate hearing loss do well with amplification, but severe and profound are a different ballgame. What about a cochlear implant? — G.P. ANSWER: Hearing loss […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: A friend took her autistic son to a clinic in Mexico where he was fed a bleach solution that was supposed to cure his autism, but instead it made him very sick. He was deeply distressed and regressed in his behavior, and there was nothing my friend could do because in Mexico […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: What can you tell me about myasthenia gravis? My dear friend was diagnosed with it and hospitalized for eight days. She is able to walk and move about, but now, six weeks later, she is still on a liquid diet and unable to move any of her facial muscles. — I.M. ANSWER: […]