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Dear Dr. Roach: About six months ago, I was walking on a downward-sloping trail and fell forward, slamming my abdomen and left hip on the ground. The only obvious injury was a fractured left rib.

Dear Dr. Roach: My younger brother called me about seeing dark blood in his semen. He’s 52. Is this a concern? N.J.

Dear Dr. Roach: I am a 64-year-old woman in fairly good health. I take no medications. Both my mother, 88, and my sister, 53, take medication for hypothyroidism.

Dear Dr. Roach: Could you please explain why alcoholics get distended abdomens, and would the disorder reverse itself if someone quit drinking? J.P. Alcohol causes injury to liver cells. The liver has the ability to regenerate.

Dear Dr. Roach: I have been taking 1,000 to 1,200 mg of calcium daily for a long time now — more than 12 years. I am 46. I don’t get much, if any, dairy in my diet, but I am a good vegetable eater.

Dear Dr. Roach: For the past five years, I have been using vaginal estrogen. I was first given Estradiol Cream. I have always had very thick, curly hair. In less than a week, I started noticing hair coming out in my hands when washing it.

Dear Dr. Roach: Please, please help me. I’ve visited my allergist, the ear-nose-throat specialist and my own internist. None of them has ever heard of my problem and don't know how to help me.

Attention dieters: If you want to maximize your chances of success, don’t go to the grocery store on an empty stomach.

It’s OK to eat veggies instead of starchy food

Dear Dr. Roach: I am writing regarding my son, who at age 15 had surgery and removal of his left testicle due to a cyst that was growing. The cyst proved negative for cancer.