Dr. Amy A Costa M.D.

Most of the time, a fever doesn’t indicate a serious problem. However, it can be alarming and frightening if a child’s body temperature increases dramatically. Oftentimes, fever is the body’s way of fighting infections. Although not all fevers need treatment, a high fever can make children...

According to statistics, binge eating disorder is very common among young adults in the United States in comparison to anorexia and bulimia. In the last couple years, it has been treated as real medical disorder. According to the Youth Risk Behavior survey that was conducted in 2001, 35 percent of...

You might have heard about chlorophyll at some point in your life--everyone who has gone to school has been told by their science teacher about how plants make their own food from sunlight. However, not everyone knows that the green substance commonly for imparting the color green to plants actually...

Hematuria is the phenomenon in which traces of blood appear in the urine. It presents a unique problem because it is not a disease in itself. It is not infectious, nor is it capable of threatening a life. It is merely a warning sign that something is wrong inside the body. Though frightening in...

What is a urinary tract infection?The main function of the urinary system is to get rid of waste, maintain the body’s water balance, and regulate electrolytes. Its function starts with the kidneys, the organ that filter blood to produce urine, which is composed of extra fluid and wastes. Before...

Symptoms of pregnancy vary from one woman to another and also from one pregnancy to another. One of the most common and important symptom of pregnancy is a delayed or missed period. However, some of the early symptoms of pregnancy are similar to those of menstruation, and hence are often ignored or...