DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband had his gallbladder removed many years ago. In the past few years, he has had six ERCPs to remove gallstones from his bile duct, as he is still making them. He has been told to drink lots of water but that there is no preventive remedy. Do you have any […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My brother got very thin (112 pounds and he is 6 feet tall) from anxiety. When he gets really worked up, he doesn’t eat. His doctor put him on medication for this, which she said would help him gain weight. Are there any side effects from gaining weight quickly when he is […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 50-year-old post-menopausal woman, and my first bone density test (DEXA) came back showing osteoporosis in a portion of my spine and osteopenia in an area of my neck. I did a FRAX score, and it indicated my risk for a major osteoporotic fracture is 4.5 percent in 10 years. I’m […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I heard recently someone say that they had an anaphylactic reaction to a vaccine many hours after administration, say, 14 hours later. Can anaphylaxis actually happen that long after exposure to an allergen? This is a general question, not vaccine-specific. I’ve always been under the impression a reaction like this happens much […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have persistent genital arousal disorder. I find it incredibly difficult to talk about with my doctors and I’ve been openly mocked for it. I find there is a distinct lack of sensitivity in the medical community about this. People like me genuinely suffer in a variety of ways, whether it is […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 73-year-old male. My recent bloodwork showed a mild anemia. My doctor ordered a second blood test and a cancer screening kit. The anemia was stable, and the screening was normal with no microscopic blood detected. He is not sure why my bloodwork showed a mild anemia and has me scheduled […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 92-year-old man in better-than-average health. I have had two episodes of blood in my urine in the past two months. I know this isn’t normal. At my age, I’d just like to make believe it didn’t happen. What’s my future like? — Anon. ANSWER: Your future will shortly include, I […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your recent article on proton pump inhibitors, and I wanted to chime in about my own quest to get off the medications. Over 20 years ago, I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia and placed on a PPI because of extreme heartburn symptoms. I followed all of the rules: nothing […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband was recently diagnosed with mild to moderate pulmonary fibrosis. His mother died from pulmonary fibrosis. From what we have read there is no cure, only palliative care. The thought of doing nothing to try to stop the progression is totally unacceptable when there have been such successes with immunotherapy and […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: What can you tell me about fructose intolerance and/or malabsorption? Is there a genetic predisposition to this? Can it develop later in life? What are the symptoms, and how is it diagnosed? What type of doctor can best make a diagnosis? I’ve read conflicting reports online regarding the breath analysis test. Can […]