DEAR DR. ROACH: What are your thoughts on the pros and cons of HPV vaccine for boys? — L.P.B. ANSWER: There are risks and benefits to the individual, but also benefits to society. The HPV vaccine should really be considered an anticancer vaccine, since its goal is to reduce infection from the kinds of human […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Please tell me about the supplement SAMe. I am a woman, 58, who suffers from osteoarthritis from my exercise routine, which is three days of heavy lifting with free weights and 15 miles of jogging each week. I love the workouts but not the pain it causes in my hands, knees and […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 81-year-old man in good health. I am 5 feet, 11 inches tall and now weigh 175 pounds after intentionally losing 15 pounds through a combination of diet and exercise. I feel better at this weight than I did at my former weight, but my doctor says the studies he […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was successfully treated for H. pylori five years ago. I continue to have stomach pain, which has been diagnosed as gastritis. For the past three weeks, when I eat even a small amount of food, I feel extremely full and bloated for hours. I have irritable bowel syndrome, which gradually has […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I understand that the overuse of antibiotics can harm the good bacteria in the intestinal tract, as well as the bad. While I don’t feel that I am abusing antibiotics, I have been prescribed two courses in the past five years. I wonder what action can be taken to try to ensure […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I took 70 milligrams of alendronate once a week due to the results of my bone mineral density scan performed in April this year. At that time, I was diagnosed with osteopenia. I recently researched the side effects of this drug and decided to discontinue its use. My first symptom of this […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Have you heard of the 64-slice test for your heart? Would you recommend it instead of a stress test? — D.F. ANSWER: You’re asking about a CT scan of the heart. The use of multiple detectors allows the CT scan to get a very high-resolution picture of the heart very quickly. Modern […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a female, age 70, who is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 125 pounds. I have no problems with cholesterol, diabetes or blood pressure. I do not take any medications, just vitamins. I take dance exercise classes and walk often. I recently went for my checkup and found that I […]