DEAR DR. ROACH: Several times, I have seen an explanation of the DASH diet in your column, and as many as I have cut out and saved, I can’t seem to find any. It has been suggested that my husband go on the DASH diet. Your explanation was the best. Can you either print it […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: For the past couple of years, I have been noticing that my balance is not what it was. I never feel as though I am going to faint or pass out, but I find myself “listing,” and it is very uncomfortable. My doctor has changed my blood pressure medication, but it has […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 77-year-old male who’s had leg cramps occasionally for most of his adult life, usually at night in bed. A few weeks ago I was sitting on a chair when I was hit suddenly by a huge cramp that lasted for about 15 minutes. The episode left me with two […]

What could be the cause of terrible nightmares? DEAR DR. ROACH: My wife is plagued by terrible nightmares. She is 69 years old. Each night, she has horrible dreams that make her moan out loud. I wake her, but she goes back to the same type of dreams. She has done this for years. It […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Why do commercials for cholesterol-lowering medications have a goal of 100 for bad cholesterol? I thought it was 180. I heard a guest on a television show say that everyone over 40 should be on a statin drug. — T.Z. ANSWER: Let me answer the second question first. Not everybody needs a […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I had a vagotomy and antrectomy in 1980. I’m 76 now and for the past several years have been anemic. My doctor gave me five B-12 shots, and I have been taking B-12 pills for the past 1 1/2 years. I also needed iron infusions. The surgeon reported that because I’ve had […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have a family history of aortic aneurysm. My father was diagnosed with one at approximately 70 years of age. His was found when he was going to surgery for other problems, and the aneurysm was successfully repaired. My brother died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm at the age of 63, and […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a new reader to your column; as such, I thought I would ask you a question that I have never seen asked or addressed in similar newspaper health columns. I am in my early 40s. I am active and generally healthy. That being said, I have GERD, but I have […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Having been advised by oncologists to avoid all soy products in our diet (and taking an aromatase inhibitor to reduce the amount of estrogen produced by our bodies), several other estrogen receptor positive breast cancer patients and I have the following questions: How do phytoestrogens compare with estrogens produced by the body? […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: As a person with COPD, would I get any benefit from taking an 81-mg aspirin on a daily basis? Thank you for your interest. — P.T. ANSWER: Aspirin is a serious medication that shouldn’t be taken on a regular basis lightly. It has good effects and bad, and for any given person, […]