ArcaMax

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

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband had a nonstop coughing incident for a night and day after a feast, which landed him in the emergency room. He was found to have extremely low sodium levels (118-120 mEq/L), confusion, and a lot of heartburn. They are treating him for the low sodium by holding back his water consumption, but we are concerned that no ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: What is the recommended daily protein allowance for older adults? I am in my 70s. -- P.R.

ANSWER: The best studies recommend 1-1.2 grams of protein daily per kilogram of body weight, so if you weighed 75 kilograms (177 pounds), you should be getting 75-85 grams of protein. This is a lot less than what I have seen recommended, ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: What advice do you have for the treatment of gallstones? -- N.W.

ANSWER: Gallstones are common (6% of men and 9% of women will get one over a lifetime) and are mostly composed of bile salts and cholesterol. The goal of treatment is to reduce symptoms and the risk of complications. Depending on the size and composition of a ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was vaccinated as a child with the combination MMR vaccine. My husband and I are expecting a new grandchild. My friend advised me that we, as elder adults, should get revaccinated to protect the newborn. Is this really necessary? -- Anon.

ANSWER: Revaccination is probably not necessary. Two doses of the vaccine afford most ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 90 years old and cannot sleep at night. I have tried taking two or three times the dosage of most over-the-counter drugs to no avail. A doctor put me on a prescription medicine, but it didn't work. Is there an alternative, or must I spend the rest of my life sleepless? -- D.J.

ANSWER: At the age of 90, you need careful ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm a 64-year-old man in good medical health. Recently, a bump the size of a pea appeared on the large knuckle of my index finger. My general physician glanced at it and said that it was an arthritic node. I asked him who could remove it, and he told me not to worry about it until it grew or started to cause pain.

I want a ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: About a month ago, I woke up without hearing in my left ear. I initially suspected a wax blockage or a blocked eustachian tube but eventually realized that it was more serious. I saw an ENT doctor who gave me a steroid shot and put me on prednisone. An MRI doesn't show a stroke or tumor.

About 5% to 10% of my hearing seems to ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband and I will be traveling to the United Kingdom in July and will be on a ship with about 700 passengers. We are wondering whether it would be smart (or unnecessary) to get a COVID booster before the trip. We are both in our late 60s and have had all of the available COVID shots. (The last one we received was on Oct. 10...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm a young adult male who has been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C). Until this diagnosis, I had never even heard of the condition. A colonoscopy and an MRI were both negative. The three worst symptoms are chronic constipation, bloating and stomach cramps.

I was referred to a gastroenterologist ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: Recently, to my surprise, I came down with bladder cancer. I am a healthy 66-year-old man who is 5 feet, 11 inches tall, 215 pounds, and a lifelong nonsmoker. I drink a few beers monthly and don't take any meds.

It was very surprising that what was thought to be kidney stones came back as papillary noninvasive bladder cancer. ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was gardening and stabbed myself in the arm with pruning shears over the weekend. It just occurred to me yesterday that I'm not sure how long it's been since I got my booster shot for tetatnus. So, I checked, and I last had a booster shot nine years ago. Do I need a booster now? -- M.M.

ANSWER: For adults who have had the ...Read more