DEAR DR. ROACH: My ex-wife and I are both 72 and have known each other for about 15 years. Soon after filing for divorce in 2019, she became very ill with an ulcer, followed by lung cancer and the onset of dementia. Then, recently, the cancer came back in the other lung. People tell me […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 63 and was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer in 2020. I had my prostate removed. Unfortunately, they found that the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes. I have since had 35 treatments of radiation and also started hormone suppression treatments (Eligard). In April 2022, after extensive imaging tests, I […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My nephew, 62, is a stroke victim. He resides in a board and care facility, bedridden and in diapers. There has been some cognitive damage, although he is able to speak coherently. The family pays $4,200 a month out-of-pocket for his care. There are three other patients at the home, only one […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have a transparent floater in one eye that stays in the same general area. I went to an optometrist who dilated and took retinal photos of that eye, and they saw nothing. They just told me if I started seeing “curtains, light flashes, changes” to return. Nothing different has occurred yet. […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’d like to have your thoughts on what value the NAC supplement may have for reducing cravings for marijuana or nicotine? I’m 73 and have been smoking marijuana daily since I was 21. Now I’m quitting for health reasons. I’ve been taking 1,000 mg of NAC every morning, as I’ve read it […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Why doesn’t rheumatoid arthritis have any medicines to help treat it? — S.S.K. ANSWER: Rheumatoid arthritis is relatively common (as much as 1% of the population, with women twice as likely to be affected than men), but it’s a much less common form of arthritis than osteoarthritis, which affects as much as […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: For 10 years, my daughter has refused statins (due to cholesterol level) on grounds that women were not a part of the studies recommending statins and that heart disease manifests differently in women. Her daily eating and exercise are stellar. After a decade, her female internal medicine doctor confessed that she, too, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 80-year-old man in relatively good health. I don’t smoke or drink, and I have a vegetarian diet. I exercise moderately, and I am not overweight. About 30 years ago, I contracted a serious UTI that affected me while at work. I was very cold, shivering with chattering teeth. Luckily, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: You recently had a column on arthritis that recommended more activity. So, what medications can help? You didn’t say in your article. I take a slow-release Tylenol, but I heard of a study that says tart cherry pills help. — B.L. ANSWER: Tart cherry juice has been shown to reduce the risk […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’ve been hearing about tianeptine being sold at gas stations. Is it really dangerous? — S.F. ANSWER: Like so many substances, tianeptine can be a useful drug when prescribed and taken correctly (it’s used in several countries for depression), but is indeed dangerous when used recreationally. Its use has been banned in […]