Allergy Specialists
Allergy symptoms can range from nasal drainage and eye irritation during spring to life-threatening anaphylaxis when you ingest foods containing peanut oil. The healthcare team at Eagle’s Landing Longevity Center in Stockbridge, Georgia, recommends allergy testing to identify what’s causing your symptoms as well as immunotherapy that works like a vaccine against your allergy triggers. Contact the office today for an appointment.
Allergy Q & A
What are allergies?
Your body’s immune system works diligently to prevent what it identifies as harmful, foreign substances from making you ill. Allergy symptoms occur when your body’s immune response is too sensitive or overreacts to certain substances that are not actually harmful, such as grass, pollen, or pet dander. Substances that may trigger an allergic reaction include; pollen, dust, certain foods, insect stings, and animal dander.
What are allergy symptoms?
Symptoms vary and often relate to the type of allergen triggering your immunologic response. Pollen, for instance, often affects the respiratory system, while foods may cause skin reactions or abdominal symptoms. Reactions can include:
- Itchy, red, or watery eyes, nasal congestion or drainage, cough or wheezing, sore throat, and sinus congestion
- Skin itchiness, rash, hives, and eczema
- Abdominal discomfort with vomiting or diarrhea after eating certain foods
- Severe reaction to insect stings with excessive swelling and redness at the site
- Anaphylaxis, which is a life-threatening emergency that can include wheezing, throat swelling, difficulty breathing, or loss of consciousness
How can I find out what I am allergic to?
Allergy testing is a way for your provider to determine what allergens cause your symptoms so appropriate treatment can be started. Testing also helps you understand what substances to avoid. The most common way to test for allergies is an IgE skin test. For this test, the providers at Eagle’s Landing Longevity Center prick your skin with tiny amounts of various allergens and wait to see how you react.
If you’re allergic to a substance, a small bump about the size of a mosquito bite will appear at that site. It takes about 20 minutes for reactions to occur and they fade within 30 minutes. Several allergens are applied at once in a carefully designed pattern. If you’re allergic to dust mites and ragweed but not dog dander, only the dust mite and ragweed “pricks” will react.
What is immunotherapy?
If your allergy symptoms are severe your doctor might decide to try immunotherapy. She’ll inject a small amount of an allergen into your arm over a course of several visits. Allergy immunotherapy works like a vaccine to help your immune system build up a tolerance to an allergen. It requires close medical supervision to monitor for severe reactions, but most patients experience significant improvement with immunotherapy.
