Dr. Merle T Mcalevy MD

A dark stool refers to a stool that is either black or dark red in color. You may pass dark bowel movements after consuming dark-colored foods or when an injury or bleeding is present in your gastrointestinal tract. If you pass dark or bloody stools, see your doctor immediately to rule out serious...

Brown fat is a health-friendly fat that helps the body to burn calories, instead of storing the energy as fat. Typically, adults do not have a lot of brown fat. A new study suggests that heart hormones may stimulate the production of brown fat cells. Researchers conducted a study on animals and...

What is strep throat?Strep throat is the most common form of bacterial infection of the throat and tonsils, resulting in inflammation and irritation. Strep throat is caused by different types of streptococcus bacteria. The severity of the condition differs from one type of bacteria to another. Not...

Have you ever given a glance at your poop before flushing it? Probably, not! We mostly do it every day, but never realize that the look and color of our poop can indicate a lot of things about our health. Yes! Our pooping habits can tell a lot about whether we are leading a healthy lifestyle or not....

What is athlete’s foot?Athlete’s foot is a type of fungal infection that affects the feet or toes. This fungal infection is medically known as tinea pedis. The fungus that causes the infection usually feeds on keratin or the skin protein. Keratin is found in the skin's top layer, including...

Developing gray hair is inevitable in everyone's life time. "The color of the hair changes when the pigment-producing cells stops the production of the pigment," says Jeffrey Benabio, MD, a dermatologist at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. The color may also be bleached by the build up of naturally...