DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have hemochromatosis — too much iron in the body. My doctor takes blood every other week. What can you tell me about it? What’s the end result? — H.G. ANSWER: Hemochromatosis is an unpronounceable name with close to zero recognition by the general public. The sad truth is it is a […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My sister has a burning tongue. What causes it, and what can be done for it? — H.G. ANSWER: Burning tongue — or burning mouth syndrome, since the gums lips and palate also can be involved — is a puzzling condition, one difficult to have and difficult to treat. You’d be surprised […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 82 and have been on medication for two-plus years for an enlarged prostate. It’s still enlarged. I have no problem voiding. I drink six to eight glasses of water daily and have one or two wake-up calls a night. My urologist is letting me decide if I want more treatment. […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My son recently turned 12. He is an excellent baseball pitcher, but he is somewhat small for his age. I would like to start him on weightlifting using light weights. My wife talked to the doctor, who said lifting could fuse his growth plates. Now my wife is concerned for our son’s […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Please provide information on arthritis of the spine and how it is treated. I especially need to know how to retard its advance. — F.L. ANSWER: Spinal arthritis comes in many varieties. For successful treatment, the exact variety has to be determined. Rheumatoid arthritis is a difficult kind of arthritis, but as […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Some time ago, you wrote about multiple system atrophy. Can you repeat this? — J.S. ANSWER: Multiple system atrophy is a group of disorders that share a variety of symptoms, including some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, symptoms of trouble with the cerebellum (such as loss of balance), symptoms denoting damage to other […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My husband is 66 years old and has been diagnosed with hyponatremia. He has high blood pressure and takes medicine for it. He is also an alcoholic, eats very little and has lost a lot of weight. Will you please discuss hyponatremia? I’m at my wits’ end because he looks so bad. […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Shed some light on blood pressure. I got off blood pressure medication six months ago with my doctor’s approval. In the morning, my pressure is around 145/90 to 150/100. It varies during the day. I am a mechanic and work in a metal shop where temperatures reach 100 degrees. After I get […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: You published a letter regarding a case of severe acne. I misplaced the article. My 18-year-old grandson has an extremely bad case of it. I would appreciate it if you would reprint that article. My grandson has tried many things but gets no relief. — S.O. ANSWER: Your grandson is my grandson. […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I suffer from uterine fibroids. They cause heavy, prolonged bleeding and pain. I have decided to go for the procedure called uterine fibroid embolization. Are there any side effects regarding the pellets that are used to block off blood supply to the fibroids? Do you know of any long-term side effects? — […]