Archives

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

Dear Doctors: Our family moved from Orlando, Florida, to Boston last fall. I’m going stir crazy in the winter weather and want to try hiking. As a native Floridian, I’m good with hot weather safety. W... more

Hello, dear readers, and welcome to a bonus letters column. Your questions and comments are keeping our inboxes busy (and as always, thank you!), so we’ll dive right in.... more

Dear Doctors: My fiance, who is 24 years old, was just diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Isn’t that something that gets discovered when you’re a child? I can tell he’s not paying close attention to bloo... more

Hello, dear readers, and welcome to our monthly letters column. We are deep into flu season. After a quick glance at the latest data -- up to 22 million infections, 10 million medical visits and at le... more

Dear Doctors: I had to laugh when I saw there’s another new study about coffee. This one says it’s good for your gut microbiome. I’m 41 years old and a lifelong coffee drinker, and those studies come ... more

Dear Doctors: I just saw on the news that the smoke from wildfires is even worse for your health than we thought. Why is that? It seems like the smoke spreads for miles, so I’m worried. Is there anyth... more

Dear Doctors: Ever since I was little, I have absolutely hated the sound of other people chewing. Whenever I try to explain this to someone, they think I’m overreacting or even making it up. Is this s... more

Dear Doctors: Our 11-year-old son is fascinated with those astronauts who are stuck on the space station. One of the things he asks about a lot is how being in space for that long affects the human bo... more

Dear Doctors: I got sick with a stomach bug, and it was so bad that my girlfriend insisted on me going to our local urgent care. They said I had norovirus. It lasted for three days, and it was miserab... more

Dear Doctors: I saw on TV about a study that says walking helps if you are depressed. I would like to know how the research was conducted and how this conclusion was reached. I get to feeling low ever... more