News & Views

Welcome to MY NASAL ALLERGY JOURNAL - track your symptoms and relief!

Please make sure your allergy testing is completed by a board-certified allergist in the context of a complete medical history and in a facility with life saving equipment available. Beware of the increasing number of businesses that are offering quick and easy allergy testing services. A consultation with an allergist is not a quick or casual appointment and you don't want it to be. Testing is not simply pricking the skin or taking blood and getting a number of positive or negative results. Don't expect to walk out with a list of rules and no follow up. The immune system is not something you turn on and off like a switch. You don't reset it like a broken bone. The art and science of immunology is not something you can do on your own and not something you should pay anyone other than an allergist, who has years (not days or weeks) of training, to perform. Even then, you want to find an allergist who is reputable, has a high success rate of patients who graduate from immunotherapy and no longer have symptoms, and one who will teach you how to overcome rather than tolerate symptoms. Do your homework. (Courtesy - AANMA)

The Allergy Buster: An experimental new treatment seeks to release children from the terror of severe food allergies.

WINA Live Well with Rick and Jane: Tackling Allergy Season in Central Virginia It's allergy season in Central Virginia.  Whether your have itching eyes, a runny nose, or are congested from all the pollen, many are suffering from an allergy season that arrived early.  Dr. Arvind Madaan of Charlottesville Allergy and Respiratory Enterprises talked with Rick and Jane about how to cope with the pollen, and possible treatments for those who can't shake the symptoms. To listen to the podcast, click the link: Tackling Allergy Season in Central Virginia

JUST 4 KIDS (courtesy: AAAAI)

Mr. Nose-it-All's Word Game
Dr. Al's Coloring Book
Word Search Puzzles
Food Allergy Bubble Game
Stinging Insect Matching Game

FOOD ALLERGY GUIDELINES: http://1.usa.gov/kYp5RZ

Suspected Food Allergies: Testing followed by Medically Supervised Oral Food Challenges can help establish diagnosis: http://bit.ly/pSt1fJ

SLEEP APNEA: Do you wake up tired or experience daytime sleepiness, recurring headaches, sore throat, dry mouth, forgetfulness, reduced work efficiency, high blood pressure or mood changes?  Obstructive Sleep Apnea remains undiagnosed in 92% of affected women & 80% of affected men. Call 434-295-2727(ASAP) for screening!

Outcomes of office-based, open food challenges in the management of food allergy: http://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(11)01084-0/fulltext#.TrA2Ab5T1Pg.twitter

Pearls & Pitfalls of Allergy Testing and Implications for your Treatment - How can a Board-certified Allergist make a meaningful contribution to the quality of your life: http://bit.ly/nr92cb

Lifestyles - Allergies: http://www2.dailyprogress.com/lifestyles/cdp-lifestyles/2011 /sep/11/changing-seasons-can-worsen-allergies-ar-1297421/

What's going around- CBS19 & Martha Jefferson Hospital:

Back to School? - stay alert: http://www.newsplex.com/video?clipID=6199699&autoStart=true&contentID=128588268

http://www.marthajefferson.org/newsroom/2011/08/whats-going-around-august-8th/

http://www.newsplex.com/video?clipID=6129866&autoStart=true&contentID=127226018

Current practice guidelines recommend allergy shots (for airborne allergies) for no more than 3-5 years in most cases. You may need a re-evaluation if you have been taking allergy shots for longer than this duration. Recent advances have made FAST and LESS FREQUENT build-up to target doses a distinct possibility. This means you may start experiencing sustained long-term relief much faster, compared to conventional treatment methods (such protocols are offered on a case-by-case basis after determining who can safely receive them).

Did you know that only about 20% of people will be allergic to Penicillin 10 years after their initial allergic reaction if they are not exposed to it again during this time period? CARE offers simple tests to determine who has true Penicillin allergy and who may take Penicillin safely. Penicillins are relatively cheap antibiotics compared to more expensive alternatives. This may be very important if you are planning to have surgery and have been advised by your surgeon to take antibiotics prior to surgery, OR if you have multiple medication sensitivities.

Up to 9 million Americans may be allergic to insect stings (e.g. yellow jackets, wasps, bees, hornets, fire ants etc), and many of them are at risk of suffering life-threatening reactions to insect venom. Insect stings send more than 500,000 Americans to hospital ERs each year, and cause more than 50 known deaths each year. A person who has had an allergic reaction to insect sting has a 60% chance of having another similar or worse reaction(s) if stung again. Fortunately, Venom Allergy Shots are up to 97% effective in preventing future allergic reactions to insect stings. A prompt evaluation at CARE may be life-saving for you or someone you know! Currently, only a small minority of such patients are actually receiving recommended care; others just carry Epinephrine (Adrenaline) injections but have never seen an Allergist.

Get 4-day allergy forecast for Charlottesville & surrounding areas: Enter your ZIP code on Pollen.com widget to the left.

Allergy Facts to consider when making treatment decisions:

- Over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamines may temporarily & partially control some allergy symptoms but they do not relieve the underlying inflammation or nasal stuffiness.

- OTC decongestant nasal sprays should not be used more than 2-3 days in a row. You may experience rebound nasal congestion and increasing need for such medications.

- Skin tests are typically more sensitive than blood tests for diagnosis of allergies; results are available within a few minutes (versus days for blood tests) and they may, in fact, also be cheaper than the expensive blood tests.

- Allergy shots (Immunotherapy) may save time & money in the long run (e.g. for sick visits, prescription costs, time off from work/school etc.) as well as improve the quality of your life.  These allergen vaccines expose the recipient to small but increasing amounts of relevant allergens during the build-up phase, with progressive reduction in frequency to every 2-4 weeks or so after reaching target maintenance doses. The goal of treatment is to induce clinically meaningful tolerance to the allergen(s) in question.  Majority of the patients should be able to discontinue allergy shots within 3-5 years. As tolerance increases, allergy symptoms will be significantly lessened and may even go away. That can save sick days and money spent at the drugstore. Additional advantage with immunotherapy is that such clinical benefit may last for many years even after discontinuation, as compared to medications where symptoms return when you forget to take your doses.

Sad in the spring? Allergy-mood link is real! (CNN) http://bit.ly/kDd0Ja

Beware of Stinging Insects This Summer: http://bit.ly/lURDiQ [Stinging insects send more than half a million people each year to hospitals and cause at least 50 deaths (ACAAI)]

Allergy shots can provide lasting relief: http://bit.ly/mYuLkR