DEAR DR. ROACH: I was recently at the American Red Cross to donate blood and was given interesting material on the need for Black blood donors for sickle cell anemia patients. The booklet described how antigens work in red blood cells to improve patients’ health. I didn’t know until then that race can make a […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read in your column and elsewhere that vitamin supplements have no realized benefit. I’ve mostly read about how it doesn’t hurt, but there is no evidence that they help. Does this include fish oil (omega-3) supplements? I also take an iron supplement. Both of these had a net positive impact on […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: With the resurgence of measles because of declining vaccination rates, should we be wary of the same happening with smallpox (which was also thought to have been eradicated)? And as an aside, is my ancient smallpox vaccination of 1952 still protecting me? What about my equally ancient (circa 1962) polio vaccine? — […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a generally healthy 60-year-old man. Last week, I had some abdominal cramping, and while I was on the toilet, I noted the abrupt onset of a strange feeling in my chest as well as abnormal, irregular and fast heartbeats. My watch has an electrocardiogram (EKG) function, and it immediately said I […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a baby boomer who was born in 1949. I was vaccinated against polio as soon as it was available, and I was most likely exposed to measles and whooping cough. It was during the period when moms held get-togethers to expose their children in a semi-controlled way. I volunteer with […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]