DEAR DR. ROACH: My 30-year-old and otherwise healthy grandson has been suffering from and treating hemorrhoids for two years. He is anemic due to his loss of blood. He’s had several bandings; they couldn’t complete the last one because he was in too much pain. They said they couldn’t anesthetize the area because his lack […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have some questions about adult men getting circumcised. I am 93 and of reasonably good health. I do take some medicines — a diuretic, a blood pressure control medication and a statin. All my life, I’ve had problems with balanitis, but I’ve only had problems with posthitis in recent years. I […]

DEAR DR ROACH: I am in my early 90s and was diagnosed with “venous insufficiency” in both legs about 20 years ago. Over the years, I have attempted to deal with chronic edema in both ankles and feet by using elevation and compression devices. Of course, these are only temporary measures and only provided a […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I will be undergoing a thyroidectomy to reduce the chances of thyroid cancer, given my family history, a CHEK2 mutation and ongoing thyroid nodule growth. My concern is that I had an ECG for pre-op purposes and received results that stated I had low voltage on the extremity leads. Otherwise, I have […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband and I have been watching our fat intake, and we have eliminated almost all red meat and processed foods from our diet. We do eat a lot of fish (salmon primarily) and boneless/skinless chicken. I am, at times, confused about the information on nutrition facts labels. As an example, the […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Which diet styles in particular are associated with a lower risk of heart disease? Many people are confused about what actually is a healthy diet. Is a Mediterranean diet easier than an extreme low-fat diet? — D.H.H. ANSWER: There are several styles of diet that have been proven to be healthier than […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m an 83-year-old male. I eat a plant-based diet, and I exercise at my local YMCA at least three times a week. I’m concerned that my toes and fingers will turn blue daily, in response to getting cold. My fingertips also become numb. — W.H. ANSWER: Fingers and toes turn blue due […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Everyone knows that they are supposed to wash their hands after using the toilet, but does that advice only apply when using a public toilet? Since whatever came out of the person is technically theirs, do they need to wash their hands at home if they live alone? And can you also […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 68-year-old female who has had four benign breast biopsies/lumpectomies in the last 25 years. I’ve also been dealing with extreme itching on one side of my breast. I recently had my annual 3D mammogram as well as an ultrasound, which didn’t show anything amiss. Could scar tissue from lumpectomies […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 68-year-old female who was diagnosed with high blood pressure at 32. I am 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weigh 130 pounds. I’ve been taking 240 mg of verapamil for all of these years. A few years back, my medication started coming in 120-mg dosages, so I started taking […]