DEAR DR. ROACH: I have developed the habit of unconsciously clenching my jaw during the day. I tend to worry about things and have trouble turning off enough to relax. I actually don’t mind clenching my jaw, since it offers some relief. But now my jaw hurts on one side when I chew food, and […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Our 31-year-old daughter has fought a losing battle with acne since adolescence. Accutane has been suggested many times, and now she is about to begin treatment. We have always been too afraid of this powerful drug to try it. Are we right to be afraid? — L.E.M. ANSWER: Isotretoin (Accutane) is indeed […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: You should be aware that the AREDS2 vitamin supplement has not been shown to have any benefit in low-risk age-related macular degeneration patients, and has been associated with lowering the risk of advance in only 25 percent of moderate- to high-risk AMD patients. As such, it should not be considered a treatment […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a patient with myelofibrosis, and have been under treatment for over three years. At one time I was receiving blood transfusions every three weeks and taking Jakafi (very expensive) to stabilize my hemoglobin and platelet levels, and Exjade to get rid of excess iron caused by frequent transfusions. Although my […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am asking for a restatement/clarification of your position on flu shots for those who have had autoimmune disorders. I am a 69-year-old male who suffered an attack of Guillain-Barre syndrome in 1973. I have residual neurological and muscular damage, but otherwise I am in excellent health. I have declined the flu […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: At what point is high blood pressure a medical emergency (i.e., needs to be treated TODAY, or at least before, say, going out of the country next week)? I’ve never had an issue with high blood pressure — at a gynecology appointment last year it was fine, and at a general internist […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 62-year-old female in excellent health. I eat right, exercise and have a great genetic history. I have no high blood pressure. For about four years I have been taking two Sudafed pills, 30 mg per tablet, on average every other day, to alleviate morning headaches and congestion. Is there […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m set to have a CT scan of my lungs with iodine dye. I have hypothyroidism and am on 25 mg of levothyroxine. Should I take the medicine the day of the test? Or should I have the CT scan without the dye? — L.T.M. ANSWER: Most of the intravenous contrast dyes […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a man in my late 50s. I now am told to sleep on my right side and not my left side, because it’s better for the heart. However, my sinuses seem to open up and it’s easier to breathe lying on my left side. What, if anything, will happen if […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have been reading a lot about the cardiovascular and general health benefits of supplemental vitamin C and lysine given that human beings are the only animal that does not produce vitamin C. I also read that otherwise healthy adults should be taking 4,000 milligrams of vitamin C and 2,400 milligrams of […]