Dear Annie: I recently cleaned out my mother's house after she moved into assisted living, and I thought the hardest part would be the boxes. I was wrong. The hardest part was realizing that every drawer held a memory, and every memory came with a decision. There were birthday cards she ...

DEAR DR ROACH: I decided to practice using an inhalation spirometer, partly because I have a daily productive cough (small amounts three to four times a day). I smoked a pack of filtered cigarettes a day from ages 17-29. I smoke marijuana now. My scoliosis is quite complex and has taken over 4 ...

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for over 20 years. When we met, we had both already lost our parents. During all our time together, my husband's younger brother has spent Christmas at our home — even after we got married and he got married, after we moved out of state and had ...

DEAR DR. ROACH: I recently had a CT scan of my chest and abdomen for pain, and they made a note that I also had coronary atherosclerosis. What is this condition? Can medications help? Can it be treated without surgery? — P.D. ANSWER: A computed tomography (CT) scan gives multiple ...

Dear Annie: My sister and I have not spoken in three years following a falling-out over our mother's estate. I won't rehash the details — suffice it to say, neither of us came out looking entirely clean. We were never close growing up, but we were friendly enough as adults, and I miss ...

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 70-year-old female in fairly good health with a number of diseases/conditions that are fairly well-controlled. I take about 15 prescription and over-the-counter meds a day (including methotrexate) for my Sjogren's symptoms and other conditions, plus a statin. Nine ...