Dr. Wendy Hawks Gerstein M.D.

Over the course of our four million or so years of evolution, we humans have developed a highly-specialized immune system that is quite a warrior in combating infections. We are bombarded daily by bacterial and viral pathogens which have the potential to cause us serious illness, but, completely...

Lyme disease is a nasty infection that can progress to a chronic debilitating disease with life-threatening complications if left untreated.Lyme disease is transmitted through the bite of a four-legged tick, which is also known as the deer tick or the bear tick. The tick has to be in the nymphal...

Candida, the overgrowth of yeast is one of the most common types of fungal infections. This condition can lead to a number of other health issues, such as exhaustion, brain fog, joint pain, bad breath, chronic sinus, weak immune system, hormonal imbalance, UTI, loss of libido and more. So if you are...

Introduction Chikungunya is a viral infection that is transmitted by mosquitoes. The chikungunya virus causes a sudden onset of fever along with severe joint pain. The illness is not considered as contagious, but in rare instances, the virus can get transmitted through contact with a person's...

What is encephalitis?Encephalitis means inflammation of the brain. Fever, headache, and joint pain are often experienced in the early stages of encephalitis. Other severe symptoms may develop over some days or hours. They include personality changes, seizures, disorientation, confusion, or...

What is HIV?HIV is a virus that was discovered in the 1980s. It attacks a person's immune system, causing it to be too weak to fight outside infections. The HIV virus works by destroying white blood cells, called CD4 cells, in the immune system, and progresses through three stages, the last of which...