DEAR DR. ROACH: My primary care physician wanted me to stop taking calcium (and the vitamin D that accompanies it) due to risks such as kidney stones. However, my endocrinologist, whom I see for thyroid issues (I’m currently on levothyroxine), thinks that I should continue with it. What does one do when doctors give conflicting […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: For approximately a decade, I have been taking trospium for incontinence. I would like to know if long-term usage of it could have an effect on dementia. I’ve heard about it often. Also, a 20-mg dose daily doesn’t seem to work as well as it used to. I tried taking it twice […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: What do you think of the explosion in DIY home health care tests? — K.L.R. ANSWER: Some of the home health care tests have had a major and beneficial impact on care. One easy example are at-home COVID tests, which allow people to get an answer of whether they have COVID very […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 81-year-old female who has been on Xarelto for years due to my deep vein thrombosis (DVT). I also have an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter. I read that low-dose aspirin (325 mg) is just as effective in preventing clots in the legs as Xarelto, which is very expensive. My […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 83-year-old female. A month ago, I woke up with vertigo, thought it was caused by a plugged ear, and went to the doctor with this complaint. He cleaned my ear and told me to return if the vertigo did not go away. It did not. So, I began doing […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I had a biopsy done, and several samples showed prostate cancer. A PET scan showed no other cancer. My doctor is uneasy about removal or treatment because of my age (80 years old). Otherwise, I am in excellent health. What treatment, if any, should I have? — R.B. ANSWER: Prostate cancer really […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: In December 2023, I had an open-heart aortic valve replacement. All went well, but then I contracted a staph infection. I had to have a second procedure to remove the top four sternal wires, leaving me with a baseball-sized wound that required a vacuum drain and antibiotics. During my treatment course, my […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 70-year-old woman who has led a healthy, active life. There is a history of cancer on both sides of my family. I’ve been seeing my dermatologist for seborrheic keratoses for many years. The “seb Ks” that have been biopsied were all been benign. In the past several months, they […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 69-year-old male who is being treated for high blood pressure and high cholesterol; both are well-controlled. My recent cholesterol level was 150 mg/dL with an LDL of 56 mg/dL and an HDL of 42 mg/dL. I’m on 10 mg of rosuvastatin, and I do intensive workouts with a trainer […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 71-year-old healthy, active woman. I normally work out six days a week and used to be in very good shape. I am having stomach issues, which caused me to lose 20 pounds since the end of December 2023. I was thin to begin with and have lost a significant […]