Ask the Doctors

Dear Doctor: When does a person require parathyroid surgery? I’ve heard it discussed but don’t know much about it.    As their name implies, the parathyroid glands are located next to the thyroid gland.  You have four of them, two on [...]

Dear Doctor: When does a person require parathyroid surgery? I’ve heard it discussed but don’t know much about it.    As their name implies, the parathyroid glands are located next to the thyroid gland.  You have four of them, two on [...]

Dear Doctors: How do I get the most out of my relationship with my primary care physician? The appointments are so short these days and I want to be smart about the way I use the time. [...]

Dear Doctor: I have heard that turmeric supplements work quite well as an anti-inflammatory agent, with less risk than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. What are your thoughts on turmeric as an anti-inflammatory supplement? The turmeric powder found in spice racks – and [...]

Dear Doctors: What’s the best type of exercise? I’ve been reading that high-intensity interval training can actually slow down the aging process. Really? Why? I'm not too keen on this approach but I do walk at least a mile every day. Dr. Elizabeth Ko and [...]

Dear Doctor: Can you explain probiotics? Who should take them and are they harmful in any way? They seem helpful to me in calming my stomach. For many generations, society feared bacteria, seeing only the devastation that bacterial disease created. Today, [...]

Dear Doctors: I can’t seem to lose weight and am wondering if my gut bacteria could be to blame. How can I change it? In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that the bacteria that live [...]

Dear Doctor: I’m 71 and, after a recent bone scan, my doctors are insisting I take a bone-building medication. I couldn’t tolerate Fosomax, so they want me to take Prolia. I’m worried about it, but my mother had severe osteoporosis, so I’m worried about that too. How can I choose [...]

Dear Doctors: My husband and two sons all have athlete’s foot and my daughter and I don’t want to catch it. Now that it’s on the house, can we get rid of it? Athlete’s foot, also [...]

Dear Doctor: A friend suggested I try MSM crystals for arthritis. What are they, and do they work? If they do, where can I find them? Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is an organic sulfur-containing compound naturally found in plants such as Brussels sprouts, [...]