DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have a new doctor. My old doctor retired. The new one is quite busy. Here’s how my first visit went: The doctor rushed into the room and asked if I had any problems. I said no, but I need a general exam. He grabbed my arm and took my blood pressure […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My 13-year-old son has a wart on his hand. In fact, he has two of them. They don’t bother him, but they bother me. If you neglect them, will they go away on their own? I’m not sure we can handle a doctor’s bill right now. How else can we get rid […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Dizziness is ruining my life. I’m afraid to leave my house because I’m afraid I might fall, and for the same reason, I can’t safely drive a car. I’ve seen two doctors, both of whom say it will get better on its own and gave me the same medicine, which has done […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Are eggs still off-limits? My mother-in-law says I’m killing my husband by feeding him the occasional egg. I thought the egg ban had been lifted. My husband loves them. He says he never got to eat them when he was growing up; his mother never served them. I’d like an update on […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I played tennis since I was a young boy and continued to play it twice a week through my adult years. I retired three months ago, and now have been playing tennis daily. I have come down with tennis elbow. How could this happen when I’ve played regularly most of my life? […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My husband was just discharged from the hospital for a peptic ulcer. I don’t know what a peptic ulcer is, and I am too embarrassed to ask the doctor. Is it a stomach ulcer? Will it come back? — R.S. ANSWER: Peptic ulcers are either stomach or duodenal ulcers. The duodenum is […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 85 and in good health. For the past several years, I have been taking levothyroxine (Synthroid, thyroid hormone) for an underactive thyroid gland. The problem is, I am losing weight and have insomnia. I work in the garden and walk a mile a day. I read that blood tests for […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 72. Recently my eye doctor told me I have the start of age-related macular degeneration. At first she said I had the eyes of a 60-year-old, until she took another look. She recommended vitamins and sunglasses that give ultraviolet protection. I do not want to lose my sight. Is there […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: What makes a headache a migraine headache? I have some real doozies that make work impossible. The headaches are more frequent and intense than they were. I can’t afford to lose more work time. Friends insist I have migraines. How are they treated? I usually take aspirin for my headaches. — C.J. […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: The wife of a gentleman I have known for a number of years is afflicted with Sjogren’s (SHOW-grins) syndrome. Her arthritis symptoms are a painful burden. Can you make any recommendations? — A.B. ANSWER: Sjogren’s syndrome is another autoimmune disease, one in which the body’s immune system has gone rogue; it turns […]