Dr. Rachel Ballard Mehr M.D.

Recommended Articles

• Conjunctivitis: When to See an Ophthalmologist and What to Expect

  Our eyes are our windows to the world, and we each get only a single pair in our lifetime. Life without our sense of sight can spell great difficulty. Imagine being born and living with good vision for decades, only to have it impaired by some disease we could have prevented or gotten treatment for....

• What Is Bacterial Conjunctivitis?

  What is bacterial conjunctivitis?Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the palpebral or bulbar part of the eye. There are many types and many causes of conjunctivitis. One common type is bacterial conjunctivitis, wherein bacteria that infect the eyes spread through direct contact with an infected...

• What Are Histamine Blockers and How Do They Work?

  What are histamine blockers?Histamine blockers also called as antihistamines are medications that block or reduce histamine to stop the symptoms of allergy. Histamine is a chemical that is released by a type of white blood cell called mast cell in response to allergies or injuries. The cells that...

• Cold vs. Allergy: How to Tell the Difference

  It is very common to assume that anyone with the sniffles is contagious. Very often, however, those sniffles are not linked to anything contagious at all--they can be related to other factors. The first thought of many individuals when they suffer from a runny nose, nasal congestion, coughing, or...

• 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...

• Xanax: Side Effects, Withdrawal Symptoms, & the Safe Way to Get Off the Drug

  Xanax is a medication used to treat patients suffering from panic disorders, anxiety, and depression due to anxiety. Xanax is a part of the drug family or class benzodiazepines.Effects of this drug usually start within twenty-five minutes of taking it and provide relief for up to a few hours....