ArcaMax

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 75-year-old woman who isn't prediabetic or diabetic. My BMI is 31.2. My doctor has prescribed a trial of metformin for weight loss as an alternative to starting Ozempic or one of the other weight-loss drugs. I have lost three pounds in a month, which is a start; exercise and healthier eating is also encouraged. What are ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: Two years ago, I was diagnosed with atypical trigeminal neuralgia. This causes me constant and extreme face pain, like a vise-grip on my face. Once an MRI confirmed no brain issues, and after multiple medications including Botox injections, I was put on nortriptyline, which immensely improved the pain. I am 61 years old and ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: If I am taking vitamin A, what is a reasonable dose? I have seen reports that taking too much can cause liver damage, but nobody says how much is a problem. -- M.E.B.

ANSWER: I think many media sources avoid the complexity of the issue. The preferred unit to describe doses of vitamin A are now micrograms RAE, or "retinol ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was diagnosed with prediabetes over 30 years ago. My parents had diabetes. I just turned 84, and my weight is 135 pounds. I am 5 feet and 3.5 inches tall.

I watch my diet and take four blood pressure pills, and my blood pressure is under control. My cholesterol is very low (my total cholesterol is 130 mg/dL) since I've been ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: My age is 73, and I've had a steadily increasing PSA level for many years. In 2020, the result was 11.8 ng/mL, and it has risen to 17-18 ng/mL, where it has stayed for the past year. Since July 2024, I have been taking 10 mg of alfuzosin daily. I had a biopsy in 2017 with no sign of cancer. I had MRIs with/without contrast in ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have read that drinking decaffeinated green tea brewed below 175 degrees Fahrenheit will lower cholesterol. Do you have a recommendation concerning this information? -- C.P.

ANSWER: All major types of tea (green, oolong and black) are associated with small drops in serum cholesterol, especially LDL cholesterol, which is most...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: What is lupus, and what does it do to your body? I just had a friend diagnosed with it after many months of tests. -- T.S.B.

ANSWER: The term "lupus" generally means systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE), which is a systemic disorder (as its name suggests). So, by definition, it affects multiple systems of the body.

One of the ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a healthy 89-year-old United States Army veteran. In August 2017, I was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and was treated with Lupron and radiation. These treatments have given me new life with my PSA level initially being undetectable, but my PSA slowly rose in 2023 and 2024. Then on April 28, it elevated to 29.3 ng/...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: Following my last 3-D mammogram, I received a warning letter from the mammography center regarding the possible shortfall of mammograms for dense breast tissue. I've never received this letter in the past, but I've been told that it is a new requirement by insurance companies.

After doing a little research, I am very confused ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: In a recent column, you responded that fluoride is naturally occurring, and places that removed fluoride from drinking water had increased tooth decay. Is fluoride naturally found in well water? I've drunk well water my whole life, and I've only had one cavity. Two of my three kids are the same way. The oldest had too many ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 64-year-old man who has been having periodic shortness of breath for the past six months or so. This happens mostly upon exertion but sometimes occurs when I stand up.

I do have a family history of coronary artery disease. After a CT angiogram (my calcium score was 617) and an echocardiogram (all good), my ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was just diagnosed with sudden sensorineural hearing loss. They gave me a steroid injection into the ear and more steroids by mouth, but they say it's up to me whether I want to try hyperbaric oxygen.

Do you have any opinion on it? How does breathing pure oxygen at 2 atmospheres help anything? Is there some underlying theory...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 73, and I was worried about dementia. Turns out, I am "normal." However, the neurologist told me to take 2,000 mcg of B12 daily. My multivitamin has 100 mcg, which is 4,167% of the daily value (DV). As I understand the recommended DV is 2.4 mcg, and for those over 50 years old, it is 25-100 mcg.

I raised the question with...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: You recently wrote that "nearly everybody born before 1957 had measles and mumps (but not rubella)." I was born in the early 1950s, so I fall into this category. A few years ago, at my request, my primary care physician did a test to check for immunity for the MMR diseases.

While the mumps and measles tests came back ...Read more