The allergy section at St. John's Clinic-Ear, Nose & Throat diagnoses and treats patients with allergies problems. Our office has offered allergy testing and treatment to our patients for more than 30 years. Staff includes board-certified physicians and registered nurses trained in otolaryngic allergy.
Following an examination with by an ENT physician, a patient may be referred to the allergy section for evaluation and treatment. Inhalant allergy evaluations can be done in our office with results given the day of testing, with specific results to each allergen and the degree of sensitivity.
Skin endpoint titration is our testing technique used for determining results for most patients, another technique we use to determine allergy is with a simple blood test.
Allergy evaluation and immunotherapy will include allergy injections for the allergic patient, medical management, along with environmental control information to reduce allergen exposure.
Medical management of allergies would include the use of oral medications such as antihistamines, leukotrienes inhibitors, and in severe cases oral steroids. Steroid nasal sprays, antihistamine nasal sprays, or mast cell stabilizing nasal sprays are used routinely. Eye drops for itchy, irritated eyes can be used and come in several combinations to try.
Immunotherapy consists of a three to five-year plan. Taking allergy injections by first building your dosage to a therapeutic level, and taking on a regular basis, (i.e., weekly, bi-weekly, then every three weeks over a period of three to five years).
Consider your quality of life: do your allergies keep you from doing your daily activities? Are there medications that you could try, or environmental issues that you could change? If you still you have difficulty managing your allergies, see your physician.