DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 69-year-old woman who was diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). I used statins for over a decade but developed vulvar lichen sclerosus (LS), which only went away when I stopped the statins. They weren’t very effective; on a statin, my total cholesterol was still 226 mg/dL. Without medicine, it was […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Every time I get on my phone, there are a ton of ads on how to cure Type 2 diabetes. Are any of them worth looking at? — F.N. ANSWER: If the ads are for comprehensive diet and exercise programs with education provided by a diabetes educator and a registered dietician (combined […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 71 years old and was diagnosed with pernicious anemia in October 2024. My B12 and folate levels were low. My antiparietal antibodies were abnormal, but the intrinsic factor antibodies were negative. I received daily B12 injections for six days, and now I’m on them once a month. I’m also taking […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’ve been diagnosed with silent celiac disease at the late age of 62, but I probably had it for decades. (It may have led to my serious osteoporosis.) A biopsy revealed totally flattened villi. I am gluten-free and will be getting celiac-antibody, nutrient, and other regular lab work from now on. But […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 70-year-old female in excellent health, and I have a very healthy diet and fitness regimen. But I have had a persistent dry cough for 20 or so years. After seeing many doctors, it was determined to be acid reflux. I was then prescribed various acid-suppressing prescriptions such as Pepcid, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 84-year-old male in fairly good health for my age. I take 8-10 pills a day, including two over-the-counter medications. I take four or five in the morning and four or five in the evening. My question is, how effective are these medications if they are all being taken together […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My 89-year-old husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He does not take any medication. He is in excellent health except for the Alzheimer’s. His blood pressure is 123/69 mm Hg, and his pulse is 53 bpm. His geriatric doctor said “no” to prescribing medication to help slow down the disease. The doctor […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My parents are both retired medical professionals who are in their early 70s. My father has diabetes that he manages with medication, and he also has a history of recurrent prostate cancer. My mother has had osteopenia for years. They want to remain in good cardiac health and have been exercising regularly […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 66-year-old white male who is active and relatively healthy. I have recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer. One blood test showed a PSA level of 13 ng/mL, and a second was 17 ng/mL. So, I underwent a biopsy, which showed adenocarcinoma with a Gleason score of 6 (3+3), grade […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have two bird feeders off of my back deck. They hang from tall poles as a vain attempt to keep the squirrels from eating all of the birdseed! But to refill them, I must take them down and handle them, and I recently wondered if I might be exposing myself to […]