DEAR DR. DONOHUE: In your column you replied to a student regarding drugs used by teenage athletes. You concluded by saying you would write about caffeine if he requested you to. I would appreciate anything you can tell us about caffeine. I have a 15-year-old grandson who takes over-the-counter caffeine tablets to stay alert in […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I haven’t found out why the second number of my blood pressure is consistently high. It’s around 90 to 100 or more. I am a reasonably healthy 59-year-old woman. Would blood pressure pills work for me? Any advice? — K.K. ANSWER: You have what’s called isolated diastolic hypertension, a high second number […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My New Year’s resolution was to get active. I did. Now I suffer. I chose to jog for exercise and did it daily. Now I have pain on the bottom of my heel. I can hardly walk on it in the morning when I get out of bed. It gets somewhat better […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 47 and facing menopause. I’d like some information on it. What is the average age for it? I have heard so many horrifying stories about menopause that I would appreciate a less-than-dramatic explanation. Can you provide it? — H.L. ANSWER: Menopause is a normal life transition, a state where a […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2005. My rheumatologist put me on methotrexate. I had many side effects from methotrexate, and it was not working as well as it had been, so my doctor put me on hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil). The thought of going on needles scares me. I hate them. My […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I was diagnosed with avascular necrosis in June of 2011. No one will help me or give me information on this condition. I cannot afford medical insurance. I am 68 and on a meager Social Security payment. Doctors refuse to take me as a patient. I need to know what the prognosis […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My husband, 55 years old, had his first colonoscopy a month ago. They found a polyp that wasn’t cancer. No one in his family has ever had colon cancer. Does the polyp put him at risk for it? The doctor wants him to have a repeat colonoscopy in three years. Is that […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Recently my doctor referred me to an ENT doctor because my calcium was elevated and so was my parathyroid hormone. The ENT doctor ordered a 24-hour urine test and found elevated calcium there, too. The doctors think I have a slow-growing tumor of one of my parathyroid glands. I have a sestamibi […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have serious doubts about judging weight and health. Everyone talks about the obesity epidemic, but no one speaks for those of us who are overweight by accepted standards but are still in good shape. I am 33. Since grade school, I have exercised hard — and still do. I lift weights […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 89 years old and in good health. I do not have high blood pressure, and I do not have diabetes. The only big problem I have had for a long time is aortic stenosis. I am still pretty active, but this concerns me. Will you inform me of my prognosis? […]