John Roberts

Last week I tried to explain the very complex non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). This week I want to cover Hodgkin lymphoma, more commonly known as Hodgkin’s Disease (HD). It gets its eponymous name from Dr. Thomas Hodgkin who first described it in 1832. Hodgkin’s is a potentially curable malignant lymphoma that carries a much better prognosis…

One of my patients asked me recently what lymphoma is. My knowledge of the subject was a bit dusty before I started researching this column. Medical knowledge of non-Hodgkin lymphoma has rapidly evolved over the last decade or so. It is a very interesting disease and a type of cancer that is illustrative of where…

“Dad is getting awfully forgetful – could he have Alzheimer’s?” That’s becoming a more common question. It is becoming more likely to encounter someone with Alzheimer’s dementia as the proportion of elderly in our society increases. Some forgetfulness is normal for most of us as we age but many of us carry the fear of…

I want to follow up on last week’s column where I discussed the causes of insomnia and focus on basic prevention and treatments. If the cause of insomnia is not readily identifiable it’s helpful to keep a sleep diary for 2-4 weeks to share with your doctor. It should include sleep and wake times, naps,…

A patient of mine came in last week suffering from swelling and pain in his legs. He was suffering from a problem that is becoming more common – pooling of blood in his legs causing unsightly enlarged veins. To understand how vein problems develop you need a rudimentary understanding of the anatomy and physiology of…

A patient whose mother is having hearing difficulties asked me to write about the best way to purchase hearing aids. I’d like to begin with some background on hearing. It goes without saying that hearing is one of our most important senses. It is critical for our quality of life as well as for safety…

I’m running through my list of suggested topics from readers, and this one goes out to a reader from Sheridan. It’s a common problem, but one of those topics that doesn’t usually come up in casual conversation – constipation. There are three common times in a person’s life when constipation can become a problem. The…