Kristen N. Smith, PhD, RDN, LD
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, is a frustrating condition that can disrupt and negatively impact the quality of daily life. The normal, everyday movement of simply standing up triggers rapid heart rate, dizziness, or a drop in blood pressure that usually resolve upon laying down. Although the cause isn’t … Read More
There are about 600 lymph nodes in your body, and most of them are located in your neck. A lymph node is part of your body’s defense system. A body fluid that comes out of your blood, called lymph, runs through your lymph nodes. The job of the lymph node … Read More
I was quite sick with COVID-19 earlier this year, despite having been vaccinated. I have read that it is possible to be reinfected with Omicron more than once, but that a new antiviral medication can help. Can you tell me more about it? Research suggests that the antiviral medication you … Read More
According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS) is a rare but serious condition caused by reactivation of the herpes virus varicella-zoster, the same virus that causes chickenpox and shingles. When this virus gets into your body it can remain dormant in nerve cells … Read More
Monkeypox was first diagnosed in humans around 1970 in Central Africa. Early cases were spread from infected monkeys, squirrels, or rodents when humans ate infected meat or handled infected animals. Over time, the virus became able to jump from human to human. For about 50 years, monkeypox only occurred in … Read More
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the lone star tick has been moving out of the south for the last 20 to 30 years. It has steadily moved up the east coast and west into central parts of the country. In fact, although the black-legged deer … Read More
Epstein Barr virus is a virus that infects almost everybody by the time they are adults. Most people never have symptoms or only have mild cold-like symptoms. Some children or young adults have a more severe infection called mononucleosis. Once infected, everybody has EBV living in their white blood cells. … Read More
Before any new vaccine becomes available, including the new COVID-19 vaccines, it must go through the steps and stages that the FDA requires to assure the vaccine is safe and effective. Vaccines work by triggering your body’s defense system – called your immune system – to fight off an infection … Read More
COVID-19 is a new version of an old virus called coronavirus. Most of the effects of COVID have been on people's lungs, but there have also been effects on the brain and nerves (neurological effects). For now, doctors and researchers have been busy creating a vaccine and finding the best … Read More
Blood donation requirements protect the blood supply and all the people who may benefit from donated blood. They also protect you, since you may need a blood transfusion someday, and in some cases, giving blood can be dangerous for your health. Along with giving basic information like your name and … Read More
