Dr. Diane C Downing MD

Insomnia is the inability to sleep that people of all ages can experience. It may be caused by a wide range of factors including physical discomfort or psychological problems. There is a direct relationship between insomnia and psychosocial factors. Factors such as increased age, conflicts with...

Oral thrush or oral candidiasis is an infection of the mouth caused by the fungus, Candida. This fungus is also known as yeast. It is normal for Candida organisms to live in our bodies since they are generally harmless. However, when they overgrow, they can cause infections. Such infections can...

There are several types of pneumonia that vary in their degree of seriousness. Pneumonia caused by a viral infection can make people feel very sick with fever, cough, and tiredness. However, viral pneumonia tends to go away on its own after some time. A "walking pneumonia" is a mild case of...

Most of the time, a fever doesn’t indicate a serious problem. However, it can be alarming and frightening if a child’s body temperature increases dramatically. Oftentimes, fever is the body’s way of fighting infections. Although not all fevers need treatment, a high fever can make children...

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...

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...