An allergy is an abnormal reaction by the body’s immune system to normally occurring substances in the environment. Keep in mind that allergies are caused by an overactive immune system that misidentifies harmless substances as threatening invaders.
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Fatigue
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Frequent headaches
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Sneezing, post nasal drainage or itching of the nose
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Frequent “colds”
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Recurrent or chronic sinus infections
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Recurrent yeast infections, jock itch or athlete’s foot
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Dizziness
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Itching, watering, redness or swelling of the eyes
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Dark circles under the eyes
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Recurrent ear infections
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Recurrent cough or bronchitis
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Tightness in the chest, wheezing or asthma
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Eczema, skin rashes, itching or hives
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Indigestion, bloating, diarrhea or constipation
Consider the following questions to find out if you would benefit from allergy treatment:
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Do your symptoms worsen during a particular season, such as the spring or fall?
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Do your symptoms change when you go indoors or outdoors?
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Are your symptoms worse in parks or grassy areas?
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Are your symptoms worse in the bedroom after going to bed, or in the morning upon arising?
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Do you awaken in the middle of the night with congestion?
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Are your symptoms worse when you come into contact with dust?
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Are your symptoms worse around animals?
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Do you have any blood relatives with allergies?
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Do you have mood swings or feel depressed for no reason?
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Do you have recurrent yeast infections, jock itch, athlete's foot, or fungus under your toenails?
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Do you develop symptoms after eating or drinking certain foods?
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Do you sometimes feel stimulated, hyperactive or fatigued after meals?
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Do you have a crease across the bridge of your nose?
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What are the most common airborne allergies?
The most common airborne allergens include weed, tree and grass pollens. Dust mites, mold spores, and animal dander may cause a wide array of allergic responses or symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, itchy eyes, nasal drainage, sinus infections, bronchitis, asthma or other symptoms.
Common foods such as wheat, corn, eggs, milk, yeast or soybeans may cause allergic reactions. In most children with eczema, the cause is a food allergy. Recurrent ear infections in children are caused by a milk allergy in at least 50 percent of cases. You may know someone who gets a headache after drinking wine or develops hives after eating shellfish or peanuts. These are all examples of food allergies.
The first time you inhale or ingest various substances such as ragweed pollen or wheat, they cross the inner lining of the body and enter the bloodstream as allergens. If you have a genetic predisposition toward allergy, your immune system makes antibodies specific to the allergen. These antibodies then circulate in the blood and attach themselves to mast cells, which are white blood cells that cover the lining of the mucous membranes of your respiratory and digestive tracts. The binding of these antibodies to the mast cells sensitizes them to the allergen so that they are primed to react at the next exposure to the allergen. This is how you become sensitized or “allergic” to a substance.
The next time the allergen enters the body, the mast cells release massive quantities of histamine and other inflammatory chemicals in an attempt to get rid of the offending substance. These chemicals cause blood vessels to dilate, prompting tissue swelling, tearing of the eyes and nasal discharge. They also stimulate secretion of large amounts of mucus and cause the bronchial tubes to constrict, triggering coughing and wheezing.
There is a genetic basis to allergies. Children are more likely to develop allergies if one or both parents are allergic.
Although childhood is the time when many allergies first become apparent, this is more often true for males than females. In reality, allergies can emerge at any age and are especially likely to develop during times of stress, when the body’s defenses are lowered, such as after a viral infection, during puberty, during or after pregnancy, after a severe injury, or following emotional loss. Children as young as 4 years can begin sublingual allergy treatment. As long as parent is able to administer allergy drops under the tongue, sublingual allergy treatment is an option.
First, a lengthy patient questionnaire provides information that is crucial to diagnosing allergies and the following allergy treatment. This interview covers the patient’s family history, their personal history of illness, and their present symptoms. An allergy blood test is administered to refine allergy treatment only after a diagnosis of an allergic disorder is made based upon the above information and a physical examination.
Our approach to allergy treatment begins with a blood test to not only identify the offending allergen, but also to determine the proper dose of the allergen with which to begin allergy treatment - a dose strong enough to produce allergy-blocking antibodies, but not so strong as to cause a full-blown reaction. By treating you with the very allergens to which you react, antibodies are developed which will help block the allergy reaction. This allergy treatment is similar to an immunization, and desensitizes you to the allergens.
Allergies can cause a host of health problems, which allergy treatment is imperative in obtaining good health. By treating you with sublingual drops under the tongue with the very allergens to which you react, you can develop antibodies, which will help block the allergy reaction.
We use sublingual (under the tongue) drops, rather than injections, for allergy treatment, similar to the oral immunization against polio that children receive. This saves time by enabling you to take your allergy treatment at home rather than at the doctor's office. Sublingual allergy drops are safe, effective allergy desensitization treatments that are widely used in Europe. In fact, they are the main method of allergy treatment used in Great Britain. The World Health Organization recognizes allergy drops as a viable allergy treatment alternative to injections. Allergy drops have little to no significant adverse reactions in comparison to injections, which frequently lead to reactions, even some that are fatal. Not only is this method of allergy treatment safe and convenient, it’s also highly effective.
Antihistamines do not prevent the mast cells from releasing histamine, but they do decrease histamine’s ability to cause reactions in the respiratory tract and elsewhere. Because histamine and other inflammatory chemicals are to blame for the runny nose, watery eyes, scratchy throat, mucus, and bronchial constriction that accompany allergies, antihistamines may provide a measure of relief.
That being said, they are not an effective form of allergy treatment as they just mask the symptoms. Like antidepressants, antispasmodics, and other drugs with “anti” in their names, antihistamines do not correct the underlying problem. Keep in mind, allergies are caused by an over reactive immune system that misidentifies harmless substances as threatening invaders. Nowhere on the label of an antihistamine will you see information that this drug helps retrain the immune system to stop overreacting to allergies. Although, what you will see is a list of side effects that the antihistamine can cause, such as fatigue, drowsiness, dry mouth, loss of appetite, stomach upset, nausea, blurred vision, dizziness, headaches and skin rashes.
Many over-the-counter antihistamines interfere with histamine receptors in the brain. Because your brain uses naturally occurring histamine to maintain alertness, these drugs are notorious for causing drowsiness and mental impairment. In fact, one over-the-counter antihistamine, diphenhydramine (Benadryl), is so effective at inducing drowsiness that it is also sold as a sleep aid! Masking the symptoms is not true allergy treatment.