DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m an 82-year-old man, taking 10 mg of atorvastatin daily. My HDL is 85, and my LDL is 46. I recently read that people with low LDL cholesterol levels might have increased risk for hemorrhagic stroke, like a ruptured blood vessel in the brain. Should I be concerned? — G.G. ANSWER: A […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 70-year-old woman, mostly healthy (apart from well-controlled high blood pressure). Looking at me, people assume I am skinny, but I have a well-concealed HUGE belly along with my thin arms and legs. I look like an olive stuck with toothpicks. My diet is healthy for the most part: I […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I picked up a cough while traveling in Europe almost two years ago. No other symptoms have ever presented. Since that time, I have received every test imaginable, including spirometry, multiple breathing tests, CT scans, X-rays and most recently a bronchoscopy. Nothing was discovered through any of these tests. Other than the […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Ten years ago, I experienced a brief five-second TIA with classic symptoms. I had an MRI, which confirmed it was a stroke. But nothing was done, as it had just gone away after the five seconds. The cause was, I believe, an overdose of erectile dysfunction pills I had taken. Then about […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have been taking sertraline (100 mg) and bupropion for depression. Due to the number of medications I am on for physical ailments, I would like to be weaned off the antidepressants. In a recent column, you suggested that SAM-e might be a safe and effective alternative to antidepressants. Do you feel […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 65, and my lady friend is 60. We are still sexually active. However, intercourse is uncomfortable and painful for her. I’ve found a website that talks about a laser procedure that is supposed to be the “holy grail” to make intercourse enjoyable again. I would like some unbiased comments on […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Recently I was in the hospital. I had a CT scan and was told that I have a “mass” on my kidney (unrelated to my hospital stay). One doctor said they would probably do an aspiration to determine what was in it, and another doctor told me not to worry, that it […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: What’s the story with Prilosec? Doctors routinely tell people with GERD or acid stomach to take this forever. Yet it clearly describes only a 14-day treatment on the box. A physician assistant told me that because of a rare infrequent condition some users have that the manufacturer is legally bound to post […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an elderly woman who has never perspired and would like to know why. Heat makes me very sick. I love the outdoors, but can be out only a short while in the warmer weather. No one seems to have an answer for me. — P.M. ANSWER: The name for the […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have an elderly friend who’s becoming blind from macular degeneration. After hearing of a particularly frustrating event she experienced due to vision loss, I remembered the great clarity that the yellow-lens (to reduce glare) glasses gave me, not just at night, but daytime also. So, I sent her a pair to […]