I was diagnosed with Alopecia and most of my hair (75%) has nearly gone.
I have low iron (and took for a while iron tabs) but this did nothing for my hair.
My dermatologist has given me Prednisolone tablets (2 per day) for 2 months (decreasing by 1/2 tab each fortnight).
I am not one for tablets especially […]

Can anyone clarify me on whether there are differences in the kind of leg pain felt in DVT and simple muscle pain? I tried looking it up but the data varies. In one site it said that pain in DVT is felt when you flex. (So that means no aches when you’re just standing?) And […]

I have been suffering with a sensation of having something in the back of my throat, behind or below the right tonsil (is difficult to pinpoint exactly)for about 5 months now. it started feeling like a very small lump which feels to have got more obvious over time, although it occasionally becomes less noticeable for […]

Hi Doctor Joshua
please can you give me some advice, Im having a second cranioplasty operation in a few months to fill a defect which I was left with after a tumor removal in 1999 when I was 16. In May last year ( o6) I had a titanium plate fitted to the side of my […]

I was in a bad car accident 15 months ago and still have burning and tingling in my left arm down to my thumb and shoulder pain. Two orthopaedic dr’s said nothing wrong with arm and that the only damage to my discs is normal degenerative damage not caused by accident and though an MRI […]

My father passed away on 9/30 of colon cancer, we were really close and I am depressed but getting out of it. I am on Lorazepam for the anxiety. Since his death I have had a little discomfort almost right on the bottom part of the left rib. If I stand or lay down absolutely […]

I’m 28 years old and here recently I have been seeing blood in my stool. Should I be worried?
Doctor Joshua’s Answer
There can be basically three types of blood in stool:
1) Bright red blood. By far the the most common reason is hemorrhoids (piles). Anal fissures are also typical causes. There are also other, more […]

New Year’s Eve, I was working at home before going out to dinner. Probably due to the workout of working t home, I started feeling kind of weird. Having already being diagnosed with and being pharmaceutically treated for high blood pressure, I felt that is was high just from a feeling that I get. I […]

I have a few queries regarding what would seem to be classic symptoms of an anxiety disorder. This condition has only manifested itself since July of this year. I’m a healthy, intelligent, fit and active 36 year old professional. I have had quite a few family bereavement experiences over my childhood years and one this […]

I have recently experienced a tremendous amount of patchy hair loss and over all thinning. Received a diagnosis of alopecia areata and I accepted that diagnosis until one week later a co-worker revealed her hair loss also. It was like looking at a mirror image.
She had the same symptoms of tremendous amount of hair […]

I was hoping you could give me advice with regards to a series of symptoms that nobody has been able to explain, despite my seeing many doctors and having many tests.
It all started when I was 12 when I woke up randomly with back pain. I’m pretty active, so I wrote it off as overdoing […]

Good day Dr, Joshua, im a 46 year old male , who was recently dignosed with MRSA , this comes as a shock to me in Sept , I had a eye infection and at the end of the Eye infection hard a large boil on my left leg the Dr. at the […]

I’m a big girl. I just started a calorie counting diet. My Daily Calorie Intake is around 2917. The diet recommends I start by reducing that to 2450. That still sound like alot of calories, but I’m afraid that if I cut too many, my body will slow down and think I’m starving it. Am […]

I have a sore on my inner thigh. It normally shows up every 3 months with my cycle. It is always painfull and hard. It starts out looking like a skin blemish and then grows from there. There is pus and redness. I have no medical insurance at this time and am concerned of what […]

Hello there, I am a 23 year old Military Police Officer at Ft. Bragg, NC. I have been in the army 4 1/2 years, and participated in the Iraqi invasion in 2003, to give you a little background.
In Special forces training (PLDC/BNOC to be specific) I had a very heavy rucksack about a year ago, […]

I received a tetanus vaccination in September 2006 in my left upper arm. I was told to expect soreness for 24 hours. I experienced severe pain in the first 24 hours and then since I have had moderate pain to movement and have actually been unable to regain full range of motion secondary […]

Failure to Diganose, failure to treat fractured fibula, accident injury
I have been involved in a motor vehicle accident five six weeks ago where i was struck by a car. I as admitted to the emergency room where they failed to diagnose my broken fibula. I then got a second opinion where the fracture was overlooked […]

I fell 20 years ago and was told I bruised the shin bone on my left leg. It is now hurting in the same spot. I can actually see a very faint red mark, like an old bruise. It sometimes hurts up into my knee and wakes me up at night. […]

I have been diagnosed with Pseudo Tumor Cerebi roughly 2 years ago (due to my weight and being on bith control). I had an MRI (which was normal) and a spinal tap(which they said was in the higher, normal range). I was prescribed Diamox 500mg. They worked wonders (but the manufacturer has […]

Dr Joshua-
I am a 27 year old male with a huge concern. I am worried about a brain tumor. Now, I rarely get headaches and I don’t think I have gotten a migraine in my life that I could remember. No vomitting or anything like that. Vision is ok as well.dizziness though one day like […]

I have been having shoulder problems for many years. For the last couple of months, the top of my shoulder blade hurts. I can push in between the joints and feel the pain. But, the last couple of days the pain runs from my shoulder to by elbow and into the joints […]

Every time I eat I have a bad stomach ache. It’s in a strange spot higher up than most stomach pain and it is very sharp. It is very different from gas pain so I already know it isn’t that. It happens EVERY time I eat and it has been going on […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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? […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 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. […]

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 […]

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 a 51 year old white female I am 5 feet and 3 and 1
half inches tall. When I was a teenager I had exploratory surgery
and they cut me up and down and I have no muscle control in my
stomach. I have tried diets and excersize and nothing helps. I
looked deformed […]

Hello!  
I am a 26 year old male with a rather unusual problem. My left nipple has a swollen lump directly under the nipple. When I first noticed the lump 2 months ago it was painless but it has since started hurting whenever a small amount of pressure is […]