Tag Archives: Allergy Doctors

The Importance of Accurate Pollen Count

If you have sniffles and watery eyes because of seasonal allergies, you might be thinking about the pollen count, the graphics you see on the internet, and how the information helps you. People can see the daily pollen count on the news, in reports, or in the newspaper. These reports give people how much pollen is in the air. The tree pollen level, weed pollen, and grass pollen are often reported as “low”, “medium”, or “high.” On occasions, these are reports that provide more details on the kinds of trees and weed pollens present.

You might have to go see an allergy specialist before the season starts, so you can best manage it this time. Find out more about why the pollen count matters.

What Does Pollen Count Mean?

Pollen count refers to the measure of the number of pollen grains that is present in a cubic meter. It is normally recorded that day, so the pollen count forecasts will most likely reflect the daytime figures as well.

Oftentimes, they use the rotarod technique to measure the pollen grains. This involves the greased silicone rods to collect air particles, which is usually over 24 hours. Some devices can measure pollen counts over several days.

If the pollen count is 50 or less, that is low, while if it is 1,000 or more, that is high.

How Does Pollen Count Work?

It is important to understand the way pollen counts are gathered. Most of the pollen counters are positioned on top of buildings, where air samples are collected through different methods. The pollen present in the air lands on some kind of surface, like a glass microscope slide and they use petroleum jelly to coat it. A person who is trained to identify pollen uses a microscope to examine the slide, and they count the different types of pollen. Calculations will be done, which is estimates the amount of pollen in the air, according to how much pollen is collected on the slide over a certain period. Pollen level (low, medium, or high) reports are based on the pollen averages that were collected through the years.

Seeking Treatment

Even when you are trying to stay away from the outdoors when the pollen count is high, your allergies remain uncontrolled and an antihistamine only gives you temporary relief. If you want to manage your allergies better, you should contact a professional allergist for treatment and diagnosis. Allergy shots and drops are successful ways of treating and managing patients to eliminate their symptoms.

What You Must do if the Pollen Count is High

The best thing is to just stay indoors if your allergies are severe and the pollen count outside is high. If you have to be outside, you must follow these steps:

If you have to be outside, wear an allergy mask
You should keep the windows closed inside your home and car
Run the air conditioning in your car and home
After you come from outdoors, take a shower and change your clothes right away. You should shampoo your hair and wash off all the pollen
Wipe off your pets if they came from outdoors. They might carry pollen on their fur
Wear a hat and sunglasses to make sure pollen stays out of your hair and eyes

Time of Day Matters

Normally, the pollen count in the morning is high and it peaks by early afternoon or midday. After that, the pollen count will gradually fall. That means pollen count is normally low before dawn, late afternoon, or early evening.

Contact allergy center Manassas VA if you need to consult.

What You Need to Know About Peanut Allergy

It is not common these days to find that schools are declared nut-free. That means the staple in kids’ lunchboxes – peanut butter and jelly sandwich – is no longer recommended. The reason for this is that peanuts cause a life-threatening reaction in other people. Peanuts are among the food allergens that are commonly related to anaphylaxis, which is a sudden and potentially deadly condition that needs attention and treatment right away.

When you go to an allergist, they will tell you that peanut allergy might sound simple, but it is indeed life-threatening.

If you want to know more about the treatments for a peanut allergy, you should read this article until the end. Find out more now.

What is a Peanut Allergy?

When a person is allergic to peanuts, their bodies produce IgE antibodies that are specific to peanuts. In case the individual accidentally consumes peanuts, they get a reaction when they encounter antibodies. Then, the body releases inflammatory agents like cytokines, histamines, and chemokines, which lead to allergic reactions.

Some individuals that have a peanut allergy can experience severe symptoms if they consume even just a small amount of peanuts. In addition, some people who consume peanuts can die. Therefore, someone with a peanut allergy should know how they can manage their condition and treat the symptoms.

Tree Nut and Peanut Allergy

Peanuts are legumes that belong to the same family as the lentils and peas, which grow underground. Therefore, they are falling under another category compared to other tree nuts, like walnuts and almonds that grow on trees.

Anyone who has a tree nut or peanut allergy must consult an allergy doctor to see if they are allergic to peanuts as well.

Peanut Allergy Symptoms:

Wheezing
Hives
Tongue or lips swelling
Vomiting
Breathing difficulties or shortness of breath
Blue coloring of the skin or it becomes pale
Diarrhea
Indigestion
Repetitive cough
Stomach cramps
Hoarse voice or tightness in your throat
Dizziness
Weak pulse
Confusion

Treatment and Management

In order to manage a peanut allergy, an individual has to strictly avoid peanuts and any food that has them. In addition, people who have peanut allergies must avoid products that are contaminated through the process of production.

It is advised that a lot of individuals with a peanut allergy can safely consume foods containing highly refined oil, which has removed and purified the peanut protein in them. However, a lot of people should avoid cold-pressed and unrefined peanut oil because it causes an allergic reaction.

Those who are aged 4 to 17 can take a medication called Palforzia which was approved by the FDA in 2020. If the individual is 18 or older, they can continue taking the medication.

Palforzia is taken orally and it aims to reduce an allergic reaction, which includes anaphylaxis – if the person accidentally gets exposed to peanuts. A person should empty the powder into semisolid food, which they can eat like applesauce.

Reaction Treatment

If someone experiences a severe reaction like anaphylaxis, epinephrine is fine as the first line of treatment. Therefore, someone who has a peanut allergy should carry an injectable with them all the time.

In case they experience anaphylaxis, doctors can also use antihistamines, bronchodilators, and corticosteroids to manage an allergy reaction. However, they are no treatment for anaphylaxis.

The goal is to prevent a reaction in case someone accidentally eats peanuts or to induce tolerance so they can safely eat them. However, you should not try this on your own if you have a peanut allergy.

You should go to an allergy center Germantown MD right away if you experience peanut allergy symptoms.

What You Need to Know About Allergy Shots

The concept behind allergy shots is that the immune system will be desensitized to certain allergens that give you allergy symptoms. Sometimes, your body reacts to the world when you scratch, sneeze, get rashes or develop breathing issues that are chronic. Sometimes, it is so bad for other people that it becomes life-threatening. Your allergy doctor will develop a plan that helps you beat your irritating allergy.

Over time, the dose of allergens in each shot will be increased by your allergy doctor. This is helpful in getting your body used to allergens.

Gain more information about this now.

How Often Should You Get Them

At first, you must go to your allergy physician once or twice a week for a couple of months. They will shoot you in your upper arm. It contains a small amount of something you are allergic to – pet dander, pollen, dust mites, mold, or even been venom.

The dose will gradually be increased until you get what a maintenance dose is called. Then, you will normally have to go for a shot every 2 to 4 weeks for 4 to 5 months.

Allergy Shots Reactions

People commonly react to allergy shots. The majority of reactions are local and they can rarely affect your body. Most of the time this is called a systemic reaction, and it is dangerous. Therefore, you can not leave your office for 30 minutes and it follows every time you have an appointment. Aside from that, you should not exercise for 2 hours after the allergy shot.

If you have asthma symptoms when you get an allergy shot schedule, you should tell your nurse. Allergy shots can make your asthma symptoms worse.

Who Benefits from Allergy Shots?

Adults and children receive allergy shots, but it is not normally recommended for children below 5. This is because of the difficulties that younger children can cooperate with a program and articulate any symptoms they could be experiencing. When you consider allergy shots for older adults, medical conditions like cardiac disease must be considered and discussed with your allergist first.

It Does Not Always Work for Everyone

A lot depends on what you are allergic to and how severe the symptoms you get are. In general, allergy shots are working for allergies to bee stings, dust mites, pollen, pet dander, and mold. It is not proof that they work for drugs, food, or latex allergies.

Risks

The majority of people do not face a lot of trouble with allergy shots, but they have substances that lead to allergies. Therefore, there are possible reactions and it includes:

Anaphylaxis – This is a life-threatening reaction when people get allergy shots. It causes low blood pressure and breathing issues. Anaphylaxis most of the time starts within 30 minutes of the injection, but there are times when it starts later than that.
Local reactions – it involves redness, irritation, or swelling at the injection site. Normally these common reactions start within a couple of hours of injection and they will clear up soon after that.
Systemic reactions – You can develop sneezing, hives, or nasal congestion. Other severe reactions include swelling, throat, chest tightness, or wheezing.

You can book an appointment with an allergy clinic Manassas VA anytime if you need to get allergy shots anytime. They will take care of you, especially if you have reactions.

How Long Does Allergic Rhinitis Last

Hay fever or allergic rhinitis is a very common allergy that occurs during the summer and winter time and it can take a while for the symptoms to alleviate. Here is everything you need to know about allergic rhinitis.

What Is Allergic Rhinitis?

Allergic rhinitis or hay fever, is an allergic reaction which is caused by hay and it causes the nose to become extremely inflamed and it may lead to difficulty in breathing. Along with that, you will also experience cold shivers and a high fever which may need the attention of an allergy doctor. This will lead to you feeling sluggish and your body will ache all over as if you are suffering from the common cold or flu. It is a highly uncomfortable and unpleasant situation and you want to treat it as soon as possible to prevent the symptoms from deteriorating.

What Causes Allergic Rhinitis

Now that you know what allergic rhinitis is, let’s see how it is caused and what are the possible triggers.

Inflammation of the nose is caused by the triggers which go into your body and target the immune system. It is a natural defense mechanism of your body to show inflammation and redness around the nose.

The main trigger of hay fever is a small grass like stalk called hay. It is very common to occur in spring and summers, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t rear its head during the winter. Hay and pollen are the main culprits of hay fever and they cause fever, body aches and redness and inflammation all over your face and sometimes your body too.

How Long Does It Last?

The symptoms and effects of allergic rhinitis on the body may prevail for months. It is not your usual common cold or flu which dies away in a few days or a week. Depending on how you take care of it, the time frame of hay fever’s effects is usually a month, at least. This is why it is advised and highly stressed upon that you take your medicines and use prevention so that you don’t get caught in the clutches of allergic rhinitis.

Treatment

Here are some treatment options hay fever.

Medicine

First and foremost, always carry your allergy medicines with you at all times. You never know when an allergy can strike and you want to be prepared for any allergic reaction.

Always have antihistamines with you. They will help with the inflammation and they even act as a makeshift fever medicine until you can get your hands on the real deal.

Nasal Spray

Nasal sprays are a great thing to carry if you have a blocked nose. Nasal spray will help clear out your airways and the saline will help to keep your nose hydrated so that triggers and allergens like pollen and hay don’t have anything to stick to. Keeping your breathing tract hydrated will keep you away from allergies.

Decongestants

If your chest is feeling congested and stuffed, you might want to consider taking decongestants. These are usually taken orally or in the form of some sort of spray. They are also present in nasal sprays, but oral decongestants do the trick almost always and they act fast too. So, always keep some handy in case you find your chest and nose feeling too stuffy and congested.

Prevention

As far as prevention is concerned, always wear a mask when you go outside. Especially during spring, where pollen and hay are just looking for potential allergy candidates.. You want to be protected.
Always wash your clothes after coming back from work or school or even going outside. Hay and pollen can get stuck to your clothes and it can find its way to your mouth or nose.
Keep your windows closed and use a humidifier if you feel as though the air is too dry for your liking. You want to be able to breathe easily.

Conclusion

There you have it! You need to take regular medicine and take care of yourself to prevent hay fever from going haywire. These things are important pointers which will help you get through hay fever. In severe cases, visit an allergy center Germantown MD immediately for treatment.

Can You Beat Allergies?

If you have been struggling with allergies you are most likely asking, can you beat allergies? The answer is yes, you can do it. Besides visiting an allergist for some medication, there are plenty of other things you can do to beat allergies. Some of these things include:

Shut out the allergens

If you are allergic to pollen and other allergens that bring about seasonal allergies, work on keeping the allergens out of the house as possible. One of the most effective ways to go about it is to keep the windows and doors closed during allergy season to protect the indoor air from getting polluted.

Minimize going outside

Since you have locked the doors and windows, you don’t want to drag the allergens into the house, do you?

To ensure that this doesn’t happen, you should minimize going outside. In fact, you will be better off if you can avoid going outside altogether.

If you have to go outside, ensure that you do it when the pollen count isn’t too high, usually late in the afternoon. As a rule of thumb, avoid going outside when there is a lot of pollen, such as early in the morning or when strong winds are blowing.

Wash up

You have worked hard to keep the windows and doors closed, and you don’t want to reverse all of your efforts, do you? To avoid this, always wash up as soon as you come back from the outside.

Even before you step into the house, remove the coat, hat, and even the shoes that might be carrying some pollen. You should then go straight to the bathroom, take a shower, and put away the clothes you were wearing.

Stay ahead of the allergy symptoms.

Asthma and allergy foundation of America (AAFA) observes that the best way to beat allergy is always to stay ahead of it. You can do this by taking medications even before the allergy season strikes.

Allergy medications prevent the body from releasing histamine and other chemicals that make your life unbearable, so when you start your medications early enough, you don’t develop the symptoms meaning that you will have beaten the allergies.

There are plenty of medications you can use to beat the allergies, such as antihistamines and sprays. Most of the medications are available over the counter, but it’s always wise to consult your healthcare provider for the best advice.

Wear a mask

Most people have come to know about masks with the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, but if you want to beat allergies, you have to wear the mask whether there is Covid or not.

The purpose of the mask is to protect you from inhaling the allergens.

For the best protection, go with N95 respirator masks that you can easily find from your local medical supply stores and drugstores.

Eat healthily

Allergies compromise your immune system, so if you want to beat the condition, you need to strengthen your body’s defense system.

One of the most effective ways is to eat healthy foods such as fresh vegetables, fruits, and nuts.

During the allergy season, stock up on tomatoes, oranges, apples, grapes, and other foods that will help you fight the annoying allergens.

Know your triggers

You can’t fight something you don’t know about, can you? So to have an easy time-fighting allergies, ensure that you know the allergens triggering your condition.

The best way to do it is to visit your allergy doctor Manassas VA, who will undertake a battery of tests and help you know what your body is allergic to. As a rule of thumb, stay away from these allergy-causing materials.

What Diseases Do Allergists Treat?

Have you been advised to see an allergist for your condition, and you are wondering what diseases do allergists treat? Well, they treat a myriad of conditions that include:

Hay fever

Also known as allergy rhinitis or sinus allergy, hay fever is a common allergic reaction that takes place in the nose and nasal passages. The common symptoms of the condition include: stuffy nose, sneezing, runny nose, and nose itching.

The condition goes by different names depending on the trigger and when it comes about. When pollens or outdoor molds trigger it during the spring, summer, or fall, it’s known as hay fever or seasonal allergy.

When the condition comes about due to exposure to house dust mites, indoor molds, pets, and other allergy triggers, it’s known as perennial allergic rhinitis.

Asthma and frequent cough

Asthma affects the airways in the lungs, making them inflamed and swollen. The inflammation increases the chances of the airways being bothered by allergens and other things such as stress, smoke, cold air, and exercise.

The airway muscle spasms block the airflow to the lungs bringing about difficulty in breathing, coughing, tight feeling in the chest, and wheezing. In some cases, the only symptom is a chronic cough at night after exercising or when laughing.

Eye allergies

Also known as allergic conjunctivitis, eye allergies lead to tearing, itching, redness, and burning. Eye allergies are caused by the same allergy triggers that cause allergic rhinitis and can lead to plenty of symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, and sniffling.

Different allergy doctors treat eye allergies differently. Some treat them using medications, while others do it with immunotherapy.

Food allergies

These are self-explanatory. You develop allergic symptoms after consuming certain foods. Different people are allergic to different foods. Common allergic foods include: milk, eggs, peanuts, wheat, shellfish, and tree nuts.

Food allergy symptoms can be mild or severe depending on the toxicity levels. Common food allergy symptoms include: stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, hives, indigestion, headaches, stuffy nose, runny nose, sneezing, and in severe cases, the food allergy can trigger anaphylaxis which is a severe and life-threatening condition.

When you visit an allergy doctor, the doctor will undertake a battery of tests to determine the food you are specifically allergic to. Of course, to avoid allergies in the future, you should stay away from allergy-causing foods.

Skin allergies

The common skin allergens are foods, animals, medicines, and chemicals. When these materials get on your skin, they cause eczema, contact dermatitis, and hives. Sometimes these reactions happen quickly, but in other cases, they take hours or even days to develop, such as in the case of poison ivy.

Sinus infections

Also known as sinusitis, sinus infections are common in people with allergies affecting the nose, such as allergic rhinitis. The constant stuffy and runny nose inflames the nasal passages, causing them to swell.

The common symptoms of this condition include: cough, thick discharge, and occasional pain in the forehead running around and in between the eyes or in the cheeks, upper jaw, and teeth.

Although most of the sinus infection symptoms are mild, sometimes people with asthma develop the condition, complicating the disease and making it more severe and deadly.

Anaphylaxis

This is a rare allergic reaction that affects different parts of the body at the same time, and if you don’t fix it early enough, it can be fatal. The condition can be triggered by different materials such as food, insect sting, medication, or latex in rubber products.

The worst symptoms of the condition affect the respiratory system or the cardiovascular system.

The most common systems include difficulty breathing, wheezing, nausea, hives, dizziness, stomach cramping, and many others. To prevent the condition from worsening, see an allergy specialist Manassas VA as soon as the symptoms come up.

How Do Allergists Test For Allergies?

Are you thinking about visiting an allergy center for an allergy test and wondering how do allergists test for allergies? There are plenty of ways they go about it with the common ones being:

Skin prick test (SPT)

It’s probably the most popular test you can have when you visit an allergy clinic. And the doctors love them for a reason—they are accurate and affordable.

Popularly known as SPT, the skin prick test is often carried out on the inner forearm but in some circumstances, it can be carried out on the other parts of the body such as at the back.

When you visit the clinic, the doctor places a small drop of allergen on your skin then pricks the skin with a lancet through the drop. If you are allergic to the allergens placed on your skin, you develop localized allergic response characterized by swelling, redness, and itching.

In most cases, the larger the wheal, the more likely you will be allergic to the allergen.

Intradermal skin test

This is a close cousin of the skin prick test and it consists of injecting a small amount of the allergen extract into your skin using a syringe and needle.

Doctors use this test when they suspect that you might be having allergies even after showing negative skin prick test results.

Allergy patch test

Also known as the epicutaneous test, this test is done to determine the allergen causing contact dermatitis and it’s performed by placing patches with different substances such as metals, foods, rubber chemicals and others on the skin of the back.

The doctor can place many patches depending on the substances that the doctor suspects you might be allergic to.

After the doctor has placed the patches on your back, he removes them after 48 hours then makes the reading after 72-96 hours.

If you are allergic to the substance placed on your back, you should develop a local rash.

You should note that immunomodulators and systemic corticosteroids can interfere with the results so always tell the doctor if using them.

Blood tests

There are two main types of blood tests that your doctor can undertake: total serum IgE or specific IgE.

The total IgE test measures all the IgE in the blood and it’s not often accurate as the IgE levels can be driven up by various factors such as skin diseases, virus infections, fungi, malignancies, and others.

The specific IgE test on the other hand is more accurate as it focuses on one individual allergen. The test is commonly used in children that are intolerant to skin allergies.

Here the doctor takes a blood sample and sends it to the laboratory. The lab then adds the allergen to the blood then measures the number of antibodies the blood produces to attack the allergens.

Oral food challenge test

This is a highly accurate diagnostic test for food allergies and doctors will undertake it after they have failed to get a definitive diagnosis even after performing the skin prick and blood tests.

During the test, the doctor feeds you the food he suspects you might be allergic to and observes you for a period. If there is a reaction such as flushing or hives, the allergy doctor Manassas VA will stop the test.

If there are no reactions after you have taken all the food, the doctor rules out food allergies.

If there is a reaction and the doctor confirms you are allergic to food, he will advise you on the foods to avoid and even prescribe the appropriate medications, often antihistamines to relieve the reactions.

What Helps Allergies At Home?

When you are suffering from seasonal allergies, the best solution is to see an allergy specialist who will undertake a battery of tests and recommend the best medication for the condition. Unfortunately, not all of us love hospitals or have the resources to visit one.

What should you do if you fall into one of these categories? The best way out is to control the condition at home. Are you wondering what helps with allergies at home? There are plenty of things you can do. Some of them include:

Keep the filters in top condition.

Dirty air conditioners and furnace filters will worsen your condition, so ensure they are clean and in pristine condition. This means they should not have holes in them. Thankfully, you don’t need to hire a professional to help with the filters—you only need to access their panel and remove them. You can clean or replace them depending on their current condition.

If you don’t currently have the filters in your home, you can add them, either as standalone room units or central heating and air system. According to the American college of allergy, asthma, and immunology, if you have a single room, install a unit with a HEPA filter. To get the most from the filter, ensure that the CADR (clean air delivery rate) is right for the size of the room you are using.

If you have a central and air conditioning system already installed in the house, you can turn it into a filtration system for the entire house by installing a better air filter. Thankfully, there are plenty of permanent and disposable options you can go with.

Herbal teas

When taken properly, herbal teas can work magic. These teas usually have anti-inflammatory effects, which significantly reduce allergy symptoms. Some of the teas you should try out include: stinging nettle, milk thistle, ginkgo, and red clover.

Nose cleansing

It’s common for pollen to adhere to the mucus membranes hence the constant irritation. To alleviate the symptoms, cleanse the nasal passages using Neti pot or nasal spray and flush out the nasal passages.

Do acupuncture

Acupuncture has been shown to relieve the acute symptoms of allergy and at the same time treat the root problems of the condition. While you can do the acupuncture by yourself by following online videos, it’s wise that you have a professional do it for you to reduce the risks of accidents occurring.

Keep as much pollen out of the house as possible.

Besides installing a highly efficient filtration system, keep the windows closed during peak pollen hours. When you get in the house, remove your shoes, so you don’t bring any pollen inside.

If possible, change your clothes before you step into the house so you don’t bring in the pollen that might have clung to your fabric.

Detoxify your body

Studies show that toxins worsen the allergies in the body. The liver is a great mediator of inflammation, and when you have a lot of toxins in the liver, you have a lot of inflammation, and the allergies flare-up.

When you detox your body, you get rid of sugar, fried foods, and other toxins, reducing inflammation. The best way to detoxify the body is to use liver-supportive foods and herbs such as turmeric, milk thistle, citrus fruits, nuts, and artichoke.

See a doctor

You can indeed control allergies at home but if you have tried everything without success, find allergy doctor Manassas VA to recommend the best course of action. When getting an allergist, ensure that are experienced and know what they are doing.

When to See a Doctor for Allergies

Most allergies go away on their own or after using a few over-the-counter medications. But a few of the conditions worsen, and they can turn fatal if you don’t see an allergy doctor soon enough. Wondering when to see a doctor for allergies? Here are some of the situations when you should do it:

When you aren’t sure whether you have a cold or allergies

Colds and allergies (especially allergic rhinitis) can be easily confused for each other as they feature running noses and sneezing. If you aren’t sure of what you are suffering from, visit a doctor who will help you determine the condition.

If suffering from allergies, the doctor will undertake a battery of tests to determine the triggers and what you can do to bring the condition to a stop.

To help you tell the difference between allergies and cold, you should look at the symptoms. If you have itching eyes or nose, puffy throat, eyes or eyelids, you are most likely suffering from allergies, but if you have a nagging cough, a low-grade fever, or simply feeling sick and rundown, then you are most likely having a cold.

Either way, don’t go at it blindly and start taking medications. See a doctor to be sure.

The allergy symptoms are getting in the way.

Besides the stuffy nose and other symptoms, allergies can also lead to other issues such as headaches, ear infections, and sinus infections. If these symptoms are coming in the way and making it hard for you to work, sleep, and enjoy the outdoors, you need to take action and see a doctor.

The doctor will help you figure out what you are allergic to and manage the symptoms effectively to get back your life.

When you have tried controlling the condition without success

A tell-tale sign you are suffering from allergies and not a cold is feeling better after 4-5 days. If it’s over a week and the symptoms aren’t getting better or going away, it’s time to see a doctor.

The doctor will help you find a different and better medicine for your condition. For example, if you were using a steroid, he would find an antihistamine to address the symptoms better. The doctor can even analyze the situation and prescribe stronger doses of the same drug you were using.

You have other underlying medical conditions.

Are you suffering from health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, enlarged prostate, or kidney disease? Sometimes over-the-counter medications might not work on the allergies. In other cases, the medications worsen the situation.

By seeing a doctor, you ensure you aren’t putting your life on the line by continuing to take the wrong medications.

The doctor will go through your history and, after testing you, prescribe the best drugs to go for.

What will the doctor do?

When you visit a doctor, there are plenty of things he can do. Some of these things include:

Confirm you are suffering from allergies

You might be experiencing allergy-like symptoms, but it’s only a certified allergist that can confirm that you truly suffer from allergies.

Find your triggers

Allergies can be triggered by plenty of things such as dust, dander, and many others. When you visit an allergy clinic Germantown MD, the doctor will help you find out the allergy triggers. The doctor will also advise you on ways to avoid the triggers.

Come up with a treatment plan.

After the tests, the doctor will help you come up with a treatment plan. The plan includes the type of medicine you should take, when to take it, the things to avoid due to the allergies, and what to do if the situation worsens.

Managing Asthma During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of life’s greatest miracles. Going through the entire process of pregnancy can be full of ups and downs. But it will surely be worth it when you see your bundle of joy for the first time after nine months. Expect to feel all kinds of emotions while tending to your child – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Unfortunately, the “ugly” part may include other things, like having to undergo asthma treatments due to an asthma attack.

Asthma is a common condition that affects people all over the world. It can make your situation more complicated if you are pregnant. For one, asthma can compromise your unborn baby’s safety if not managed properly. To prevent future complications, you should seek an asthma doctor immediately for the sake of you both.

What triggers asthma in pregnancy?

Asthma triggers during pregnancy are mostly similar to the usual asthma symptoms. However, sensitivity to the symptoms may be increased due to hormonal changes while pregnant. For starters, common asthma triggers may include:

Respiratory illnesses including viral and bacterial infections
Allergic rhinitis
GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease)
Smoke (ex. cigarette smoke, smoke produced by vehicles, wood, and cooking, etc.)
Perfumes and sprays
Allergies (food, chemicals, cosmetics, pet dander, dust, etc.)
Emotional triggers (hormonal changes, stressful environment, etc.)

For allergy triggers, it is best to consult an allergy specialist doctor for proper medications suitable for your pregnancy.

How asthma can affect your unborn baby

Having asthma can affect a person’s quality of life, and can make your pregnancy complicated. The unborn baby inside your tummy needs enough oxygen to live. However, having an asthma attack can affect the amount of oxygen entering your body which can compromise your baby’s life.

You may have already been given medications by an allergist to help manage your asthma. However, you may have also considered stopping taking asthma medications when you got pregnant. This is understandable, as taking any medications may cause complications on your pregnancy.

For one, uncontrolled asthma may cause premature birth. You may also experience health complications such as hypertension or preeclampsia. In worst cases, your unborn baby may die due to lack of oxygen because of a severe asthma attack. If you have asthma prior to your pregnancy, it is best to consult an allergy physician to help manage the condition.

How to manage asthma attacks during pregnancy

Here are some tips to help you manage asthma attacks throughout your pregnancy:

Let your doctor know you have asthma.

It is said that asthma symptoms may become worse around six to eight months of pregnancy. Medications taken during or after birth are possible, but can cause discomfort and may even worsen the condition.

To prevent further complications, it is important to inform an allergist doctor about your asthma. Your doctor will help you create a plan and managing your asthma symptoms and ensure smooth and uncomplicated delivery.

Watch out for asthma symptoms.

Asthma is generally manageable even during pregnancy. Good asthma control can also ensure a normal and healthy pregnancy and delivery. Unless advised against by an allergy physician, you can still continue taking asthma medications while you’re pregnant.

Since asthma is supposed to be manageable, one of the things you should do is to watch out for its symptoms. Your symptoms may be worse than your pre-pregnancy days, so take note of that. If you are already experiencing breathing difficulties due to your asthma, head to the nearest clinic or hospital immediately. Medical personnel will conduct first aid treatment to ensure you and your unborn child are both safe.

Avoid the triggers as much as possible.

If you don’t want to experience asthma during pregnancy, avoid the triggers. At the end of the day, you and your baby’s safety should matter most. Among things you can skip to prevent asthma triggers include:

Quitting smoking or avoiding secondhand smoke
Avoid overeating and lying down after mealtime (if you have GERD)
Avoid interacting with people with infections (ex. colds and flu). Better yet, wear a protective mask when dealing with sick people
Avoid other allergy triggers (ex. foods, dust, pet dander, sprays, and perfumes)

Finding the best asthma doctors near you

Consult the best allergist in Manassas VA to help you manage asthma while you’re pregnant. Some doctors would recommend taking flu and allergy shots to prevent severe asthma attacks during the duration of your pregnancy. These medications are considered safe, but make sure to seek medical advice first before taking these.