DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 72-year-old woman, and I have had a dryness problem for two years. My face, nose, arms and legs are extremely dry. My doctor doesn’t know what is causing it or what to do about it. I have never seen an article of yours on “dryness.” I have bladder prolapse […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have a dilemma. I suffered an aortic dissection nine months ago and was put on labetalol. I have bounced back well, and at age 84 take care of my house and husband, cook for three adults and am generally healthy. I developed an allergy to labetalol so I started taking metoprolol […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Can you talk about cognitive impairment in diabetes? I’ve been assured that diabetes does not increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease, but my brother is a noncompliant elderly diabetic. When his blood sugar is high (which is frequently), he has poor judgment, slurs his words, makes no sense, can’t control bodily functions, has […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read on the internet that you should take your blood pressure medicine at night. I just recently started taking medicine for my blood pressure and my instructions were to take it first thing in the morning. So, when is the best time to take it? — B.H. ANSWER: A study published […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I recently had a colonoscopy and was told I was in atrial fibrillation. I’m 71 years old and have never had this before. I was told to see a cardiologist ASAP. I called my doctor, who put me on Eliquis without seeing me because it was going to be a month before […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 75-year-old male, 5 feet, 3 inches tall, weighing 123 pounds with a blood pressure of 110/60. The only known ailment I have is hypothyroidism, which is being treated. I recently began seeing a new primary care physician who ordered a series of bloodwork. The bloodwork came back showing a […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: A few months ago, my husband was told that his prostate cancer has returned. He now has stage 4 cancer. We asked all of his doctors (five of them!) what his prognosis is and received wildly varying answers — everything from two months to maybe 10 years. I understand that his prognosis […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I recently read that tuberculosis kills more people than any other infectious illness. Can people who have no symptoms spread this disease? — R.R. ANSWER: Tuberculosis, an ancient disease, is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It infects 10 million people per year and kills 1.5 million people yearly worldwide, mostly in Africa and […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Your recent column regarding cognitive decline after surgery suggested careful consideration prior to elective surgery. Does this advice apply to screening colonoscopies? Since for it’s done for screening and there is no indication of any problem, does the risk outweigh the benefits for a patient 65 or older? — K.B. ANSWER: The […]

DEAR DR ROACH: I am having a serious, lengthy battle with cellulitis on my lower leg. For nearly three months, nothing any doctor has recommended or prescribed has worked. The inflammation and skin discoloration have not abated even with three days of intravenous injections of antibiotics and three courses of antibiotic pills. I have soaked […]