DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a woman who just turned 75, and I have a chronic dry cough. I visited my pulmonary doctor, and he diagnosed bronchiectasis. There is no cure, but there are herbal products, such as Creseton. They claim to have a 90 percent cure rate, which is better than no cure at […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My son, 55 years old, had groin pain and was told he needed a new hip. Since the surgery, he has been in constant pain. Many doctors say it is his back, and he might not have needed the hip surgery. He sent his films to a clinic in Florida that does […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 26 years old, 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weigh 290 pounds. About two years ago, I had chest pain and palpitations. I saw a cardiologist, who performed an echocardiogram. It showed mild LVH and mild pulmonary hypertension. I had multiple EKGs, and my doctor says I have a clean […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My 73-year-old husband has candida esophagitis (ongoing for about six years). He has Type 2 diabetes and has had esophageal dilatations for the past 23 years. He was a cigarette smoker but quit. In the past 40 years, he has abused alcohol (but has not had any for the past three years) […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: In the past six weeks, I have had five TIA events, ranging from a minute or so to six minutes. My symptoms are: a loss of control of my right leg, moving up to my right arm and fingers; and a loss of speech. I am aware and thinking during these episodes, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Can you tell me why there is so much emphasis on small portions for diabetics or prediabetics? If you are watching carbs and are extremely underweight, is there still a reason to limit portion sizes? — C. ANSWER: The majority of people in North America with diabetes and prediabetes are overweight or […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: There once was what I thought was a promising procedure to increase blood flow to the myocardium — transmyocardial revascularization (TMR). As a heart patient with five stents, I was particularly interested in this procedure. It appeared to show great promise. In short: What has happened to TMR? — F.S. ANSWER: The […]

DR. ROACH WRITES: I certainly have gotten an education in carcinoid tumors, a type of neuroendocrine tumor found usually in the GI tract or the lungs. Like many physicians, I had learned in medical school that most carcinoid tumors were benign, and wrote that in a column. However, the reality is that while some carcinoid […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: When I sit and take a meal or drink coffee, my eyes slowly close! But I’m not asleep. My daughter or son-in-law will speak my name or bump my foot to get me to open my eyes. I was having coffee the other day and actually dropped my cup. I am getting […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: In your response to “R.J.” in your column “In exams, doctors seem to have lost their touch,” you missed an opportunity to educate the writer on the role of the physical examination. There still is a role for the physical exam, but the evidence supporting a “complete” physical in asymptomatic people is […]