Allergy Treatments: Testing and Coping

Allergies are an immune system over-reaction to a commonly occurring substance. They may trigger asthma, hearing loss, chronic & acute sinusitis, and nasal polyps. Allergies can cause sneezing; coughing; red, watery eyes; a runny, stuffy nose; and even a rash with or without itching. In more serious allergic reactions, the throat can swell causing difficulty in breathing even death if not treated promptly and correctly.

A person can be allergic to almost anything. And in many cases, the allergic person will be allergic to a whole host of things.

Now that we have talked about what a person could possibly be allergic to and what their allergic reaction might be, lets talk about ways to treat those pesky allergies and how to avoid those annoying even life threatening reactions.

There are three widely accepted methods for testing allergies. These are:

Scratch Test

RAST

Intradermal test

Scratch Test: This method is usually done on the back. Several tiny scrapes are made and then commonly known allergens (substances that cause allergic reactions, and compounded into fluid form) are dropped into the scrapes, and wait for a reaction. This is a fairly inexpensive test, however it is probably the least accurate as well. The test must be administered with 100% precision. There is no room for error.

The next test is the RAST which stands for radioallergosorbent test. It is a very accurate, yet expensive blood test. It takes days and even weeks in some cases to get results. Because of its price tag, most insurance companies balk at paying the bill.

The third, and in my opinion, most cost effective and accurate way of testing for allergies is the Intradermal method. In this technique, a small amount of the allergen is placed under the first layer of the skin (usually on the arms), whereby it makes a tiny wheel. If your wheel grows; gets red, and possibly itches, then you are allergic. The waiting time is about ten minutes. At my office, we usually test for 50-60 commonly known allergens at a time. Once the allergies are determined, the treatment must then be decided.

Here, you have two main paths to take. On one hand there are aqueous allergy serums (water soluble allergy injections). It is short acting, meaning that it acts quickly and has the potential to enter the system fast. Your physician will ask you wait in his office for 30 minutes in case there is an adverse reaction. Because they act quickly, they wear off quickly and must be administered weekly. This means once every week you will go to your doctors office to get your allergy injections.

On the other hand there is alum precipitate (water insoluble allergy injections). Meaning there is very little chance of overdosing or getting too much into the system at once. These injections are long acting. The good news is that you only have to get your injections once a month. My patients prefer this treatment.

For more information on allergies and treatments, visit our web site at http://www.doctorsclinicamarillo.com

About the author:

Dr. Parker been practicing preventive medicine for the past 35 years.

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