My son is 19. Since graduation from high school in May 2005, he has steadily become unmotivated to do anything. He started college, but then quit going. He works only occasionally. He sleeps all day, literally all day, then sleeps at night too. He doesn’t live at home because […]

I am very concerned about my 25 year old son. He took his blood pressure with my wrist monitor yesterday evening and it registered 265/165. We do have a history of heart disease on both sides of the family. First question is how reliable are wrist monitors and should we really be […]

Can overuse or abuse of percocet cause abscesses?
Dr. Joshua’s Answer:
While the drug itself will not directly cause abscesses, overuse of Percocet or any other drug containing acetaminophen can cause liver damage, which in turn can result in various problems including lowered immune system response, and that may put you at risk for infections, including abscesses.

my friend has real bad stomach pains-but doesn’t have the internet to look this up on his own. he says his gut constantly hurts and sometimes has bloody stool. he says it’s not a cramping feeling-it’s just in his lowing gut. it hurts him so bad be can’t hardly stand up stright. […]

Why is one not supposed to have grapefruit or grapefruit juice when on Lipitor?
Dr. Joshua’s Answer:
Because they compete against each other in the liver - meaning that grapefruit juice will cause the liver to metabolize (eliminate) less Lipitor, possibly leading to increased and even toxic levels of the drug in the body.
Lipitor (atorvastatin) levels have […]

My husband recently had an MRI on his neck. His primary care physician told him he has a 100% blockage on the left side in his carotid artery. The right side is fine. He then made an appointment for him to see a vascular doctor in February of 2007. I’m worried about the appointment being […]

Dear Doctor, 
 
I am 24 years old and I am involved in a number of active and extreme sports. I have not had any problems with my back up until now but I have been adviced not to do certain sports and I wanted to know the reason for this. 
 
My friend has informed me that bungee […]

I have a 7 year old daughter who sleepwalks 3-4 times a week. As a baby she was not a good sleeper through the night till she was around one year. She has always been a restless sleeper. She kicks and is just everywhere. The sleepwalking is driving me crazy. Not only am I losing […]

I’m 28 and about 4 months ago I started to get this clammy feeling. It starts mostly when I get out of the shower and lasts for hours. I will be sweaty during this period also. I am clammy around my mid section, back of neck and just have this “icky” feeling […]

Recently, 2-3 month ago I heard about a new pill, that suppose to help quitting smoking?
Whats the name and do you know of any results.
Dr. Joshua’s Answer
The pill in question is called bupropion, which is marketed by the trade name Zyban. In clinical studies, it has been found to approximately double your chances of quitting […]

Dear Dr. Joshua, 
 
I am a twenty seven year old woman that had gastric bypass surgery over 
three years ago. I have been experiencing some severe cramps in the right  
side of my abdomen. Also, I have been having more migraine headaches alot  
more often.The pain from both are so bad that I can no longer tolerate […]

Hello,
I sprained my ankle 3 days ago.the pain is so bad is not going down. I feel a click in the joint. Now the bruising is everywhere and my foot is getting numb especially my toes. Help!
Dr. Joshua’s Answer
It’s possible that you have a fracture. It’s not possible to entirely rule out a fracture without […]

I have had a metalic, poison like taste in my mouth the last two days. I remember hearing that this is a sign of something. Do you know what it is?
Dr.Sinuhe Answers:
Thanks for your question. Metallic like taste in mouth may be due, for example, to medication (typically gold for rheumatoid arthritis, metronidazole […]

I have been wondering this question for the last fourteen years and have finally decided to ask it and just live with the consequences. So here goes my question: what is the likelihood of an ab neg. Blood type male and b positive blood type female producing an ab negative male child? […]

How valid is a CT scan result? Isn’t it possible that if , let’s say an aneurysm, is very tiny it may not show up? I have a metal clip, so MRI’s are no good for me. I had an AVM removed years ago. I had a migraine last year that was the worse I […]

I am female and 47. I have weakness in my left leg and have been progressively having more pain walking. I also have occasional pain in my left knee. An MRI reveals a pinched nerve at L2. My neurologist would like me to have a myelogram. I am deathly afraid of the epidural involved. 15 […]

I have chronic pain at T8 area which never moves and wraps around to the end of the rib on the right side. i have had MRI/CT scans, which shows a disc bulge at T2 and a hemangioma at T8. I have had 2 injections, one in the fascia around the vertebrae at […]

I have recently been diagnosed with shingles. They are not yet in an open blister state (merely contained red blisters) with no discharge. I have a couple of questions:
1. Can it (herpes zoster virus) be spread any other way other than direct contact with the discharge from the blisters?
2. Can my wife and children be […]

Dear Doctor,
I am a 34 yr old male who recently came back from the doctor with some not so good news. It turns our that my cholesterol is a very high 292 with an extremely high LDL count, a 219. I am relatively healthy and active; I am 6 ft tall and weigh […]

Hi, I am a 36 year old female. I am having major problems and really want to find relief. My injury began 17 years ago,giving birth to my son, herniated L4L5 S1. Was bad off couldn’t walk etc. Neurosurgeon refused surgery, said I was to young (19) I went through extensive therapy, work hardening and […]

I have been ill for a few weeks. I had mono about 5 yrs ago. I had blood transfusions about 10 yrs ago. Im a 27 yr old female. I have been bloated so bad you’d swear im 4 months pregnant but Im not and I have gotten my period 3 times […]

Last night I came home from a dinner out with this pulling like pain in my upper left back, under the ribcage. I went to bed thinking maybe that I just sat oddly during dinner, straining my back or something. I woke up several times during the night due to the pain. […]

For the last few weeks I’ve noticed that my neck has been extremely stiff, and usually once a day or sometimes twice I’ll tilt my neck as far as I can to the left and something will crack/shift. It doesn’t crack when I tilt it to the right. Also, for the last few weeks I’ve […]

My daughter will be 3 in Dec, however she has been experiencing strange illnesses for over a yr.Last yr she woke “zoning” out, but awake,put in bath to pep her up and I noticed her feet and legs were blue.I dressed her,assuming she was cold,brought her down to her high chair when I noticed her […]

I am the mother of a 20 year old who has had the following symptoms for at least 4 years now. Legs that fall asleep anytime she sits for any length of time, within the last few months, she has started to have severe headaches and has started to experience memory loss and dizziness. […]

I am a 39 year old male. I am a smoker (trying to quit) and are a little overweight. Recently I have had sharp pains in my chest and between my shoulder blades in my back. The pain is worse in my back and when it happens I get short of breath. It doesn’t matter […]