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Dr Shapiro completed his undergraduate education at UC San Diego earning a B S in Biochemistry and Cell Biology and a B A in Political Science He furthered his education at UCLA where he earned a Masters Degree in Public…
FAST FACTS
Spring is in the Air...and so are the Allergies
With winter just coming to an end (at least in this hemisphere), I'm sure many of you will probably agree when I say this is certainly a beautiful time of year. Flowers are blooming, the temperatures are rising, and the days are getting longer. It, in fact, is the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the outdoors. Unless, of course, you are one of the many individuals that suffers from allergies as springtime can be quite overwhelming and something I know all too well after taking an outdoor jog a week or so ago. You see, by the time I was half-way through, my eyes were watering, my nose was stuffy and my chest was tightening up. Now I did make it home, but since that time, I've been taking my preventive medications so this doesn't happen again anytime soon.
But what concerns me most is those children and the people caring for them not realizing they are allergy victims...enduring many troubling symptoms on a daily basis. This was my story when I lived on the soccer fields year round as a child as I can still so easily recall how difficult it was to take a breath on certain occasions...particularly on days of freshly cut grass.
So I take this opportunity to remind teenagers and parents of children of all ages who may be reading this and not realizing they or their children may be suffering from allergies or, in fact, may be in denial as to the significance of their allergies and ask of you all if the following symptoms sound familiar to you to, please discuss further with your child's physician.
- Runny, itchy nose
- Itchy, watery eyes
- Coughing and wheezing/reactive airway disease
- Chronic ear problems
- Nasal congestion
- Mouth breathing
- Rash
And depending upon the significance of symptoms and what exactly the allergens may be (which can be determined by either blood and/or skin allergy testing), a variety of treatment measures exist including:
- Antihistamines-which block the histamine receptors and therefore, hopefully slowly down the immune system when it encounters an allergen. Today, it can be found in pill, liquid, eye drop and nasal spray form.
- Decongestants-shrink the swollen nasal tissue and blood vessels. But please note, if using the eye drop or nasal spray form, decongestants can only be used for a few days as they can actually make the symptoms worse if used for a longer time period.
- Steroids-help reduce the inflammation from allergies. Can be found in pill, inhaler, nasal spray, cream, and eye drop form and can be part of the treatment regimen or as a preventive medication.
- Leukotriene Modifiers-aid the treatment of asthma and nasal related symptoms. Can be found in pill, chewable tablet, and oral granule form.
- Bronchodilators-for those with asthma symptoms, these medicines help relax the lung muscle tissue.
- Immunotherapy-AKA allergy shots...designed to gradually help the immune system build tolerance to the offending allergens.
And yes, the symptoms and treatment measures apply to adults as well. So if allergies are a concern for you or your child, please don't hesitate to discuss further with your physician.
Dr. Jeremy
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Spring is in the Air...and Allergies Too
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