DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I would like to know more about restless leg syndrome. — I.J. ANSWER: Roughly 7 percent of women and 3 percent of men suffer from restless leg syndrome. That gives you a lot of fellow sufferers. People describe it in many ways. Some say it’s an aching in their legs. Others describe […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: We are of Italian descent. My daughter-in-law was born and raised in Malaysia. She doesn’t take my granddaughter to the doctor as often as I think she should. Our granddaughter is almost 6 years old. Ever since she was an infant, she would develop spontaneous fevers, sometimes very high. They would last […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I’m a high-school senior, and I plan to major in some aspect of sports medicine in college. I’ve been reading about the different kinds of muscle fiber, and wonder if you’d discuss this. — J.K. DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have read that women over 65 have virtually no fast-twitch muscle fibers left. […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My daughter was diagnosed recently with a mildly overactive thyroid gland. She is going to have another test in one month. What can be done to bring her thyroid readings to normal without taking medicine for it? What health problems are caused as a result of an overactive gland? — M.M. ANSWER: […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 82 and in pretty good health except for a recent problem. During the day everything is fine, but when I lie down to go to sleep, the room starts to spin. It lasts about 10 seconds. Then if I turn my head to look at the clock, the dizziness returns. […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I take Zocor for cholesterol, Micardis for blood pressure and Dexilant for acid reflux (heartburn). When I wake each morning, my lower back, hip, knee, shoulder and ankle joints ache. I like to golf, but the day after, I can barely move from stiffness and pain. Recently I read that proton pump […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My son has sleep apnea. What causes it? He is 43. I don’t want him to die in his sleep. What can be done about this? — C.D. ANSWER: Sleep apnea consists of periods during which the sleeper takes no breaths. The condition has this story line with few variations: The patient […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: You had an article that focused on isometric exercise and stated that it strengthens muscles (which I like) and makes them grow. Does that mean that if I do these exercises I will develop large, bulging muscles? Do you have a set of these exercises I could do? I am a 70-year-old […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I read your article about irritable bowel syndrome with interest. For seven and a half years I was treated for it. About half an hour after eating, I was in such pain that no painkiller could touch it. In late 2008, I was rushed to the emergency room and diagnosed with colitis. […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I was told I have polymyalgia rheumatica nine months ago. The doctor put me on prednisone. Now I am down to 10 mg a day because of the damage prednisone can do to bones. I have a lot of pain beginning around 3 a.m. every day. I was given a pain reliever, […]