DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 54-year-old woman whose doctor told her to lose 65 pounds. Six months ago, I started a walking plan and limited my calorie intake to 1,200 per day. I average 22 miles of walking a week and have gone down two dress sizes. But I have lost only 12 pounds. […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am involved as a board member of the Arthritis Foundation of New Jersey. I would like to call attention to a couple of common issues and misconceptions about the disease called arthritis. Many people do not realize that arthritis is a disease. It is, in fact, more than 100 diseases, some […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 73-year-old ex-hockey player who has suffered a few broken noses through the years. I never learned to duck on a timely basis. My wife tells me my snoring is getting worse. During a visit to an ear, nose and throat physician, I was advised that I have a deviated […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My husband passed away in February of this year. He just had his 67th birthday in December. He was diagnosed as having multiple system atrophy about two years ago. We had never heard of MSA. Information we got from the Internet provided all of its symptoms and a predicted longevity of seven […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I work with a woman who claims she has emphysema. She smokes regularly and finds herself out of breath when coming up the stairs. She is 60. She says the onset of this condition occurred when she was 9. A local gas station near her childhood home moved and, in the process, […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I had grown up before I found out what was wrong with me. They told me I had Turner’s syndrome, the mosaic variety, which was explained as not being severe. They told me I would never have children, and that I would have a short life. I am 85. I have lived […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: If I’m not mistaken, you wrote about how the foot should land when running, and you favored the heel as the place to plant the foot. I also remember you not favoring barefoot running. Would you reconsider these issues? Barefoot running decreases runners’ injuries, and landing on the heel increases them. — […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: In January of this year, I was diagnosed as having a urinary tract infection. I took antibiotics for a couple of months. I went back to the doctor and tested negative on two occasions, but I still had symptoms of an infection. I have been on an antibiotic, once a day, ever […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 25-year-old woman who suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome. I grow facial hair. I’ve tweezed the hair and had laser treatments, which messed up my skin. It’s embarrassing and a turn-off. Please help. Is there a vitamin or herb that can control it? — U.M. ANSWER: Polycystic ovary syndrome, PCO, […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I haven’t seen anything in your column lately on diverticulosis or diverticulitis. Will you please explain the difference between the two? What can a patient eat or not eat? What medication is taken for them? What causes them? — L.M. ANSWER: A colon diverticulum is a small (one-fifth to two-fifths of an […]