DEAR DR. GOTT: I have a friend whose wife is a 58-year-old Caucasian. She doesn’t smoke or drink alcoholic beverages. She has two daughters. Both her pregnancies were without problems. She is seldom ill. She walks three miles at a brisk pace three to four times each week and isn’t overweight. She is not a complainer or one who visits doctors without cause. She is very conscientious about eating a healthy diet. Most of their vegetables are grown in their home garden. Her only health issue has been a fairly high blood pressure. Around 155/95. She has been taking blood pressure control medicine for about three years with little effect.

Shortly after New Years she was hospitalized for about 10 weeks after she became sick with vomiting and chronic diarrhea. She was treated at a local hospital and then sent to a larger facility for further testing. [Read more...]