ArcaMax

Up to 40% of people experience the nerve pain of sciatica at least once in their life. It may strike like an electric shock, a numb tingling, or a persistent ache (or all three) and can affect the lower back, thigh, calf and toes. It may lead to leg weakness and even loss of bladder or bowel control.

Sciatica can be caused by a herniated or ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was wondering whether Ozempic might be prescribed for somebody who gained weight due to antipsychotics or drugs for depression. I read some years ago that the weight gain associated with antipsychotics had something to do with blood sugar levels (or some other metabolic reason). -- K.

ANSWER: You are quite right that many ...Read more

More than 14 million falls are reported every year among Americans ages 65 and older. And the fall death rate has skyrocketed by around 40% over the past decades.

If you want to substantially lower your risk of falling, you want to increase your leg strength and ability to balance on one leg. That's the conclusion of a study in PlosOne that ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have been diagnosed with low cortisol and put on 15-mg hydrocortisone tablets daily for life by my endocrinologist. I was told that if I get sick with an infection, I should double the medication. I am 77, and my pharmacist told me that this medication shouldn't be used long-term. I worry about the side effects, but I hear ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 47 years old and 6 feet tall. I weight 185 pounds, exercise regularly, and am in overall very good health. I take 5 mg of Crestor and a multivitamin daily.

I recently took a generic 12-hour, maximum-strength nasal decongestant to manage typical sinus pressure and congestion. Within an hour of taking the medication, I ...Read more

Can't focus? Are easily impatient? Hate dealing with multitasking? You may be contending with adult ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). Join the crowd.

More than 15 million American adults have been diagnosed with ADHD (many more go undiagnosed) and have to deal with the work, relationship and internal conflicts that can arise as a...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am interested in knowing how long it might take for someone who discontinued all medications that have been taken for years to have serious or dire consequences? I started seeing a cardiologist five to six years ago, mainly as a preventive because of a family history of cardiac and stroke risk with both of my parents/...Read more

"It's quality rather than quantity that matters." When the Roman statesman and Stoic philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca declared that in the first century, he may have been wise. But there's no way he knew just how true that was for postmenopausal women when it comes to HDL -- the good cholesterol.

A new study in the Journal of Clinical ...Read more

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis is a kind of chronic liver inflammation and scarring caused by excessive fat cells in the organ. It is quite common -- approximately 22 million Americans have it. Untreated, it can progress to liver cancer and organ failure.

As with diabetes, intensive lifestyle and diet interventions are the ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 69-year-old female. Recently, I had some blood work done, and my doctor decide to put me on Lipitor based on my LDL results. After reading the side effects, I am hesitant to take the drug. My LDL level is 128 mg/dL, my HDL is 49 mg/dL, and my total cholesterol is 192 mg/dL. Over the years, my numbers go up and down. I ...Read more

More than three-fourths of first-time breast cancer diagnoses are made in postmenopausal women. And a new study shows that 40% of hormone-positive breast cancer cases in those women can be linked to carrying around excess body fat.

That makes the risks of putting on postmenopausal pounds -- the average is about a pound-and-a-half every year -- ...Read more

When "Sugar Blues" hit the bookstores in 1986, it blew the whistle on America's addiction to sugar and the health harms it causes. But almost 40 years later, adults in this country are still downing about 60 pounds of added sugar a year, and research is continually uncovering health hazards that added sweetness causes.

A recent study in JAMA ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm a 75-year-old woman who is active in many ways. I did the swimming leg for a triathlon female relay team, which was 2-3 miles in the open ocean. So, I am baffled by my recent diagnosis of myasthenia gravis (MG)! Reading as much as possible for a clue, I found a (nonvalid) study stating that seniors who began taking statins ...Read more

You know that feeling of being, well, not right? You're always tired, you think you might be getting sick, and you feel generally off your game. That's called malaise and it's more common than you might think. That's because it can be associated with a wide array of lifestyle habits, infections, chronic diseases, certain medications and ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was diagnosed with several liver cysts over 15 years ago. My primary doctor and I follow the growth of the cysts by ultrasound, and one is increasing in size. We did an MRI with and without contrast to take a look at the cyst. The radiologist stated that the cyst looked "complex" and, for a lack of a better word, unusual.

A ...Read more

The extended lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant adverse mental health effects for teens who necessarily attended school remotely for months or even years. It may have also physically affected their brains.

Researchers conducting a longitudinal study of teens found that the brains of teen girls aged 4.2 years more ...Read more