Ask the Expert is intended solely as an informational service, not as a substitute for routine or urgent medical evaluation, treatment or consultation. Individuals with medical or personal problems are requested to seek advice from their own physician, or from appropriate health care professionals.

Dr. Pies' suggestions should not be construed as medical opinions aimed at establishing a diagnosis or course of treatment. Diagnosis and treatment are complex and require comprehensive face-to-face assessment, often over long periods of time. Individuals under active treatment should not construe information contained in this column as replacing or superseding recommendations of their clinicians. Rather, information in this column may serve as a point of discussion between patients and their individual clinicians. Similarly, clinicians should appreciate that suggestions made in this column, without benefit of direct assessment, are not intended as direct consultative recommendations.