Tag Archives: allergy professional

Understanding Asthma Allergy

While asthma is a common illness, persistent asthmatic symptoms indicate underlying issues. If you live in an unsanitary environment or have immunological concerns, see your allergy doctor immediately for a rapid diagnosis of recurring asthmatic allergic onsets.

Asthma attacks frequently trigger allergies, leading to nasopharyngeal choking, fast inflammation, and severe breathing problems.

While these attacks can also occur due to brief interaction with suspected allergens or the consumption of restricted foods, asthmatic allergic reactions pose substantial hazards.

How does asthma trigger allergies?

When your bronchioles detect prospective allergens, asthma attacks begin. It results in a frenzied reaction that interferes with your natural respiration.

The reaction often triggers a coping mechanism. When your IgE attaches to these foreign antigens, your allergies worsen. As a result, bronchial irritation and blockage occur.

Because of a hypersensitive immune system, such reactions are frequently immunological.

Asthma flare-ups can also cause allergic reactions if you breathe in potentially allergenic air. Furthermore, long-term exposure to cigarette smoke, pollution, and work dangers makes you prone to recurring asthmatic allergic reactions.

Common allergens that can cause allergic asthma

You can find allergens everywhere, both indoors and outdoors. Some of the common allergens include:

Dander: These are microscopic flakes of dead skin cells shed by animals, most notably cats, dogs, and birds. When an animal sheds or grooms itself, these flakes can be found in its fur or feathers and spread throughout the living environment.

Dander can cause an allergic reaction when inhaled or comes into touch with the skin, making it a common allergen for some people. Sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, and skin rash are all dander allergy symptoms.

Regular cleaning, air filtration, and grooming can help reduce dander in the home and prevent allergic symptoms.

Mold: Typically found in moist areas (basements), mold creates spores that enter the air and can aggravate your asthma.

House dust mites: Dust mites resemble spiders and reside on your home’s soft surfaces (carpets, furniture covers, and clothes).

Cockroaches: These pests can be found in various dwellings, and their feces, saliva, and other body parts may cause your asthma to flare up.

Seasonal allergies. These affect some people and appear at certain times of the year. Because of the blossoming of numerous plants, this is frequently associated with spring. More pollen is in the air during this time of year than in other seasons (fall or winter).

Allergic asthma symptoms

Many symptoms associated with other types of asthma may occur if you have allergic asthma. Among these signs are:

Feeling out of breath.
Coughing a lot, especially at night.
Wheezing (a whistling sound made while breathing).
Feeling tight in the chest (as if something is crushing or squeezing your chest).

During an asthma episode, these symptoms can be severe. If you have severe asthma symptoms, ensure you have a treatment plan, including an asthma inhaler.

You may also feel symptoms similar to allergies. These are typically milder than asthma symptoms and can occur when exposed to an allergen. Among these signs are:

A congested nose.
Itchy or watery eyes.
Sneezing.
A rash with hives.

How to diagnose allergic asthma

Your healthcare provider can perform a variety of tests to identify allergic asthma. The healthcare provider will most likely undertake a blood or skin test.

Your provider will search for the influence of allergens on your body during these examinations. Possible allergens may be put on small areas of your skin for a skin test to evaluate how you react to each one. This is unpleasant, but it will show your provider what is causing the reaction.

The healthcare provider can also do other tests to ensure that your symptoms are caused by asthma, not another medical condition.

Most of the common asthma diagnostic tests that the healthcare provider can undertake include:

Spirometry: This breathing test involves inhaling deeply and then expelling into a tube. This tube is linked to a computer, which collects data on how well the air travels when you breathe in and out.

Spirometry can also be performed while using a bronchodilator. This test variation assesses how well your airways relax before and after medication administration. During the test, you must exhale as strongly and quickly as possible into the tube.

Bronchoprovocation test: It is similar to allergy testing on your skin in that your physician will introduce potential allergens to determine the source of the problem.

The test is done in a controlled environment, and minimal samples are used to avoid a large, lethal reaction.

Exhaled nitric oxide test (FeNO test): Your healthcare provider measures the amount of nitric oxide in your breath when you exhale. While the test can be administered in any situation, it’s best suited for milder situations of allergic asthma when you do not experience severe symptoms. This is because the highly sensitive test will pick up even small amounts of nitric oxide.

When you have allergic asthma, whatever you breathe in usually causes your symptoms. Identifying the allergen that caused your symptoms is another step in the allergic asthma diagnosis procedure.

To make it easy for your allergist Manassas VA, keep a notebook or take notes about what happened when you had asthma symptoms.

It could be a pollen allergy if you were outside near recently cut grass. It might be a pet dander if you were caressing a dog.

Knowing what you inhaled when your symptoms first appeared will assist your provider in developing a plan to control your allergic asthma.

How to manage allergic asthma

To decrease and avoid further worsening of the symptoms, asthma allergy treatment must include therapeutic and preventive measures.

It involves defense against allergens and contaminants that can aggravate your pulmonary system.

Your doctor uses antihistamines and leukotriene modifiers to treat asthmatic allergic responses. The purpose of the medication is to prevent the immune system from flooding your body with histamines when it detects foreign antigens, which is common among asthma patients who live in polluted environments.

Immunotherapy lowers your hypersensitive IgE complex, which causes allergic reactions when foreign antigens enter your body. It’s not about decreasing your defenses but temporarily lowering them to aid recovery from asthmatic allergic reactions.

Do I Need a Referral to See an Allergist?

When you are exploring allergy treatment options and using your insurance to pay for it, there is always the question, do I need a referral to see an allergist?

The answer to this question lies with your insurance company. Some insurance companies will require your primary care doctor to refer an allergy doctor, while others won’t need it—you can simply find your allergy specialist, and the insurance company will pay for it.

To avoid complications, later on, call the insurance company and ask about it. If your insurance plan requires you to get a referral, ask your primary care doctor to submit onel to the insurance company or the new doctor.

It’s after the doctor sends a referral and/or is approved by the insurance company that you can now see your new allergy specialist, and your treatment will be covered as per your insurance plan.

How do you see the new allergist?

After getting a referral, you should now begin the process of seeing the specialist. Begin with making an appointment by calling the office or filling an online form. Different doctors have different requirements for making appointments. Some will require you to make specific paperwork requests, while others won’t.

If there are chances that you will be tested for allergies, the doctor might ask you to refrain from eating or drinking anything for at least a day.

After getting an appointment, head to the doctor’s office on the agreed day. If the doctor was referred to you, chances are high they already have your medical records that they got from your primary care doctor.

Even if the doctor has your medical records, carry yours, such as your family medical history that the doctor might not have.

During the meeting, expect plenty of questions from the doctor. The questions are meant to help the doctor understand your condition better.

To get the most from the meeting, come prepared with your set of questions. Some of the best questions to ask include:

What can I expect from the test?
What can I expect from the treatment?
Is there anything I can change in my lifestyle or environment to prevent the allergy symptoms from coming about?
What tests are available to determine what is causing my allergic reaction?
Are there side effects to the medications?
It’s common for the allergy doctor to examine your lungs, throat, skin, and nose to determine your condition.

If the doctor diagnoses you with food allergies or airborne allergies, they most likely will run tests to determine the type of allergies you have.

It’s after the tests that the doctor will recommend treatment options, which might include:

Allergy shots
Prescription medications
Avoiding allergy triggers. For example, if you are allergic to pollen, you should stay indoors to avoid them.
Lifestyle changes such as avoiding foods that you might be allergic to. If you are allergic to nuts, the doctor might recommend you stay away from them.

How do you get the most from the allergist’s visit?

Obviously, you should ask as many questions as possible so that you can understand your condition better.

The other thing you should do is to follow the guidelines given by the allergy specialist Germantown MD. The last thing you should do is to spend a lot of money on the allergist then you don’t follow their expert tips. When they prescribe medication, take it as per the recommendation.

Finally, be your doctor. After all, you know your body better than anyone. If you take the medication and don’t see any meaningful progress, don’t sit back and wait for things to get better—get in touch with your allergist and schedule another meeting.

Can Allergies Cause Headaches?

If you are wondering, can allergies cause headaches? Yes, they can. The headache symptoms include throbbing pain, nausea, and localized pain in areas such as the sinus and the face. In some cases, you have a throbbing or stabbing on one side of the head. In rare cases, you will have nausea.

The symptoms are usually worse when exposed to bright light.

Which allergies cause headaches?

According to an allergy specialist doctor, the headaches can be brought about by plenty of allergies, with the common ones being:

Allergic rhinitis: Also known as hay fever, allergic rhinitis is one of the leading causes of seasonal and indoor nasal allergies. The headache often comes about as a result of a blockage in the sinuses.

Food allergies: There is a direct relationship between food and headaches. When you take certain foods such as chocolate, artificial sweeteners, and aged cheese, they will mess with your stomach, which will, in turn, trigger a migraine in some people.

Experts believe that the headache is often due to the chemical in the food that triggers the pain and messes up the stomach.

Histamine: The body produces histamines in response to an allergic reaction. As they are fighting the allergens, the histamines decrease the blood pressure, which has been shown to lead to headaches.

What is the treatment for the headache?

Prevention is always better than cure, so before we even get to know the treatment of the condition, you must prevent it from coming about in the first place. If you know your allergy triggers, you should stay away from them. For example, if you are allergic to a certain food, stay away from it.

The same thing applies if you are allergic to pollen or any other material. Besides staying indoors when the pollen count is high, other things you can do to avoid headaches due to seasonal allergies include:

Install a dehumidifier
Keep the furnace filter clean
Vacuum and dust the house regularly
Remove the carpet from the living space
Wash as soon as you are back from the outside

Take allergy medications

If it’s too late to prevent coming into contact with the allergen, you should try controlling the condition. How do you do it?

Use antihistamines: From their name, antihistamines stop histamine production, a chemical produced by the body upon contact with an allergen. The antihistamines lessen the allergy symptoms.

Use decongestants: There are plenty of decongestants you can use to open up your stuffy nasal passages and ease the sinus pressure. When taking the decongestants, avoid steroid nasal sprays as they have been shown to worsen headaches.

Try allergy shots: Here, you will need to visit an allergy clinic and have allergy shots administered to you. The shots have been shown to cut back the headaches, and they become less severe.

What else should you do?

Besides the above, drink plenty of fluids that will keep the mucus thin. Water is the best fruit to take, but you can also take green tea that not only thins out the mucus but also contains natural antihistamines, which comes in handy at fighting allergy symptoms.

You also should rinse out the nasal passages to remove the allergens from the nose while cleaning the nasal lining.

When should you see a doctor?

Although most allergy headaches go away, sometimes they are too severe, and you have to see an allergy doctor Manassas VA. You should see a doctor if the headache is preventing you from going on with your regular life. Is the headache so severe that you can’t go to work or do any other thing? It’s time to see a specialist.

How to Help Allergies without Medicine

When you are suffering from seasonal allergies and other forms of allergies, it’s recommended that you visit an allergist and get some medication.

This is good, but there is one problem. What if you don’t like visiting a doctor or are in an area far away from a doctor? Does it mean you are doomed? Not at all. To help you out here is how to help allergies without medicine:

Take essential oils

Essential oils such as eucalyptus and peppermint oils are highly effective at relieving hay fever and associated symptoms. For the best outcome, use them in a room diffuser or combine them with coconut oil and massage them into your temples.

You can also use tree and lemon oils where you mix them with purified water, and a little vinegar, then spray them around your home. Inhaling these fumes relieves the symptoms.

Take vitamin C

Vitamin C is a known natural antihistamine, so it reduces the amount of histamine that your body produces in response to an allergen. When taken correctly, vitamin C is highly effective at reducing common allergy symptoms, such as sneezing, runny nose, congestion, and watery eyes.

While vitamin C might seem harmless, taking high doses of it can be lethal. To avoid the side effects that come with it, take a dose of 2,000 milligrams per day.

Use Himalaya salt lamps.

These salts effectively remove dust, dander, and other particles from the air, leaving you with less allergy and significantly reducing the coughing.

Try probiotics

Probiotics contain beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium longum that regulate the t-cells that produce a stronger immune response to the common allergens. Different probiotics work differently in different people, so you should research and find the ones that work the best on you.

Undertake saline nasal irrigation

A nasal rinse clears the mucus from your nose, and this significantly eases the allergy symptoms. When done right, the nasal rinse not only reduces the nasal drip, but also washes out the bacteria and other allergens you might have inhaled.

Stay away from beef

Studies show that people who take plenty of beef and dairy have high concentrations of trans oleic acid in their bodies, increasing their chances of developing hay fever symptoms. To fight off allergies during the allergy season, stay away from beef and dairy. Instead, take chicken and other meats that contain lower Trans oleic acids.

Take plenty of water.

Water, sugar-free juice, and other nonalcoholic beverages thin the mucus in your nasal passages, which comes in handy for allergy relief. Other drinks you can take to bring the condition under control include: warm tea, broth, and soup.

Inhale some steam

Inhaling steam eases a stubborn, stuffy nose, and you breathe easier. You don’t need to be fancy about how you go about it. Hold your head over a warm bowl or sink full of water, then place a towel over your head to trap the steam.

If this is too much trouble, turn on the water in the shower and stay there for a few minutes as you take a few deep breaths.

Wear a mask

The mask has become a commonplace with the covid-19 pandemic, but it has been a highly effective device for protecting you from developing allergy symptoms. The mask not only protects others from your cold and flu symptoms, but it also protects you from inhaling the allergens, so you don’t develop allergy symptoms. For the best results, allergy specialist doctor Manassas VA recommends you get an N95 mask.

What Is The Best Drink For Allergies?

Alongside conventional medicines such as antihistamines and decongestants, drinks help in improving allergic symptoms. Wondering what is the best drink for allergies? Well, there are plenty of drinks you can go for, with the common ones being:

Water

According to an allergy specialist, water soothes a sore throat and comes in handy at reducing congestion by thinning mucus. And the beauty is you don’t need to go for a specific type of water—regular drinking water is enough.

Green tea

Green is a natural choice for tea lovers all over the world. Besides its light and refreshing taste, green tea has natural anti-histamine effects, so it comes in handy at alleviating allergy symptoms. There is no right or wrong green tea brand you can go for—it all depends on your taste and budget.

As a rule of thumb, go for green tea that you love and tastes the best for you.

Freshly squeezed orange juice

If you don’t like green tea, there is an excellent option you can go with—orange juice. Orange juice is rich in vitamin C, a natural antihistamine that comes in handy at fighting allergy symptoms.

When taking the orange juice, stay away from factory-made juice, as this juice contains other chemicals and sugars that are unhealthy for you. The best way to go about it is to buy it from a street vendor or buy oranges and make the juice at home.

Besides oranges, other excellent sources of vitamin C are strawberries, broccoli, and potatoes.

Peppermint tea

When you have an allergic reaction, your nasal passages swell, reducing airflow and bringing about congestion.

Peppermint tea is a highly effective decongestant that works by thinning out the mucus, allowing it to flow more easily.

The tea also produces steam containing heat and moisture that too loosens the mucus and eases congestion.

Smoothies

Many people having allergies often prefer drinks containing caffeine because they contain high histamine levels that are highly effective at alleviating allergy symptoms.

If you have tried the teas and they aren’t working for you, try out other drinks containing lower histamine levels. You can make a smoothie from almost anything. Your imagination is your limitation.

When preparing the smoothie, don’t use milk or yogurt as it contains high histamine levels and makes the mucus thicker.

There are plenty of healthy smoothie recipes you can use to your advantage. These recipes are rich in vitamin C and, at the same time, packed full of natural antihistamines that are highly effective at alleviating allergy symptoms.

Chamomile tea

When well prepared, chamomile tea is a highly relaxing and comforting drink that comes in handy at fighting allergies. The reason it’s such an effective drink is because it contains chemical compounds that fight inflammation.

Nettle tea

Most people associate this tea with a sting. While there is the risk of getting stung when you are getting the nettles, nettle tea contains plenty of natural antihistamines that are highly effective at fighting off allergy symptoms such as nasal congestion and itching.

Nettles are also rich in minerals and vitamins that are healthy for you.

If you are a dab hand at DIY projects, you can make nettle tea using fresh, wild plants, but if you don’t want to risk a painful sting, allergy specialist doctor Manassas VA advises you get already made teas from your local shop.

The key to getting the most from the nettle tea or any other tea we have mentioned here is to get high-quality tea. This calls for you to buy them from a reputable shop. This way you are sure they haven’t been tempered with.

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.

Should I See A Pulmonologist Or Allergist For Asthma?

If your physician has advised you to see an asthma specialist, you must be wondering, should I see a pulmonologist or allergist for asthma? To answer this question, we need to understand what every specialist does:

Pulmonologist

A pulmonologist specializes in treating the respiratory system, but it’s not out of the ordinary to find some pulmonologists specializing in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), making them the best specialists to go for specialized care.

Pulmonologists work in hospitals with patients suffering from serious or chronic breathing problems.

A pulmonologist might not be the perfect professional to visit when you are suffering from asthma, but your pulmonologist can connect you with an asthma specialist that will provide you with the best medical care.

Allergists-immunologists

These often dig deeper into your breathing problems. For example, they will help you know whether you have inflammation, and as you can guess, these are the best specialists to go for when you are suffering from complicated asthma.

How do you know you should visit an asthma doctor?

If you have mild or well-controlled asthma, you don’t have to see an asthma specialist but if you are experiencing persistent asthma attacks or your symptoms are recurring frequently, you may have to see a specialist.

You should see an allergist-immunologist if any of these scenarios apply to you:

Your condition isn’t well controlled, you aren’t getting better with the treatment, or the treatment negatively affects your quality of life.
You have been hospitalized or taken to the emergency room for asthma at least three times a year.
You are experiencing the side effects of asthma medications. The most common side effects include: growth suppression, oral thrush, weight gain, osteoporosis, and emotional changes.

How will the allergy specialist help you?

There are plenty of ways the allergy specialist can help in managing your condition. Some of these ways include:

Finding the triggers

The professionals will test you to help determine the asthma triggers. These can be pollen, dust, mold, animal dander, and others. After finding the triggers, they will educate you on how to avoid them.

Advice on the medication

Since the asthma specialist knows the best asthma medication, he will advise you on the best one to take for your condition. The expert will also prescribe mepolizumab and omalizumab that come in handy at modulating the immune system and suppressing the body’s response to asthma triggers.

Give you access to the latest diagnostic tools.

Since they are experts, allergist immunologists have access to advanced tools to measure lung health. These tools can assess the current lung function, track how responsive the rungs are to the medications, and help you predict the best future treatment.

Work with you in managing asthma.

If you have been visiting your general doctor for some time, you will notice that they often try to manage the symptoms. It’s a completely different ball game with allergy experts—they not only help you manage the symptoms, but work with you to control the condition, so you live your best life.

For example, instead of avoiding going outside, so you don’t have flare-ups due to pollen exposure, the allergist will administer allergen immunotherapy. Here the specialist administers a series of injections or allergen doses to boost your tolerance to the allergen.

What should you consider when visiting an asthma specialist?

Even if you need an asthma doctor Manassas VA, it doesn’t mean you should go to anyone. Take your time to research and find an experienced professional certified to work in your local area. The professional should also have the necessary certifications.

Types of Seasonal Allergies and How to Deal With Them

Seasonal allergies are one of the most popular types of allergies, and they are characterized by cold-like symptoms such as sneezing, congestion, and runny nose. While the allergies are grouped in one, you should note there are many types of seasonal allergies you can suffer from. The most common ones as given by allergy specialist doctor include:

Spring allergies

These allergies result from pollen from the trees, and they start pollinating from January to April, depending on your location and climatic conditions.

The most common trees that bring about spring allergies include: ash, olive, elm, oak, maple, walnut, cypress, sycamore and others.

Summer allergies

The leading cause of summer allergies is grass pollen. Besides the usual sneezing and coughing, many people have reported developing itching and hives due to coming into contact with the grass during the allergy season.

Fall allergies

Weed pollen is the main cause of fall allergies. Depending on your location, these weeds will include: pigweed, tumbleweed, sagebrush, ragweed, and cocklebur.

How do you deal with seasonal allergies?

You can’t control the fact you are allergic to tree, weed or grass pollen, but you can adopt several strategies that will help you keep the seasonal allergies under control. Some of these strategies include:

Reduce your exposure to the allergy triggers

This is probably the most effective way to bring the condition under control. To reduce your exposure to the elements, you need to:

Stay indoors during the dry, windy days and only go outside after a good rain. At this time, the pollen count in the air is less, so you have fewer chances of developing allergies.

Most homeowners mow their lawns on Saturdays. However, you should consider hiring a lawn mowing company during the allergy season to help with the mowing instead of doing it yourself. If you can’t afford to hire a professional, let the grass grow and cut it once the season is over.

Do you love riding the bike or jogging in the evening or early in the morning? Don’t do it during the allergy season. Instead, you should switch from working out outdoors and exercise in the house. One great way to go about it is to invest in a stationary bike.

Keep the indoor air clean.

Since you will be avoiding going outside to avoid coming into contact with the harmful pollen, you should ensure that no pollen is coming into the house from the outside. And the beauty of it is that it’s possible to do it.

One of the things you should do is to use a high-quality air conditioning system.

If you have a forced-air heating and air conditioning system in your house? Use high-efficiency filters that will filter as much debris from the air getting into the house as possible, so you only have fresh air getting in.

For even better air quality, have a portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in your bedroom.

You also should regularly clean your house with a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter.

Use medications

If you do the above and still the symptoms catch up with you, try to control the condition using medications. Thankfully, there are many types of medications you can go with. The most common ones are:

Oral antihistamines: These will help relieve sneezing, itching, watery eyes, and runny nose.

Decongestants: Oral decongestants such as pseudoephedrine provide temporary relief from nasal stuffiness.

Nasal sprays: The most popular nasal spray you can use is Cromolyn sodium. For best results, start using it before the symptoms kick in.

Combination medications: Here, you need to check into an allergy clinic Germantown MD, and the allergy doctor will prescribe several drug combinations such as antihistamines and decongestants.