DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an almost 69-year-old man in generally good health. Until the pandemic, I exercised regularly, but with Pilates studios closed I have only been walking. I have always been troubled with insomnia and have tried every sleep aid — both prescription and nonprescription — to no avail. That was until my […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have a friend who’s 28 with “really low” urine pH (I don’t know how low). Apparently, it is due to constant dehydration and drinking coffee all day long, to the point that the doctor recommended that he drink lots of water with lemon (perhaps just to prevent dehydration and nothing else.) […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m 86, and was finally, after a few false starts, diagnosed with two compression fractured vertebrae, which were very painful. This was followed by a diagnosis of osteoporosis. The doctor who diagnosed it told me that it was a disease mainly of the northern part of the planet, affecting folks living in […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: As a family physician, I must differ with you on your advice to the 71-year-old lady whose doctor wanted to start her on a statin. Using a Mesa score and her desire not to take any medicine, you advised her to decline the statin. I am able to obtain generic Crestor with […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your recent response to a man having withdrawal issues from short-term Paxil use. Could you take a shot at a bigger, yet related problem I have? I have been on 9 mg bromazepam daily for over 40 years. I am now 75. My diagnosis was manic depressive, which is now, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband has been an alcoholic for 30 years. I have recently started to sleep in our living room due to his smell. He is furious! I have not slept well for so long — I know it’s affected my health. He doesn’t want me sick, but he is making me sick. […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have been suffering from fatty liver for the past 10 years. Is there any medication to reverse it? — A.A. ANSWER: Fatty liver is a very common finding that refers to the accumulation of excess fat in the liver cells. The most common cause, in people who do not drink excess […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have been diagnosed with bursitis on my left hip, and my pain management doctor says she can give me an injection to help. I had one last year by an orthopedist. The pain management nurse recommends my orthopedist do it because they use X-ray to guide the injection. But if X-rays […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Could you discuss Elmiron side effects and the pending lawsuit? I have been on this for years for interstitial cystitis and am worried about staying on it even though it is the only relief I can find. — C.H. ANSWER: “Interstitial cystitis” is a term used for chronic bladder pain when no […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis. A spine specialist has advised surgery to fuse vertebrae in two places. I have already had surgery to remove a herniated disk on both these vertebrae and spinal epidurals with limited success. Recently a friend suggested inversion therapy using a teeter […]