DEAR DR. ROACH: Can you elaborate on “long COVID”? Specifically, do people experiencing long COVID carry the virus for an extended period? Are they contagious during long COVID, or does the term refer to lingering symptoms but not necessarily testing positive? — S.E. ANSWER: People with normal immune systems are almost never contagious after about […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My daughter is still nursing her 10-month-old son. She decided to get the Pfizer vaccine and continue breastfeeding. Her doctor did not advise her against it. Do you have an opinion or more information about this matter? I’ve read that COVID antibodies are present in breastmilk. — B.H. ANSWER: COVID-19 vaccination is […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Recently, in the middle of all the news about the newly circulating delta COVID-19 variant, a friend of mine flew to Mexico with her husband and teenage daughter for a five-day resort vacation. After she returned, she went to an outdoor concert with a group of friends, and the following day went […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My friend is taking care of his 89-year-old mother. She has been drooling for the past two years or so. I read that aging causes muscles used for swallowing to become weaker and causes dysphagia, which in turn causes drooling. Is this true? — G.P. ANSWER: Drooling in older people is a […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 69-year-old Caucasian woman with newly found necrosis of the knee bone, along with a fracture. I do not have diabetes, but I received a month of steroids last November when I had COVID. I also use Adair daily for asthma. I am scheduled for total knee replacement this coming […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 70-year-old male who has been experiencing an increase in breast size (slightly more on the left than the right) over the past year. I am healthy and have taken no medications for the past six months except sildenafil, on an as-needed basis. I am approximately 10-15 pounds overweight, but […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: In a recent column, you wrote that there is no risk to family from shedding after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. You failed to mention that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the grandparents could catch COVID and spread it even after being fully vaccinated. Also, according to the CDC, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Could you explain the difference between the delta variant and the common cold? How is one to know if an illness is the common cold with cough for weeks or the virus! — Anon. ANSWER: The virus that causes COVID-19 — SARS-CoV-2 — is a coronavirus that can cause many different symptoms, […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband is taking Eliquis 5 mg (half a tab daily). He has had erectile dysfunction for 15 to 20 years and is 78 years old. Since we are in a new marriage, he obtained Viagra in Mexico. His cardiologist would not prescribe it. What precautions should he take or symptoms to […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have multiple sclerosis, Addison’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. I am on steroids daily as well as potent immunosuppressive. In November 2013, I received a flu shot, and 10 days later I came down with Guillain-Barre syndrome. I was paralyzed for six months. Half of my doctors say I should take […]