Archives

Dear Doctors: It’s time for my daughter to have a Pap smear, but she’s putting it off because it was so painful last time. I wonder if switching to a female doctor might help? It’s a very unpleasant t... more

Hello, dear readers, and welcome back to the monthly letters column. Even with autumn on the horizon, we will once again urge everyone to please take the risk of heat-related illness seriously. It’s a... more

Dear Doctors: I sprained my ankle playing soccer. It’s not the first time, and I thought I knew what to do. But as soon as I started to wrap it, I got a bunch of conflicting advice: use ice; use heat;... more

Dear Doctors: I just read that adding honey to yogurt is good for your gut microbiome. Is that true? I avoid added sugar, so I buy plain yogurt and have it with fresh berries. But I’m eating the yogur... more

Dear Doctors: My boyfriend and I started a landscaping business. It means we lug around plants and trees and sacks of soil. He’s strong and doesn’t pay much attention to technique, but I worry it’s go... more

Dear Doctors: My roommates are vegetarians, and they eat a lot of those plant-based burgers that look like real beef. I have read the labels, and they have tons of ingredients, some that I can’t prono... more

Dear Doctors: I recently experienced severe vertigo due to fluid in my inner ear from a sinus infection. It affected not only my balance, but also my blood pressure and anxiety. Are there any precauti... more

Dear Doctors: I'm a 77-year-old man and was having trouble with hard stools. My doctor suggested a stool softener. It worked for about a week, but then I developed diarrhea. Over-the-counter diarrhea ... more

Dear Doctors: When you talk about metabolic syndrome, diabetes always gets mentioned. I don’t have diabetes, but my doctor says my lab tests show I do have metabolic syndrome. Can you have that even i... more

Dear Doctors: I was shocked when a friend said they stopped eating oatmeal because new research shows it is bad for your health. I eat oatmeal for breakfast about five mornings a week to help with my ... more

Dear Doctors: I keep seeing stories in the news about people who went for a hike and died because of the heat. Apparently some still had water with them. Is it true that you can still get heat stroke ... more

Dear Doctors: I am 45 years old and have sudden sensorineural hearing loss that is significant. There is no known cause. I’m told that the only option now or in the future is a cochlear implant. How d... more

Dear Doctors: My wife has a condition where any disruption to her skin, like a bug bite, a scratch or exposure to poison ivy, results in a rash that spreads over half of her body. It’s not related to ... more

Hello, dear readers, and welcome back to our monthly letters column. We would feel remiss if we didn’t (once again) urge you to please take the time to protect yourselves and your loved ones from the ... more

Dear Doctors: Our local news is full of stories about West Nile virus. Apparently we’re seeing cases here in Tennessee, and also in states around us. Some people are getting really sick. What are the ... more

Dear Doctors: I saw there’s a new study saying that heat therapy can be good for depression. Do you know if this is true? My husband’s family is from Norway, and they swear that using their sauna help... more

Dear Doctors: What are the essentials for a vacation first-aid kit? We are spending a week at the lake with two other families in August. I want to be prepared, but not loaded down with useless stuff.... more

Dear Doctors: Our dad is 77 years old and has diabetes. He got sick with COVID-19 this summer, and it was a huge struggle to get him to take the Paxlovid his doctor prescribed. The process made me rea... more

Dear Doctors: I would like to know about cortisol and what it does in the body. I keep hearing that if you’re under a lot of stress, which I have been lately, your cortisol levels can go too high. Wha... more

Dear Doctors: I had muscle pain and exhaustion for two years, and no one could figure out what was wrong. A rheumatologist recently diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. I would appreciate any information y... more

Dear Doctors: I developed sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) due to lupus in 2019. It affects high-pitched tones, and it makes it harder to hear in a crowd. It’s confusing because sometimes I am able t... more

Dear Doctors: I have back pain that my co-worker thinks might be due to a herniated disk. She had one, and our symptoms are similar, including numbness down my leg. She got hurt carrying moving boxes,... more

Hello, dear readers, and welcome to a bonus letters column. We’re deep into hiking, picnic and barbecue season, so please remember to break out the bug spray. You’re fending off mosquitoes and ticks, ... more

Dear Doctors: My landscaping business keeps me outside a lot, and my son has a job as a line cook. We both worked through heat waves last summer that made our jobs dangerous. Can you please write abou... more

Hello again, dear readers, and welcome to our monthly letters column. Even before the official start of summer, much of the U.S. was facing excessive heat, and it hasn’t let up as we’ve passed Indepen... more

Dear Doctors: Our 3-year-old daughter almost drowned when she fell into a neighbor’s pool last summer. She’s going to be OK, but she is still facing some medical problems. This has made us aware that ... more

Dear Doctors: I keep hearing the term “super-ager,” but the meaning isn’t clear. I’ve heard it used about older adults who stay physically healthy, who live to be 100 or who have a good memory. Is the... more

Dear Doctors: I’ve been thinking about trying a keto diet. A friend had good results when she used it to lose weight. I was already worried so much fat would be bad for my health. Now I’ve read that a... more