DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband had his regular blood work done in 2012, and it showed that his monocytes were elevated (15 percent) and his HCT was low (39 percent). When we asked his doctor what this meant, she said, “Cancer somewhere,” and we just have to find out where it is. So he was […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: In your column that ran in our local newspaper, you cautioned a reader about having positive results from a dietary change: “I need to emphasize that a diet change has a high likelihood of a placebo response — getting better because you think you should get better.” Doctors should celebrate the fact […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 63-year-old woman who has always carried extra weight, but I have gained a few more pounds in the past year. I am overweight but not obese. I have been having a problem with my navel, and have been told that it is a yeast infection. I was given medication […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My primary-care doctor sent me to an endocrinologist after my blood test showed that I have high calcium levels in my blood (10.7 and 10.8) and very low vitamin D levels. I had a bone density test, which showed osteopenia, especially in my left hip. I was told that I have hyperparathyroidism, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: You recently wrote that you do not recommend healthy people take supplements. What about training athletes? I’m thinking creatine for weightlifters, coenzyme Q-10 and B vitamins for endurance sports. I also have read newspaper reports citing vitamin D deficiency as “epidemic” in the general populace. For someone training one to two hours […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I would like your opinion on enlarged prostate. My primary-care doctor sent me for a blood test and said my PSA number was too high, then sent me to a urologist. He said my bladder is not emptying and that I am having urine retention in the bladder. After one week of […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 84-year-old woman who increasingly is talking to herself. Wherever I am, grocery shopping or at home, I speak or murmur to myself constantly. As I type this, I am speaking it in a whisper. Is there something wrong with me? Is this the start of a serious dementia? — […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 76-year-old man who has A fib. To control this problem, I am presently taking Tikosyn, metoprolol, warfarin and aspirin. For exercise, I walk or run at least five miles, five days weekly. In that five miles, I jog rapidly at least three to four miles. I push myself pretty […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My son is 27 years old, and he was diagnosed with low testosterone at the age of 21, due to a tumor on the pituitary gland, seen on an MRI. He took bromocriptine and testosterone for a while, and they helped to get the testosterone level up and the prolactin level down. […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am so tired of gastric juices coming up and spraying my mouth. I am currently on a “last resort” medicine. My doctor wants to try it for three weeks. If it doesn’t work, he’s going to perform a Nissen fundoplication. From what I’ve read, there would be nothing more coming up. […]