E.N.T .– Allergy Specialist

Symptoms We Treat:

• You suffer from ear, nose, or throat symptoms
• Allergies or ear, nose, or throat symptoms aren’t under control
• Special diagnostic allergy tests are required
• Immunotherapy or other specialized treatments are necessary
• You suffer from fluid in the middle ear, disturbances in voice, deviated septum, enlarged tonsils, etc.
• Quality of life is seriously compromised

Common Allergies

Drug Allergy

Food Allergy

Insect Allergy

Pollen or Mold Allergy

What Causes Allergies?

More than forty-five million Americans suffer from allergy symptoms, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find relief from your symptoms! Allergies are rarely life-threatening, but they can cause significant distress and disturbance to your life. Allergies can also aggravate and intensify other conditions, like asthma.

Allergy symptoms are caused when your body’s immune system responds to a substance, called an antigen or allergen. Your body tries to protect you by sending out antibodies to wherever the allergen entered your body (usually your eyes, nose, or throat). When your antibody starts to fight the allergen, chemical mediators, such as histamine, enter the bloodstream, causing an allergic reaction or allergy symptoms like itching eyes, sneezing, nasal stuffiness etc.

Common allergy symptoms include:

• Postnasal Drip
• Congestion & Colds
• Headaches
• Regular Ear Infections
• Dizziness & Fatigue
• Asthma or Chronic cough
• Sinus Problems
• Skin Rashes

Nearly anything can be an allergen, but there are some substances that are more common, and cause the majority of people’s symptoms. These include things like dust, pet dander, pollen, and other environmental pollutants. You may also have a certain food allergy or an insect allergy.

It can be hard to identify what exactly is causing your particular allergy symptoms, which is where an allergy specialist comes in.

Diagnosing Allergies

A physician can help you determine whether or not you have allergies. By reviewing a history of your symptoms, evaluating your diet, exercise, and your overall lifestyle habits, a physician can deduce whether you have an allergy. Allergy testing is required to make a definite diagnosis.

Skin Testing

Most of the time, skin testing, a largely pain-free procedure, is used to diagnose allergies. Both a small applicator and a small needle are used in order to place the allergen both above and below the skin of the arm. Welts reveal the problematic allergens. If a patient is cannot endure skin testing, in-vitro allergy testing is also available. Allergy testing is important to determine and design a treatment plan suited to your specific needs.

Allergy Treatment & Prevention

No matter your allergy, treatment is available in three forms: avoidance, medication, and immunotherapy.

Avoidance

Naturally, avoidance is the simplest and most straightforward of all treatment options. After all, if you are not exposed to an allergen, then it will have no effect on you. Our knowledgeable medical staff will give you easy-to-remember techniques that can help to keep you away from harmful allergens.

Medication

If avoidance is not sufficient to ease your suffering, medication is the next treatment step. While medication will not eliminate your allergies entirely, it can help treat symptoms so that they are bearable. Nasal sprays, anti-leukotrienes, antihistamines, and decongestants are among possible medications.

Immunotherapy

Finally, immunotherapy is a great option when you cannot avoid your allergens nor find relief with medication. Immunotherapy, which is more commonly known as an “allergy shot”, can be highly successful. In fact, studies have shown that between 80-90% of patients experience an improvement in their condition with regular treatments.

Allergy shots expose the body to small doses of a specific allergen. Over time, those doses increase as the body “learns” how to overcome the negative impact of the allergen. Most patients receive immunotherapy treatments for three to five years, but the effects can last even longer. Sometimes, immunotherapy can even cure an allergy.

What is an “Otolaryngic Allergist”?

Otolaryngic Allergists are physicians who are specialized in the Light E.N.T. (ear, nose and throat) areas. These physicians are experts in diagnosing and treating upper respiratory tract problems resulting from allergies.

Otolaryngic allergy is a more specialized Light E.N.T. doctor, which means they complete training for providing specialist care for patients with allergy and sinus disorders. There are a variety of other specialized areas within the Light E.N.T. practice, including rhinology (nose/sinus), facial plastic surgery, pediatric Light E.N.T., head & neck oncology, otology (ear), and sleep medicine.

Schedule An Allergy Appointment Today

At Light E.N.T., we provide patients with attentive care each and every day. We specialize in the treatment of ear disease, sinus disease, and allergies, and we create a customized treatment for each patient.

If you think you may have an allergy or would like treatment for an existing allergy, speak with our allergy specialist. Call us today at 561.200.1578 and schedule an appointment with one of our allergists.

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