DEAR DR. GOTT: Why do you write about so many esoteric diseases and medical conditions, many of which must affect only a handful of people? Surely you haven’t covered all of the subjects of interest to a general audience. I only rarely find any subjects of interest in your columns, and I’m an old dude with a number of issues.
DEAR READER: The issues covered in my column aren’t esoteric at all. The purpose of my column is to help by providing interesting information, facts, treatments, etc., regarding common, uncommon and rare disorders.
I often cover conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, urinary-tract infections and more, but I also get questions about little talked about, little known or rare conditions that, frankly, I find interesting to research and discuss. I hope that by sharing these letters in my column, common knowledge about these disorders will increase and might help prevent some of the painful, frustrating situations that people with these disorders find themselves in during the diagnosis process.
Without knowing what “issues” you have, I cannot begin to discuss them. However, I will try to cover some of the most common conditions that occur as we age in a future column, just for you.
To provide related information, I am sending you copies of my Health Reports “Hypertension,” “Understanding Cholesterol” and “Osteoarthritis.” Other readers who would like copies should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope (or two) and a check or money order for $2 per report payable to Newsletter and mailed to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167. Be sure to mention the title(s) or print an order form off my website at www.AskDrGottMD.com.
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