Ask The Doctor

Treat a kid with OI as a kid, not a kid with a disease

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: My great-grandson was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta.  He had his first leg fracture before his 2nd birthday. I understand there is no cure.  How do we help him be the best he can be? -- A. ANSWER: Osteogenesis impe... Full story

There's no home remedy for COPD

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: In a recent column, you recommended "very aggressive treatment" of the COPD in a man who was nearly passing out when coughing due to a cold. I know a man who has been diagnosed who continues to smoke a non-filtered brand of cigarette.... Full story

Chiropractic manipulation is mostly safe

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: My 11-year-old daughter suffered a stress fracture on her lower spine a couple of years ago from doing back handsprings in gymnastics. She wore a back brace for a while, and now has no more problems in that area. However, her upper ba... Full story

Watching carbohydrate intake is not a bad diet

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 55 years old, take no medication and am in good health. However, I'm about 25 pounds overweight. Starting four months ago, I eliminated most carbohydrates from my diet -- no pasta, potatoes, rice, flour, bread or sweets. I have a... Full story

CPAP does not worsen sleep apnea

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband said I snore, so I went to a sleep lab and was diagnosed with borderline sleep apnea. The doctor said I could get the CPAP machine, but it was up to me. I chose to get it, and I use it every night. Now, when I nap, I wake m... Full story

Ear pain that comes and goes is hard to diagnose

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: Please, please help me. I've visited my allergist, the ear-nose-throat specialist and my own internist. None of them has ever heard of my problem and don't know how to help me. Starting in 1990, every couple of months I would get an ... Full story

Is there a link between cancer and stress?

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: Several of my friends developed breast cancer shortly after the death of their husband, child or someone else close. Your comments, please, regarding great stress and cancer. -- M.W. ANSWER: I think there are two issues here. The fir... Full story

A bump at injury site on lip causes distress

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 93-year-old male. In February 2012, I fell on a hospital sidewalk. Along with some other minor injuries, I cut my upper lip. The hospital's emergency room put three sutures in my lip to close the wound. In a few weeks the cut h... Full story

The connection between vitamin D and weight

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: Is there any connection between extremely low vitamin D-3 level (mine was 15) and weight retention?  I recently caught the tail end of some doctor's show on TV and I counted back: Summer of 2010, I started losing weight. I was s... Full story

Lifestyle changes can greatly affect GERD symptoms

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: If, as they currently say, 72 is the new 30, then that makes me 37 years old. I've been dealing with the effects of GERD for the past two or more years. For a year, I took omeprazole, which I believe was responsible for an immediate w... Full story

Rating the safety of everyday products

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: There is so much information on the Internet about the toxins found in the plethora of hygiene products that we consumers purchase and use daily.  When I visit the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database (www.ewg.org/ skindeep) to re... Full story

Thyroid hormone not known to cause respiratory side effects

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: My mother is 81. In August of 2012, she went to the doctor for a physical. She had been taking no medication other than an albuterol inhaler as needed. They diagnosed her with hypothyroidism and prescribed 0.025 mg levothyroxine. With... Full story

Two kinds of cholesterol make up total number

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: Although I've read that women should have an HDL cholesterol level of at least 60 to protect the heart, mine has always been higher than 100. The last time my cholesterol was checked, the total was 293, but the HDL was 108; the LDL wa... Full story

Carefully weigh pros and cons of growth hormone

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR ROACH: I am very concerned about my grandchild's growth -- or lack thereof. She is 6 years old and has not grown at all this past year. She is 42 inches tall and weighs 40 pounds. She is the smallest child in her first-grade class. When they ... Full story

For some meds, success could be in the timing

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: I take Bystolic for blood pressure, and was instructed to take it in the morning. The side effects leave me feeling washed out, drowsy and listless all day. Since blood pressure is lower during sleep and rises slowly near morning, I ... Full story

Another tactic for dealing with pilonidal cysts

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: The article about the boy suffering after surgery for three years from a pilonidal cyst really hit home. My son developed a pilonidal cyst in June 2012 and also had a very bad infection from it. The surgeon refused to operate while he... Full story

The facts of menopause

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your article regarding aortic aneurysms.  During a MRI on my mom for a seizure, they found two brain aneurysms -- one behind her eye, and another somewhere in her head/brain. She was well into her 80s, and they did nothing... Full story

Family history can influence aneurism risk

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your article regarding aortic aneurysms.  During a MRI on my mom for a seizure, they found two brain aneurysms -- one behind her eye, and another somewhere in her head/brain. She was well into her 80s, and they did nothing... Full story

Pancreatic cancer diagnostics still requires testing for broad use

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have recently read that Jack Andraka, a teenager from Maryland, discovered a test to determine if a person has early stage pancreatic cancer. He won the 2012 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. He used a paper dipstic... Full story

Cause of leaking lymph fluid may be in the skin

BY KEITH ROACH, M.D.

DEAR DR. ROACH: Three days ago, there appeared an unexplained wet spot at the inside of my husband's sock, and also near the cuff of his slacks. It happened again during the next two days. We consulted his doctor, who diagnosed it as a leaking lymph ... Full story

'Ask The Doctor' Archives