DEAR DR. ROACH: For the past four months, I have had an infection around the cuticle of my right index finger. There is green coloration under the nail near the cuticle, and the nail grew rather deformed. I am a gardener and a homemaker, so I tend to wash my hands often. The urgent-care doctor […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a female in my 60s, and for the past couple of months I have been having some discomfort and swelling in my right knee. I am slightly overweight and have osteoarthritis. I have no pain when walking, but when leaning over, I get a tight pain in the front of […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am wondering how safe “energy drinks” really are. My daughter is a recovering alcoholic, sober for three plus years, but she has at least five of these drinks a day. Can they be good for her, or are they another addiction? — N.N. ANSWER: I’ve recommended against energy drinks in previous […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Three months ago, I slammed the fingertip of my left index finger in a drawer. The fingertip is still swollen and painful. My doctor sent me for an X-ray, and there is no fracture. I can bend it at the joint, but cannot put pressure on the fingertip. I looked online, and […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Three months ago, my daughter, age 50 and a healthy person, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome. The onset was gradual, beginning with numbness in her hands and feet, and severe pain in her back. After an MRI didn’t reveal any nerve problems in her spine, she was referred to a neurologist and […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: In a recent column, you strongly recommended the HPV vaccine for everyone ages 13 to 26. Last week, an article came out about the much lower rates of HPV vaccination as compared with the rates of other vaccinations recommended for teens. I was born in the 1960s, and grew up hearing about […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: All of us look forward to eating. However, in my case (age 79) it has become a chore. Whether it is breakfast, lunch, dinner or a few snacks, after the first few bites I have to blow my nose. This goes on throughout the eating period, and at the end, my handkerchief […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 79 years young and in pretty good health, considering the medical problems that have left their signature on my body. My question has to do with the IVC filter that was placed before my mastectomy surgery, when it was discovered that I had a blood clot in my left leg. […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am about midway through a five-year follow-up treatment of aromatase inhibitors for estrogen positive breast cancer (following surgery and radiation). I was told to expect joint pain, and I have certainly had it, but I am using letrozole, which for me has the lowest level of side effects of the medications […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I would like to comment on your column regarding blood-pressure differences between the arms. A difference of greater than 10 mmHg between the two arms in systolic pressure is considered abnormal. We see patients not uncommonly in consultation for this reason alone, perhaps as many as one a month. Almost always, the […]