Dear Doctors: My sister-in-law is 82 years old and was recently diagnosed with melanoma. She has an appointment for treatment in a couple of weeks. I thought this was a serious and deadly disease. Can... more

Dear Doctors: I am going to have a major abdominal surgery. My doctor says it is likely that I will be needing strong pain medications after. My question is about opioids: How long can you take them a... more

Dear Doctors: I am a junior in college. I enjoy being around people, so I live in the dorms. Last year, my roommate was depressed, and I also got to feeling down. This year, the girl I live with is ch... more

Dear Doctors: I started taking meds for depression. When I let my doctor know at my last visit, he told me about a study that says running also helps with depression symptoms. Do you know anything abo... more

Dear Doctors: My doctor wants me to hydrate more, but I find it difficult to drink the 64 ounces of water per day he recommends. I have a protein shake with 8 ounces of milk each morning -- does that ... more

Hello, dear readers, and welcome to a bonus letters column. Our inboxes are brimming with your questions and comments, so we’ll get right down to business.... more

Hello, dear readers, and welcome to the monthly letters column. We hope everyone is recovering from the lost hour in the daylight-saving annual time shift. Speaking of which, we have had several lette... more

Dear Doctors: My fiance and I plan to have kids someday. I was wondering if it would be beneficial to keep our babies’ umbilical cords, which would be full of stem cells. We would like to know how tha... more

Dear Doctors: I had a total hip replacement. I also have arthritis. It has made it hard to get back on my feet. My doctor is wanting me to try aquatic physical therapy. Is it all that different from t... more

Dear Doctors: I keep hearing about the complications that can happen when you have the measles and how they can land you in the hospital. I just saw on the news that getting the measles can mess up yo... more

Dear Doctors: I’ve never seen measles, and don’t know that I would recognize the symptoms. My children are vaccinated, and I had two shots as a kid. Am I still covered, or do I need a booster? My dad ... more

Dear Doctors: I burned myself on the stove, but it didn’t look bad so I wasn’t worried. The next morning, the skin had turned red and the burn was all swollen. What’s the right way to take care of a b... more

Dear Doctors: My husband and I usually make a few resolutions for the new year. This year, I skipped it because I never follow through, and I wind up feeling bad about myself. My husband did OK for ab... more

Dear Doctors: Has there been any progress in figuring out how to treat long COVID? I have been dealing with the symptoms for two years, and my doctor seems to have given up. Is anyone even doing resea... more

Dear Doctors: What do you know about a study that says aerobics might be good for slowing down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease? I’ve read that being active helps your memory, but how would it a... more

Dear Doctors: I take medication for Type 2 diabetes. I also enjoy horehound candy. I recently ate three candies after taking my medication and experienced a sharp drop in blood sugar. Afterwards, I re... more

Dear Doctors: I suffered extensive fatigue that I had attributed to a COVID-19 infection. Then a lung culture found something called mycobacterium avium complex. Would you kindly consider discussing t... more

Hello, dear readers, and welcome to the monthly letters column. We are well into the third month of the new year, and for some of us -- the data say it’s probably most of us -- the resolutions we made... more

Dear Doctors: We live in the fire zone in Altadena, California. After the evacuations ended, we came home, and now my throat is constantly sore. There’s no smoke smell, but my husband says the air can... more

Dear Doctors: I’m trying to lose the 18 pounds I have gained since the pandemic. It has been hard enough that I’m wondering about Ozempic. How does that work? I’m also hearing about people doing Ozemp... more

Dear Doctors: I am a 65-year-old woman in remission from breast cancer. I had a single mastectomy and now have an annual mammogram on my remaining breast. I recently learned about 3D mammograms. Is th... more

Dear Doctors: I keep reading about how the vagus nerve has a lot to do with things like mood, digestion and keeping your brain healthy. Where is it located? Supposedly there is even a kind of techniqu... more

Dear Doctors: Our son had some of the symptoms of appendicitis. His lower right side was aching, and he was throwing up. At the emergency room, it turned out that he was passing a kidney stone. He’s o... more

Hello, dear readers, and welcome to a bonus letters column. Bird flu is in the news these days and, as we are also in the midst of an active “regular” influenza season, we are fielding quite a few que... more

Dear Doctors: I get a cramp in my left calf when I run for more than 20 minutes. When I slow down, it goes away. I told my doctor about it, and she wants to do something called an ankle brachial index... more

Dear Doctors: I was recently diagnosed with Paget's disease after suffering fatigue symptoms and muscle soreness in my neck, pelvic and lower-leg areas. I am sore and lethargic upon waking up in the m... more

Dear Doctors: I saw where a doctor wrote a book about what happened to his skin when he stopped bathing for a few years. He said our skin has a microbiome, and he wanted to learn more about it. Is tha... more

Dear Doctors: I just learned I have prediabetes. I also learned that a lot of people with pancreatic cancer have trouble with blood sugar control. A connection between prediabetes and pancreatic cance... more