DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your recent column on cluster headaches and would like to add a comment. I am a 56-year-old woman and started getting these headaches around 20 years old. They became even worse as I went through my career, likely induced by stress. Usually these were helped with Relpax if caught early, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Several years ago, my doctor told me to start taking Tylenol PM to help me get to sleep at night and to avoid some neuropathy pain. I have been taking two before bedtime, as directed. Some nights I awaken after six or seven hours and have to take two plain Tylenol to […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: About 35 years ago, a renowned Beverly Hills internist prescribed Armour Thyroid for me. At the time, I was burned out in a highly stressful job and would get bronchitis, usually twice a year. Although my thyroid was in the low-normal range, he felt it would boost my metabolism and improve my […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My grandmother had very advanced Alzheimer’s disease by the time she died. My mother, who is now 60, is showing frequent signs of memory loss, but she doesn’t want to admit that she has Alzheimer’s. What should I do? I’ve understood for a long time that she’s going to suffer the same […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I take two Aggrenox daily, plus a baby aspirin every evening, because I had minor strokes about 20 years ago. Vasculitis was suspected, but never was definitively shown through tests. I had no other obvious risk factors. A few years ago, my cholesterol started to creep up (my LDL went from 110 […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: A friend of mine is undergoing treatment for cancer. He has a golf-ball-size squamous cell tumor on the side of his neck. He used to smoke cigars. He is going to get chemotherapy, to be infused 24/7 — one week on, one week off, for at least two rounds. I’ve never heard […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Every night for the past several months, my sleep has been interrupted by a whistling sound when I exhale. I notice it only when I wake up in the early morning. It prevents me from going back to sleep. My husband tells me that it is constant during the night. If I […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 92 and in exceptional health. I have irritable bowel syndrome, and my digestive system goes through a cycle of constipation and loose bowels. I also have episodes of incontinence with clear liquid. I would appreciate anything you can tell me about this troubling condition. — R.B. ANSWER: While fecal incontinence […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: A co-worker of mine recently had a ruptured appendix. The doctors did not remove it, but instead gave him heavy doses of antibiotics for three weeks. I thought they had to remove it. What is going on? — D.M. ANSWER: Surgery remains the preferred therapy for acute appendicitis, the inflammation of the […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 80-year-old woman in good health. After numerous CT scans, a PET scan and a bronchoscopy, it was determined that I have MAI. I am aware that the standard treatment is 18 months of antibiotics. Can you tell me what side effects I can expect if I go ahead with […]