DEAR DR. GOTT: I recently read an article in The New York Times where doctors are communicating with their patients long distance via robot machines. What has the medical industry come to?

DEAR READER: I, too, read the article and was aware of robotic medicine but still rather amused by the changes that have occurred since I became a physician.Robotic medicine is the wave of the future. When a robot is brought to a patient's bedside, a physician can speak with him or her, observe movements and reactions, provide laboratory or X-ray test results, and prescribe — all from hundreds of miles away. The unit resembles a vacuum cleaner and comes with a top that looks like a television so the patient and physician can see and communicate with each other.These mobile units are available in hundreds of hospitals across the country, and they become the eyes and ears of the physician involved. Robots are not a new technology. They have been used for years in a great variety of venues, from informational research in outer space to diagnosing a sick patient. Law-enforcement agencies and the military use robots to disarm bombs and carry out other dangerous missions. They even helped seal the BP well in the Gulf of Mexico — a mile below the surface! The possibilities are endless. Are there pitfalls? Sure. A robot can't approach a hospital bed and hold out a warm hand for support. It can't wipe the brow of a lonely older patient whose family has yet to visit. That and more reasons are the trade-offs. But I guess we will all have to adapt when we expect our doctor to be tall and handsome, not short and metal. ——————DEAR DR. GOTT: Is there an over-the-counter holistic medicine to use in place of prescription steroids?

DEAR READER: Steroids are powerful hormone-like substances prescribed for a great number of disorders. Athletes have been known to take them for performance enhancement. I cannot stress strongly enough that they and all herbals or OTC substitutes should be prescribed only for a specific cause by a qualified healthcare professional who knows your medical history. They should be taken under detailed instruction because of vital dosing reductions that must be adhered to. That said, there are several herbals that might be taken alone or in conjunction with other OTCs. They include nettle root, saw palmetto, hydrangea root, pygeum bark, pomegranate, viburnum, ginkgo biloba, black cohosh, lemon balm, chaste tree berry (monk's pepper) and hawthorne. As you can imagine, the list goes on and on.You neglected to indicate why you or someone else might choose an alternative, and there are countless disorders for which a physician might make the recommendation. Is it for menopause, pain, poison ivy, low testosterone levels or performance enhancement? The possibilities are limitless, so without knowing the specific reason, I cannot even consider what might be appropriate. Speak with your primary-care physician or a naturopath for direction. Good luck.

To provide related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report "Herbs and Other Healing Fads." Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order made payable to Newsletter and mailed to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at www.AskDrGottMD.com.—————-

To contact the doctor, address letters to Dr. Gott c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., 4th fl., New York, NY 10016.