DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 57 and play softball twice a week and racquetball two to three times a week. My job requires an extreme amount of physical exertion. I am able to do this in spite of my earlier years of partying with no regard for exercise. When I turned 50, I stopped all […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 73-year-old woman. I have an abdominal aortic aneurysm. I have sonograms regularly. I am in a bowling league. I bowl each week. My bowling ball weighs 10 pounds. Should I bowl? My last ultrasound shows that the aneurysm is 3.8 cm. — F.S. ANSWER: Your doctor is the only […]

ANSWER: Asperger’s disorder makes normal socialization and conformity to social norms difficult. Asperger’s patients have trouble interacting with others. They’re unable to make sustained eye contact with people and express little emotion. They don’t understand the facial expressions of others and what their tone of voice implies. They pursue isolated interests and find it difficult […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: A patient brought me your column on stopping Pap smears after a hysterectomy. You cited the recommendations of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. However, these directives are only recommendations. A woman’s sexual practices are a most important consideration. I have women in my practice who are widowed or divorced, some […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: What’s all this about dust mites? Do they carry disease? How do we kill them? A baseball bat? — R.H. DEAR DR. DONOHUE: About dust mites — I am getting nowhere with them because they are practically invisible. They crawl in and out of my mouth and on my face when I […]

BY PAUL G. DONOHUE, M.D. DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My doctor prescribed statin drugs to control my LDL cholesterol. First I took lovastatin (Mevacor) and then simvastatin (Zocor), but I had muscle pain and weakness with them. I am reluctant to start the pravastatin (Pravachol) that he has now prescribed. Are there alternatives? How about Endur-acin? […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I’m a running back for my school and have played on the varsity squad since my freshman year. I’m a senior this year. My question has to do with cramps that happen early in the season, when we’re practicing. I get terrible cramps in my calves. I am OK when the actual […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I enclosed your recent column on PSA. I also have enclosed an article that sets forth the extremely low accuracy of the PSA and describes the highly accurate EPCA-2. I had a high PSA number, and my doctor was poised to poke and cut until I showed him the EPCA-2 article. He […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Please give me information on Paget’s disease. I am 85 and have been told I have it. — N.D. ANSWER: Paget’s bone disease comes about when normal bone remodeling becomes abnormal. From the first moment of life to the last moment before death, bones are breaking down and immediately being rebuilt. Bone-making […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 25. I have a serious case of GERD. I’ve been put on four different medicines. They aren’t working. I also have palpitations throughout the day. I’ve been told by doctors and nurses that there is nothing dangerous about them. I’d like to know if this true. — J.C. ANSWER: GERD […]