ArcaMax

DEAR DR. ROACH: My question relates to a situation where a person gets a vaccine for, say, flu, COVID or shingles and is later exposed to the virus. Is it possible that as the vaccine is helping your body fight the virus, you develop symptoms such as inflammation, a mild sore throat, headaches, etc.? I wonder this because sometimes it seems ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I took the diet drug Redux in the late 1990s. It was pulled off the market due to correlated heart issues. I saw a cardiologist and learned that I had mild to moderate mitral stenosis with regurgitation. It was watched over a period of years, and they eventually determined that I was stable and had few to no symptoms. So, after...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 76-year-old male in good health. I go to the gym three days a week, eat well, and fast one day a week. I have been reading about taking a tablespoon of olive oil at night as a remedy for all kinds of things such as digestion issues and arthritis. I tried it, and I swear that the first day after ingesting, I felt less ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 85 and healthy apart from polycythemia vera, for which I take aspirin. I was interested in the new blood test for cancer. Is it worthwhile? -- M.N.

ANSWER: When screening patients for cancer, the goal is to find a test that leads to a beneficial outcome for the person being screened -- ideally an outcome where they are less...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: My question to you is about an affliction I have struggled with since childhood. Apparently, it is called sleep paralysis. As explained to me in an old newspaper article, it is when your brain is awake, but your body is still sleeping. This leads me to have minor to moderate panic attacks!

It has lessened as I've aged, and I'...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: Can you please explain what is cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein and the significance of a high HDL cholesterol value? What about non-HDL cholesterol? I have had cholesterol tests for the past 30 years with HDL readings that had a low of 68 mg/dL and a high of 117 mg/dL. Two first-degree relatives also have high HDL ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I also have a dry cough that's been going on for about 13-14 years. I'm a healthy 62-year-old and read that it is called "cough variant asthma." I would like to know more about this but really can't find anything about it, except that it will eventually get worse if it's not treated. I was checked twice in the past 15 years for...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: In a recent column, you OK'd stevia, which I had heard could negatively impact our microbiomes. I am borderline prediabetic, and I had stopped using stevia accordingly. However, I hate unsweetened coffee. Can you comment on stevia's impact on our microbiomes in your column? -- M.M.

ANSWER: I wish I could give you an answer that ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 69-year-old female in excellent health, other than having been treated for breast cancer eight years ago. (I underwent surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, then five years on an aromatase inhibitor.) Since then, I have gained 40 pounds. I am 5 feet, 2 inches tall, and weigh 178 pounds. I have been unable to lose the weight ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have erectile dysfunction (ED). I am 71, and this has been an issue for over a year. But it seems to be getting worse. I have used sildenafil and Cialis with no effect. I also received testosterone injections for over a year. I have used Trimix and Quadmix, which worked initially to a certain extent, but now it doesn't work ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: My 66-year-old husband recently received a diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. He is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, and weighs 270 pounds. He is treating his fluid retention with 100 mg of furosemide daily. He also has mild, untreated sleep apnea.

He would like to try one of the GLP-1 drugs to lose some weight, ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 71, and I recently saw my urologist for urinating a lot and not getting enough sleep. He performed a flow test and a scope, then told me that I have an enlarged prostate. My urologist is recommending a procedure but doesn't support the idea of using a balloon treatment.

Next week, I am scheduled to have my prostate ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: Several months ago, I developed a case of a bigeminy heartbeat. My cardiologist prescribed metoprolol. At about the same time, I had reduced my intake of magnesium from about 50% of the daily value (DV) to 35%. (This may have preceded the bigeminy onset.)

Quite by accident, I read an article recommending magnesium for a heart ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 66-year-old woman in fairly good health, but I have visited enough doctors recently to make the following observation:

Almost without fail, a person will enter the examination room, make no introduction, and launch into a series of questions or perform whatever procedure is necessary. (In general, I do not see any ...Read more