DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 70-year-old with O-negative blood type. When I was 40, the Red Cross notified me that antibodies of hepatitis C had been detected in my blood and they would no longer accept blood donations from me. Following this discovery, I was lucky to enroll in a two-year study at my […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I heard that air fresheners and fabric softener sheets may cause lung cancer. Is this true? — P.G. ANSWER: What is true is that these products release volatile organic compounds, according to a 2011 study. VOCs encompass a large group of chemicals, some of which will increase the risk of cancer if […]

Dear Dr. Roach: I’m trying to find the best high blood pressure drug with the least side effects for a Hispanic male, 77 years old, with swollen ankles at the end of the day and readings of 160/76 with a pulse of 64. Of all the drugs in the market for treating high blood pressure, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I work with a group for people with a type of cancer resistant to chemo or radiation, and many of the members have had to have numerous, life-altering surgeries, including amputations. A member asked whether others had symptoms of PTSD and said two therapists told her that PTSD could not be caused […]

Dear Dr. Roach: What is an ectopic pregnancy? — SA Answer: “Ectopic” comes from the Greek roots meaning “out of place,” and that’s just what it is. A normal pregnancy is in the uterus (also called “womb”). The most common places for an ectopic pregnancy are along the path the ovum (egg) travels, meaning from […]

Dear Dr. Roach: What is an ectopic pregnancy? — SA Answer: “Ectopic” comes from the Greek roots meaning “out of place,” and that’s just what it is. A normal pregnancy is in the uterus (also called “womb”). The most common places for an ectopic pregnancy are along the path the ovum (egg) travels, meaning from […]

Dear Dr. Roach: I am a 65-year-old woman and have had pain in my right hip for more than a year. I have a normal body mass index. My general practitioner diagnosed trochanteric bursitis and recommended stretches plus Voltaren cream to reduce the pain. The stretching helped control the pain, but Voltaren cream did nothing […]

Dear Dr. Roach: What are some natural ways to reduce blood pressure? — JW Answer: Too often, physicians jump to medication treatment to control blood pressure, when there are non-drug ways of reducing blood pressure that are often overlooked. Not every person with high blood pressure is salt-sensitive, but overall, reducing salt can make a […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have struggled with IBS and GERD since I was a small child. I have had multiple gastroscopies and have been on countless medications over the years for my issues. I’ve followed every diet and lifestyle change that my doctor has suggested, with, at best, moderate results. Recently, a friend of mine […]

Dear Dr. Roach: Would you comment on some information I discovered about statin drugs, which I think reveals some nefarious numbers on behalf of the drug companies? So far I have found two reports that say the actual number of people who have heart attacks after being placed on Lipitor was reduced from 3.1% to […]