Dear Doctors: My dad is 76, and he’s getting interested in nutrition. Lately, he’s been reading news stories about something called “polyphenols,” and that they’re really good for your health. Can you... more

Dear Doctors: I run a lot and developed a growth on the knuckle of my second toe. It’s hard, with a sharp point in the middle, and it hurts. I thought it was a callus, but my running coach says it’s a... more

Dear Doctors: I need it to be completely dark to sleep well. I’ve got blackout curtains, I use an analog clock and I even duct-taped the digital lights on the smoke alarm. I just read that light at ni... more

Dear Doctors: I saw on the evening news that some doctors in New York City actually cured rectal cancer with a new drug. My dad has rectal cancer, and when I asked his doctors about this drug, they ha... more

Dear Doctors: I’ve been hearing a lot about PFAS and how they have an adverse effect on our health. I read that some food wrappers, like bags for microwave popcorn, use PFAS to keep food from sticking... more

Dear Doctors: Can you please talk about sinusitis? I’ve been having headaches and postnasal drip for a few months, and I thought it was because of my allergies. But my brother, who is a nurse, thinks ... more

Dear Doctors: It seems like news about the gut microbiome keeps getting weirder. I just read about a doctor who said the new trend will be each of us storing our own poop for the future. What would be... more

Dear Doctors: Why does our skin get thinner and more fragile as we age? My mom is 67, and it’s happening to her. She reached for something between the couch cushions, and the pressure tore her skin. S... more

Dear Doctors: There is some folklore that diet pop is bad for you. I gave up sugar and most carbohydrates to help with weight and A1C control, but I continued to drink diet cola. What do the actual st... more

Dear Doctors: How long does the smallpox vaccine stay effective? I ask because I received it as a child in the 1950s. Is it known if the vaccine would be effective against monkeypox some 60 years late... more

Dear Doctors: We don’t hear about COVID-19 that much these days. The words I keep hearing are endemic, epidemic and outbreak. Can you explain what the differences are? Is COVID-19 over?... more

Dear Doctors: I had lunch with a co-worker, and she’s on a keto diet. She says she can have only 35 grams of carbohydrates per day. The label on the candy bar she was eating said it had 26 grams of ca... more

Dear Doctors: Our 9-year-old loves science and has become obsessed with saliva. He recently learned in school that it helps prevent disease, and now he wants to know more. My wife and I are glad he’s ... more