DEAR DR. ROACH: I have had several kidney stones and was advised to avoid oxalate. I was told that green, leafy vegetables and grains are high in oxalate. How can my diet be healthy if I avoid these healthy foods? — D.F. ANSWER: Calcium oxalate is the most common type of kidney stone, so limiting […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have been taking warfarin (Coumadin) for two years now. I started taking it after a knee-replacement surgery, when they discovered I had A fib. I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol that are controlled with medication, and diabetes controlled with diet. Do you think I need to be on warfarin […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read recently that if Valium is taken by older folks for more than 90 days, it ups their risk for Alzheimer’s disease by 32 percent and if taken for more than 180 days, the risk goes up 84 percent. Have you heard anything like this? Why would this be prescribed if […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My wife is 69 and had diphtheria as a small child. She was told that she should never have a vaccination or combination vaccination that contains a diphtheria toxoid. Five years ago, she was given the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23), which contains no diphtheria toxoid combination. She had no side effects and […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My wife is 77 years old, goes to bed at 9 or 10 p.m., wakes at 10 a.m. and is exhausted by noon. She has severe arthritis, peripheral artery disease, scoliosis and depression. She has had many surgeries on her back, joints and blood vessels. In addition to fatigue, she experiences tingling […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I recently had a heart scan, and the calcium score for one of my arteries was 145. I have no symptoms. My results showed two lesions in the left anterior descending artery, with a calcium score of 154.4. The other arteries’ calcium scores were 0 to 6. My overall cholesterol was 167, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am so hoping you can help me. I don’t know who else to ask. After 50-plus years with the same set of dentures, my husband decided to get new ones, as his old ones were so worn that they would no longer chew food effectively. I do not have dentures myself, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: The recent column “Don’t be too shy or afraid to talk to your doctor” does not tell the whole story. I am insured through work with commercial insurance. When I went for my recent annual physical, I was advised that any issues other than routine could or would result in additional charges. […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Is it possible to be allergic to the cold weather and temperature changes? My son is 23 years old, and when he goes out in the cold, he breaks out in hives. What can he do? — K.R. ANSWER: This sounds exactly like cold urticaria, which isn’t an allergy, but is similar […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 90 years old and take many medications. I am having many different dreams at night. Can medications cause this? — A.C. ANSWER: Pretty much whenever I get the question, “Can medications cause this?” the answer is “yes.” In your case, it’s very clear that some medications cause unusual dreams in […]