Dr. Kristen A. Smith, MD

Recommended Articles

• Headache in the Back of the Head

  A headache experienced in the back of the head can have many different causes. Most of these causes can be identified by specific symptoms, such as the exact location of pain and the type or severity of pain experienced. In some cases, certain events can trigger these headaches.  CausesDoctors can...

• The Wheelchair Vantage Point: Living with Muscular Dystrophy

  Muscular dystrophy is a collective term used to describe conditions that cause progressive muscle weakness, atrophy, and death. The most common and most severe type, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, is caused by a mutation in the gene that controls the production of dystrophin, a protein necessary to...

• What Is Hyperalgesia?

  Introduction Can you imagine having a small bruise but feel like someone has hit you with a sledgehammer? If you can imagine the scenario or may have even felt it at some point in your life, then you must know what it's like to have hyperalgesia.Hyperalgesia is a medical term, which means that the...

• Epilepsy and Its Effects On the Body

  Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder with seizures as its main symptom.Epilepsy in the Body: What are the Effects?Epilepsy is a common brain disorder affecting almost three million Americans. This condition can be caused by an injury or illness but most cases have no known cause. Epilepsy is...

• The Progression of Parkinson's Disease

  What happens when you are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease?When a person has Parkinson's disease, for unknown reasons, certain cells are destroyed in parts of the brain stem, predominantly the crescent-shaped cell mass known as substantia nigra which produces the neurotransmitter dopamine. When...

• The Very Real and Deep Depression That Is Often Associated With Multiple Sclerosis

  To date, what exactly triggers the onset of MS remains unknown. In some individuals, attacks of neurologic symptoms come and go, while in others, the attacks never get better. Nevertheless, in all individuals with MS, damage to the nerves can make it difficult for the nerve impulses to travel...