Dr. Heather Elizabeth Machen M.D.

Spit out what they have just been fed; this is known as reflux or posseting. This is not vomiting. It is important to learn the difference between vomiting and reflux. In vomiting, the muscles contract to forcefully expel the contents of the stomach, whereas in reflux, it is a spontaneous expulsion...

Do I have Crohn’s disease? You may have asked yourself this question a couple of times after experiencing symptoms like diarrhea and abdominal pain. To fully comprehend almost all the medical details surrounding Crohn’s disease, and possibly determine if you have the ailment, you need to look at...

Since the signs and symptoms of sepsis can be due to other illnesses, diagnosing sepsis can sometimes be hard. A number of tests are done to identify the main infection that causes sepsis.Blood TestsBlood samples can be taken from two different parts of the body to detect the presence of the...

The severity of meningitis varies from one person to another. In common cases, medications can help solve the problem and the person may recover within 1 to 3 weeks. But in cases where there is a risk of the infection spreading to the meninges, hospitalization and other confirmation tests might be...

Clinical intuition is difficult to describe. Personally, it is the art of integrating nonverbal information that a patient presents in order to reach a diagnosis, reducing the need for diagnostic testing. This is especially important in children who often react differently to procedures, tests and...

Caused by bacteria and viruses, meningitis is an inflammation (swelling) of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord known as the meninges. The inflammation is usually caused by an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It can develop as a result of injury,...