DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 50-year-old female, and I have asthma that seems to be getting worse. In October, I got the H1N1 flu and had to go to the hospital twice because of breathing problems. I get scared every time I have a simple cold. I was told that my asthma is allergy-induced, […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: What are your feelings about Actonel? There’s been talk that it causes bones to break after taking it for five or more years. I have taken it for five years. Should I stay on it? I take calcium and vitamins, and I swim and work out. — E.R. DEAR DR. DONOHUE: A […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: You have written several times in the past about the formula used to determine the training zone for exercise. It’s the one where you deduct your age from 220 and then take 60 percent to 75 percent of that number for obtaining the low and high heartbeat rate that puts you in […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My daughter and five of her friends, all in their early 20s, recently attended an outdoor concert. During the concert, my daughter fainted and was taken to the emergency room of a local hospital. The hospital, after checking her over, released her to the care of her friends. She had not been […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: The tip of my husband’s nose and his cheeks have become noticeably red this past year. People ask me — half kidding, half serious — if he’s been drinking heavily. He doesn’t touch alcohol. This doesn’t bother him, but it bothers me. What is this? — N.D. ANSWER: The probable culprit is […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 32-year-old woman, married with two children. For this entire year, I have not been myself. I have had loose stools at least twice a day, and have lost 20 pounds without trying. Finally, my husband insisted I see a doctor. I did, and that doctor sent me to a […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My mother is 92 and lives by herself. She’s quite independent and does well. A neighbor takes her grocery shopping, and we take her to other places she has to go. She is extremely set in her ways. I offered to have her home air-conditioned. She won’t hear of it. She says […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Daily headaches were making my life difficult. I’m a 34-year-old woman and had no other medical problems. I am not overweight. (I’m sure you would think I am.) I had these headaches for more than six months. I saw many doctors, none of whom could help me. Finally I saw a neurologist, […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: This summer I have taken up tennis. I’m 55 and never played it before. I have played many other sports. I really like tennis, so I’ve started taking lessons with a young, local pro. He played college-level tennis, and he’s a good instructor. He tells me I can improve my game by […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Will you inform me about big hearts or enlarged hearts? I have one. — P. ANSWER: It’s hard to imagine why the heart was picked to represent romance. It isn’t terribly romantic. It’s a muscular sack that pumps blood. The right side of the heart pumps blood to the lungs to pick […]