DEAR DR. ROACH: Years ago, I went to a doctor for sinus problems. He needed to put a drainage hole in my ear. For a while, everything was fine. But now I hear people talking to me. They say they are hooked up to my head. They talk through my head day and night, and […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have heard of almost every organ or part of the body being attacked by cancer, but I’ve never heard of cancer of the heart. Can that be the case? — C.L. ANSWER: Tumors of the heart are extremely rare, seen in less than one person in a thousand, and an even […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: In your recent column on sleep aids, I noticed that you said nothing about nondrug preparations. Some people find that chamomile helps, as do other herbs. I have mild Parkinson’s disease with resting tremor in one arm, which makes it harder to fall and stay asleep. My neurologist recommended melatonin as a […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was diagnosed with polymyalgia rheumatica about five years ago, and I took prednisone for about a year. I was fine until last March, when it flared up again, with a vengeance. Since that time, I’ve gradually reduced the dosage from 10 mg down to 5 mg, as my rheumatologist recommends. However, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 64 years old. I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation about 10 years ago. I have had three to five bouts per year of my heart feeling as though it is jumping out of my chest, and I get short of breath with walking. In January 2015, I was put on […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Last week there was an article in your column on the fact that you don’t recommend alprazolam as a long-term sleep aid. It has been recommended to me. What are the consequences of long-term use? — A.T. ANSWER: Alprazolam (Xanax) is a relatively short-acting benzodiazepine drug, in the same class as diazepam […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a woman, age 78, and in August 2015 I had my gallbladder removed via a laparoscopic procedure. In January of this year, I was having the same symptoms I had before my gallbladder surgery. I had a CT scan with contrast, which showed that there were two stones in the […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: How does an adult handle getting rid of persistent infestation (over five months) of body lice? Are there doctors or professionals skilled in dealing with this problem? If so, how would you find them? Who would be qualified to actually identify parasites like various kind of lice? — R.I. ANSWER: There are […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: We have a close family friend who was hospitalized with C. diff several months ago after working at an assisted-living facility. How do we minimize the risk to our family when this person visits our home? If he has another episode, will he know if he is contagious? — Anon. ANSWER: If […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: If two of the major veins in your leg were removed, what would happen to the blood flow? Would you get enough to your heart and brain? — Anon. ANSWER: The veins of the body return blood to the heart. There are many veins in the limbs, so blood has multiple routes […]