Crystal Blankenship M.D.

Recommended Articles

• Is Shingles Contagious? How Do You Get Shingles?

  Shingles is a contagious viral infection that is caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. This virus affects a particular nerve section, causing painful rashes on the skin connected to that particular nerve. The rash normally appears in a form of a band on any...

• Laryngitis: What Is Croup?

  What is laryngitis?Laryngitis is the swelling of your voice box. It is often caused by an infection, mostly by a virus. The voice box is also known as the larynx. It links the back of your throat to the windpipe. The vocal cord and larynx are part and parcel and are required for speech. Laryngitis...

• The Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

  What is Fermented Food?Fermented food involves the process of fermentation where food is exposed to bacteria, yeast, or a combination of these microbes. This food is then broken down to lactic acid, which allows the microbes to enter through the air in the environment. Lactic acid protects us and...

• What Causes Middle Back Pain?

  Middle back pain, also known as upper back pain or thoracic back pain occurs anywhere between the bottom of the neck to the top of the lumbar spine, where the rib cage ends. The ribs are connected to the sternum (a narrow thickened plate in the center of the chest) and then wrap round the...

• Gastroenteritis in Children: Signs of Dehydration

  Gastroenteritis is an intestinal infection that is caused by poorly prepared foods, contaminated water, etc. It can cause diarrhea, nausea, headache, and vomiting.What causes it?Gastro is caused by viruses. They include:• Rotavirus• AdenovirusHow is the gastroenteritis virus passed?Children can...

• Is Vaccination an Old Method or Another Achievement of the Modern Era?

  In the early 19th to the 20th century, parents would have been surprised to know that future generations would be free from childhood diseases. Diphtheria was then one of the most common diseases that took the lives of thousands of children, while polio left thousands of children crippled. Measles...