DEAR DR. ROACH: I am over 60 and a teacher in California. I have some concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine. I was treated with Taxotere, Cytoxan and Herceptin back in 2006-07 for breast cancer. Is there anything about COVID or any of the potential vaccines that could impact me differently because of my health history, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 74 and in very good health. I’m active and walk twice daily. Maybe a few times a day I get a tickle in my throat that causes me to cough a few times. If I suck on a hard candy or take a drink of water, it is soothed. It […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: These days, when vitamin D is recommended at every turn, I need to be sure I am taking the right dose. When I took 5,000 IU daily, my blood calcium levels increased and my doctor said to cut back to 2,000 IU daily. Now I read that we should be taking 5,000 […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: You mentioned checking a calcium score to help determine risk of having a heart attack. Please explain what that is. Thank you. — J.S. ANSWER: A coronary artery calcium score is a special kind of CT scan that looks for the presence of calcium in the arteries providing blood to heart muscle. […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband developed melanoma, and had 16 of his lymph nodes removed. He was considered a cancer survivor, as one of the nodes was cancerous. He went for skin check-ups twice a year and was given an OK. Yet he died two months ago from tumors on his liver, lungs and brain. […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Periodically, I suffer from kaleidoscope vision where my peripheral vision in the extreme right or left eye appears that I am looking through broken glass. It started about five years ago, when I was 65. After about 10-15 minutes it disappears. I never get headaches. It does not hinder my eyesight other […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: In 2002, I had a severe case of Bell’s palsy that lasted eight months. I was unable to close my left eye for seven months. The doctors said there was a good chance I would not get back to normal. However, I eventually did. Only a slight indication of a droopy mouth […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Is there a cure for overactive bladder? — R.H. ANSWER: The underlying reason for overactive bladder is not well understood, and although there are medications to treat symptoms, there is not a cure for the condition. The main symptoms of overactive bladder are urinary symptoms, especially urgency (the need to go RIGHT […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Are people with autism spectrum disorder normal functioning? I’m thinking of “Rain Man,” and I don’t know how to behave around a friend who has this diagnosis. — R.S. ANSWER: Autism and related disorders are much more commonly diagnosed now compared with years ago, probably due mostly to better recognition of the […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I will be starting a new job that requires regular, but random, drug testing. I have never used drugs, so that is not a problem. But I am wondering how long alcohol can be detected in the urine. — M.M. ANSWER: Alcohol can be found in the urine in small amounts as […]