DEAR DR. ROACH: I recently was diagnosed with a benign pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland. My surgeon says that the mass should be removed, and explained many of the risks. The risks terrify me: Frey’s syndrome, facial paralysis, numbness. My mass is 11 mm. Is that considered large? Could this mass be slow-growing, with […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: One of my sisters died unexpectedly in late January of pneumonia. She did not know she had it. She showed no symptoms prior to her death. She went to work the day before and complained a little to co-workers of minor chest pain. She stayed home the following day, and her husband […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Is there any evidence that high doses of vitamin C have decreased or prevented the risk of Alzheimer’s disease? I ask this question because none of the people I know who have developed Alzheimer’s have been taking high doses of vitamin C daily (4,000 to 6,000 milligrams). So, I wonder if this […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: We believe a young family member has symptoms of prosopagnosia, possibly with a genetic basis, as an older relative has had the same problem all of her life. He has no sense of direction, and gets lost frequently while driving on what should be familiar roads, even using GPS. He can’t recognize […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: About seven years ago, my niece was pregnant with twins and developed chest pains and could not breathe well. She was rushed to the emergency room and found out she had blood clots in her lungs. A blood test showed she had factor V Leiden. She was in the hospital for a […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I hope you can answer some questions about myelodysplastic syndrome. What does it do to your body? Is there a known cause or cure? What is the prognosis? — P.B. ANSWER: The myelodysplastic syndromes are a group of similar diseases, specific types of blood cancers, that prevent your bone marrow from working […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Is Januvia an effective drug for diabetes? What are the side effects? — M.A.A. ANSWER: Sitagliptin (Januvia) is an oral medication for diabetes mellitus. The way it works is complicated: It inhibits a molecule called ”DPP-4,” which causes an increase in another molecule called ”glucagon-like peptide 1.” GLP-1 causes decreased secretion of […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have been tested for skin allergies twice in the past 30-plus years. I am a 71-year-old female in good health. One of the things I tested positive for both times was neomycin (the worst reaction I had was a rash on my foot when using a cream containing neomycin). This is […]