DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I’m a pretty good basketball player, but I would be a great one if I could jump; I can’t. My coach said I would be on the first string if I improved my jumping. He didn’t say how I could do that. Can you give me any tips? — L.F. ANSWER: It […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Please explain peripheral vascular disease. I have never heard of it, and neither have people I have asked. — C.D. ANSWER: Peripheral vascular disease also goes by the name peripheral artery disease. Have you seen the TV ad where the young boy and his grandmother are walking through a store where there’s […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Our 45-year-old daughter has recently been diagnosed with Meniere’s disease. For five months, she suffered from bad headache, swishing sounds in her ear and a loss of balance. The doctor tells us there is no cure. She is on a salt-free, caffeine-free diet. She also has lost her voice. Is there anything […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Today you wrote about wet macular degeneration. I have the dry type. I take PreserVision with lutein tablets twice a day. I hear lutein is very good for my eyes, and I would like to take more than the 10 mg a day that I get in my tablets. I don’t know […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: On TV, I saw a doctor announce a breakthrough in the treatment of vitiligo. He also demonstrated the results on an affected woman. He didn’t say how one could obtain this treatment or what it was. Can you help? — S.J. ANSWER: I saw the program, too. It’s a new cosmetic treatment, […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 43-year-old mother of three children, and I also teach school. Since last spring, I have lost all energy, and my muscles seem to hurt all over. I have consulted three doctors. None has found anything wrong with me or my tests. The last doctor has suggested fibromyalgia. I am […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Both my legs have varicose veins. I’m in my 40s, and I am a female. I have been a jogger for many years and run nearly five miles a day. People tell me that jogging caused my varicose veins. Is that the case? Does it make them worse? I feel quite physically […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My aunt, who raised me, has been given the diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. I know nothing about it. I am her only relative, and I want to be as big a help to her as she was to me. Will you give me some details on this illness and how it’s […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: About 40 years ago, when I was in my 30s, I was examined by a famous heart doctor who went over me with great care and concluded I had mitral valve prolapse. He put me on medicine, which I have taken to this day. He also insisted I take antibiotics before dental […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My father died of kidney failure. He was 94. I realize that’s a long life, but his death was unexpected. He lived alone, drove a car, planted a garden and kept his house immaculate. He was alert mentally, too. I was called to the hospital and told my dad was in a […]