DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My wife chokes quite a lot when she eats or drinks. This started a few months ago. There are times I nearly start to do a Heimlich maneuver on her. It really scares me, and I know it does her, too. Could it be a nerve problem? — A.C. ANSWER: People with […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I appreciate your column, but I take exception to something you keep repeating that makes it hard on people like me. Since childhood, I have had bronchitis and asthma and I have lost count of the number of times I’ve had pneumonia. Recently I have been diagnosed with chronic bronchitis and emphysema. […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My sister, age 41, passed away unexpectedly. She had an upper respiratory illness that a clinic assured her was neither seasonal influenza nor H1N1, although no testing was done. During the next several days, she rested and thought she was recovering. She mentioned a bad headache and body aches. Her roommate returned […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have played in a men’s basketball league for the past five years. This year, for the second time, I have come down with Achilles tendinitis, and I have had to stop playing. A sports trainer happens to be on my team, and he suggests I get a new treatment consisting of […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have played in a men’s basketball league for the past five years. This year, for the second time, I have come down with Achilles tendinitis, and I have had to stop playing. A sports trainer happens to be on my team, and he suggests I get a new treatment consisting of […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My daughter started smoking as a teen. Twenty years later, she developed asthma. Two years ago, she stopped smoking and her asthma worsened. The doctor gave her steroid inhalers, and she gained an enormous amount of weight. I am concerned about her. Can you tell me about alternative medicines? Or breathing exercises? […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My daughter started smoking as a teen. Twenty years later, she developed asthma. Two years ago, she stopped smoking and her asthma worsened. The doctor gave her steroid inhalers, and she gained an enormous amount of weight. I am concerned about her. Can you tell me about alternative medicines? Or breathing exercises? […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I’m a 66-year-old woman who had a scare last week. While visiting my daughter, I got an attack of dizziness, and I couldn’t talk. My daughter rushed me to the hospital, and the doctors told me I had a ministroke. Will you please explain its significance? — L.H. ANSWER: A ministroke, also […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I’m a 66-year-old woman who had a scare last week. While visiting my daughter, I got an attack of dizziness, and I couldn’t talk. My daughter rushed me to the hospital, and the doctors told me I had a ministroke. Will you please explain its significance? — L.H. ANSWER: A ministroke, also […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I often have this strange chest pain. It’s usually on the left side. I feel my heart beating pretty fast at times, but it speeds up and slows down. Sometimes the pain is severe, but most of the time it is just annoying. I thought it might be poor blood circulation, anxiety […]