With the advent of spring warmth, everything is turning green, and all the pretty flowers and trees are budding — and releasing pollen into the air. If you have spring allergies, you may have mixed feelings about spring’s arrival because it means you’re dealing with miserable symptoms.
But you don’t have to just endure the stuffy nose and itchy eyes. At Life Point Medical, we offer the double whammy of allergy testing and immunotherapy to fight seasonal allergies at their roots and head off the symptoms before they begin.
You can get tested and start therapy this winter to get a leg up on spring allergies. Dr. Timothy Scott Beck and the rest of our teamwork with you to lessen your allergy symptoms, so you can enjoy the season.
Allergies occur when your immune system mistakes a foreign substance, like pollen, as a potential threat to your body. We call these substances “allergens,” and although they’re harmless, your body overreacts, which causes a variety of unpleasant symptoms.
It seems like there’s no rhyme or reason to allergies, as they can change over time. Allergies may get worse as the years pass, or they may disappear. Some children actually outgrow their allergies and no longer have symptoms, but many people develop new allergies as adults.
It’s estimated that about 8% of American adults have spring allergies, sometimes called hay fever.
Springtime allergy symptoms include:
Some people also get frequent headaches and feel tired a lot.
Pollens from flowers, grasses, and trees are the most common allergens floating through the air in the spring. You may also be allergic to other year-round environmental allergens, such as mold, dust mites, animal dander, and insect stings or bites. For some people, allergies are triggered by medications, foods, and substances like latex.
When you come in for an allergy consultation, we talk with you about your symptoms and determine what your triggers might be. With our efficient skin testing, we can test you for a lot of allergens in one visit. We simply scratch your skin (don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt) and put a drop of allergen on it. After waiting about 20 minutes, we check to see which allergens triggered a reaction.
Armed with a list of your triggers, we create your individualized allergy serum that contains diluted amounts of your allergens. You come in for a series of allergy shots, and the low-level exposure to the allergens helps your body learn that they aren’t a threat. Over time, your body becomes desensitized to the allergens, and your symptoms improve.
Your springtime allergies don’t have to call the shots this year. Call our office in Clayton, Georgia, to set up an allergy consultation. Or just click the “request appointment” button right now to get started.
