‘Tis the (Allergy) Season

Our experts decongest your treatment options

For people with allergies, it seems like every season is allergy season. Whether it’s pollen, mold, pet dander, dust mites, latex, foods or insect bites, it feels like everything is out to make your life miserable.

If you’re tired of harmful invaders making you cough, wheeze, itch and sneeze, you aren’t alone. It's estimated that over 50 million Americans experience allergies. Just because one in six people see the world through dry, watery, itchy eyes doesn’t mean you have to.

You Don’t Have to Live With Allergies

Southern Ohio is a beautiful place to call home. The rolling hills, sparkling rivers and lush countryside is part of our DNA. Unfortunately, so are the allergens. Depending on the time of year, our air is full of pollens and molds. But we don’t have to suffer for it.

“You should never have to settle for living with allergies,” according to Dana Esham, MD, an allergy and immunology specialist at Adena Health System. “Allergies can decrease your quality of life by interfering with sleep, causing increased itchy eyes, stuffy nose, decreased smell and taste, headaches and fatigue. You have many great options that include both simple treatments as well as more involved customized therapies to treat your individual needs.”

Over-the-Counter Relief

Over-the-counter medications such as antihistamines (Zyrtec, Allegra, Claritin, Xyzal), nasal steroids (Rhinocort, Flonase, Nasacort) or eye drops (ketotifen, Pataday) can help relieve if used as directed. 

Other therapies like a nasal saline rinse can provide symptom relief without the need for medications.

The best treatment, according to Dr. Esham, is to prevent symptoms rather than chase them once they’ve started. Lowering your exposure to allergens, like showering or nasal saline rinse after you mow the lawn, can go a long way to decrease your allergy symptoms.

Getting Allergies Under Control

If your symptoms last longer than a week or two and come back, even after using over-the-counter treatments, it may be time to see a doctor.

Allergy skin testing can be used to identify the allergens that cause your symptoms. The test is performed by placing liquid allergen on your back with plastic. That’s right, no needles! Results are available in just 15 minutes, and your allergist will be able to formulate a detailed individualized plan for you.

Your doctor may also order blood work (instead of a skin test) to evaluate the number of antibodies produced by your immune system. Higher levels of certain antibodies suggest a possible allergy to certain allergens.

The Effectiveness of Allergy Shots

Allergy shots are proven way to get your allergy under control and become less reliant on medications. Rekha Raveendran, MD, an allergy specialist at Adena Allergy and Immunology, recommends this treatment for patients looking for long-term relief.

“Allergy shots work by retraining the immune system to stop being allergic and to develop ongoing tolerance to the allergens over time,” Dr. Raveendran said. “Allergy shots use small amounts of the natural protein that leads to allergy symptoms and that dose is increased over time until a maintenance dose is reached.” 

The initial shots, which are known as the desensitization or build-up phase, require visits once or twice a week. When you reach maintenance dosing, the shots are can be spaced out to once a month for three to five years. These shots are important because they help make certain you are successfully becoming tolerant to the allergens and that it’s a long-lasting tolerance. If you stop shots too early, allergy symptoms may return.

Since allergy shots are customized to your specific allergy, there is a slight risk of an allergic reaction. This risk is very low, but health systems like Adena require all patients to wait 30 minutes after their injections (longer if you are getting cluster shots) so they can be monitored closely and treated quickly if there’s a reaction. 

There’s no Cure, But Relief is Possible

Unfortunately, allergies can’t be cured. But symptoms can be controlled using a combination of avoidance and medication. It’s important to understand that you can live your life without allergies keeping you from enjoying the things you like to do.

“If over-the-counter medications are not working well, or if you have questions on how best to use these medications, then seeing an allergist can be very helpful,” said Dr. Esham. “Dr. Raveendran and I are lifelong Ohioans and we know that allergies here can be really tough.  This is a fixable problem and you don’t have to be miserable. My entire family once suffered from terrible allergies and I have witnessed first-hand and personally how medication or allergy shots can change your life. By having an allergy test, you may better understand when you need to use these medications and what allergens you can avoid. Allergy shots are not only a very useful tool to improve symptom control, but they can also lower your need for constant medication.”

Call 740-779-4393 to schedule an appointment and get the relief you need.