Dear Doctor: Our family -- ages 66, 59, 27 and 22 -- lives in one household. We’ve been working from home and keeping socially distant since the start of the pandemic. Now the younger members wish to ... more

Dear Doctor: My dad is 65 years old and has Type 2 diabetes. He recently developed pain in his feet, which his doctor says is peripheral neuropathy. What is that, and what treatments are available?... more

Dear Doctor: My Type A husband, who naturally falls asleep for about 25 minutes on weekend afternoons, complains that he's wasting time when he does so. How do I explain to him the benefits of napping... more

Dear Doctor: What are the possible health risks from artificial sweeteners? What are they, and how do we know if they're safe?... more

Dear Doctors: We’re all pretty stressed-out, even the kids. I keep saying that spending a Saturday in the nice park near our house could help, but my husband just laughs. Isn’t there some kind of rese... more

Dear Doctors: Is there more than one kind of COVID-19? I heard on the news about something they’re calling “long COVID,” and it sounds like a whole different kind of disease. How do you get it? Can it... more

Hello again, dear readers, and welcome back to our monthly letters column. Like many of you, we’re adjusting to shorter days and longer nights, and we are gearing up for the challenges of winter. This... more

Dear Doctors: We keep hearing about Type 2 diabetes, and I’m embarrassed to say, I don’t actually know what it is. What does it do, and how do I know if I have it?... more

Dear Doctors: I’ve heard that when you’re on a diet and you decrease caloric intake by a lot, your body will start to consume muscle for energy. It that really true? How can you lose weight and not wi... more

Dear Doctors: Our 16-year-old daughter wants to become a vegan. Her father and I think that may be a bit extreme, so we’ve compromised, and first she’s going to try being a vegetarian. What’s a good w... more

Dear Doctors: Can you please explain about masks again? Why do we need them, what kind should we wear, and what is the proper way to wear them? It would really help me to explain to my friends and fam... more

Dear Doctors: Why do the elderly lose ground mentally when they go to the hospital? Our grandmother had emergency gall bladder surgery, and afterward she got so confused that she thought our grandfath... more

Dear Doctors: Our family spends a lot of time these days on our screens. I’ve always had trouble sleeping (mom brain), but now my husband and our two teen boys are struggling, too. Do you think all th... more

Dear Doctors: I’ve been working from home for six months, so no more bike commutes and no office staircases. My two young kids are home, too, which means I can’t do a lunchtime bike ride, or even go d... more

Dear Doctors: My daughter is overdue for her second shot of the HPV vaccine, but I’m hesitant due to the pandemic because I want her immunity to be strong right now. Are you recommending people get th... more

Dear Doctors: Our grandmother, who is 91, fell and broke her left hip. She wound up needing a partial hip replacement. I’ve read that hip fractures are dangerous for older adults. Can you explain why?... more

Dear Doctors: I had this scary episode happen where all of a sudden, it felt like the world wasn’t real. My heart was racing and I thought I was going to pass out. The friend I was with said it was pr... more

Hello again, dear readers, and welcome back to our monthly letters column. Once again, a column about the challenges of dealing with toenail fungus has brought a bumper crop of mail, with many of you ... more

Dear Doctors: I’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer and really appreciate your recent columns on the subject. What can you tell me about Herceptin? My oncologist has suggested it for after chemothera... more

Dear Doctors: I’m a mom of three great kids and have always been healthy. But after eight months of working from home, being the teacher and keeping everything going, I’ve started getting sick. Plus, ... more

Dear Doctors: Our dad is 82 years old and may need to get a pacemaker. My brother and I recently read that surgery is hard on older people, both physically and mentally. Is getting a pacemaker going t... more

Dear Doctors: Our mom is going through chemo and radiation, and she’s feeling bad about herself. Do you think the makeup and wig program at her hospital might help? We’ve suggested it, but she’s worri... more

Dear Doctors: My uncle tested positive for the coronavirus last winter and wound up in the hospital. He was lucky, and he recovered, but it is six months later and he still is not completely better. H... more

Dear Doctors: I've read your column for years but have yet to see anything about my problem. I tend to sweat a lot, not under my arms, but in my crotch area. It’s embarrassing and even causes me to ge... more

Dear Doctors: We’re in central Oregon, and even though the wildfires aren’t right next to our town, we’ve had bad air quality all summer. My husband and I and our kids are feeling irritation in our lu... more

Dear Doctors: My husband caught a cold this summer, and he swears the readings from his fitness tracker a few days before warned him that he was about to be sick. Do you think that’s really possible?... more

Dear Doctors: I used to be pretty active, but after a diagnosis of Afib in the spring, I’ve become reluctant to exercise. My wife is after me to get moving again, and my son says he just read that peo... more

Dear Doctors: My husband and I were shocked when our nephew was diagnosed with colon cancer. He’s only 36 years old. Isn’t that awfully young? It seems like we’re hearing about a lot of younger people... more