Category: ask-the-doctor

What is the recommended exercise equipment choice for someone with a bulging disk at L4-L5: a recumbent bike, stair stepper or elliptical trainer?

I am a runner. I have bruising on my legs after running. This only happens when I am racing, not during my everyday runs. Could this be caused by poor circulation? I’ve been running for 10 years and I’ve never experienced this until a few months ago.

When I visited my father recently, I saw what looked like some bad sores on his legs. He told me that he’d gone to the doctor recently and that everything was fine. Would it be wrong for me to call his doctor to find out for sure?

Recently, my dog bit me on the hand. When I showed up at my doctor’s office several days later, he told me I had waited too long. Should I have gone to the doctor sooner?

My doctor found that my blood levels of vitamin D were low. She gave me a prescription for 50,000 international units of vitamin D to be taken every two weeks. But I?ve read that the recommended dose is more like 1,000 IU a day, and that more than 4,000 IU a day is unsafe. I have thin bones but not osteoporosis yet. I?m a healthy woman and don?t want to do more harm than good. What?s your advice?

My mother has had several episodes of blood in her urine. She had biopsies of her bladder and the results revealed abnormal cells, but most likely not cancer. What does this mean?

I can hear what sounds like my heartbeat in my left ear. This usually happens only at night right before I sleep. Any cause for concern?

For the past two months, I have experienced dizziness when I start to lie down or bend over. What could cause this?

What is the cause and significance of a high “CPK”?

Is it possible that a patient diagnosed with ALS does not actually have some other disease, such as Lyme disease, that involves the brain or spinal cord?