Allergy & Asthma Specialist, LLC

02/06/2025

Attention Patients - The office will be closed today (2/6/25) due to the current weather conditions. Sorry for any inconvenience.

10/27/2022

08/23/2022

How to Reduce Allergens in Your Yard This Fall

Grass and weeds can cause sniffles and sneeze

Prepping your yard this fall can give you a head start on spring landscaping, but it can also mean suffering from seasonal allergies. Ragweed pollen and lingering mold can create double the symptoms for some allergy sufferers.

The daunting task of yard work can be favorable for allergy sufferers if they know how to reduce allergens in the areas surrounding the home. Many people think you can only control the environment inside the home, but there are also precautions you can take to help eliminate allergens outside as well.

While completely avoiding pollen and mold is an impossible feat, the following tips from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology can help you breathe a little easier.

Timing is Everything – The mid-day and afternoon hours might seem like the best time for yard work, but it’s the worst time if you have pollen allergies. Pollen counts are the highest during this time, making early morning and evening hours more suitable. Weather can also play an important role. Rain showers can temporarily clear pollen from the air. Thunderstorms, however, can increase airborne allergens, and the standing water left behind is the perfect breeding ground for mold spores.

Dress to Protect – You don’t need to impress while working in your yard, instead dress wisely. Buy pollen masks and gardening gloves at your local hardware store. These will help keep your hands clean and allergens from entering your airways. Wearing large sunglasses will keep pollen and mold from aggravating your eyes. A hat will reduce pollen from sticking to your hair. Also opt for long pants and shirts to prevent skin irritation, while keeping allergy-causing stinging insects away.

Choose Wisely – The worst allergy offenders might be in your own yard. If you are considering adding new trees, grasses and plants into your landscape, be sure they aren’t the worst offenders. While everyone’s allergies are different, these are typically safe:
• Trees
o Apple
o Dogwood
o Pear
o Plum
o Begonia flower

• Plants and Flowers
o Daffodil
o Lilac
o Magnolia
o Rose
o Sunflower

Be Quick to Clean – Mold and pollen can collect on fallen leaves. Be sure to rake leaves often and wear a pollen mask while doing so, since raking can stir allergens into the air. Continue mowing your lawn throughout the fall and keep your grass short. Maintaining your lawn will keep grass from flowering and producing pollen. If raking and mowing are too bothersome, ask a family member to do it for you. Once you are finished with yard work, remove your shoes before entering your home and be sure to shower right away. Your shoes, clothing and hair can all be allergen magnets.

Taking allergy medication long before you head into the great outdoors can help suppress allergy symptoms. Dr. Vakharia recommends taking your medication two weeks before symptoms start, and continue well after the first frost. For those with severe seasonal allergies, an allergist may prescribe immunotherapy, also known as allergy shots, which provide great relief.

08/23/2022

Your COVID-19 Facemask May Also Be Protecting You from Allergies

RAGWEED season is kicking in; add a facemask for extra protection

The end of summer means the beginning of fall allergy season. But you’ve probably already got at least one protective measure in place: your COVID-19 mask.

“Masks that people use for protection from COVID-19, particularly those that filter out more particles like the N95 or KN95 masks, also tend to filter out pollen,” says allergist Dr. Vakharia, Allergy & Asthma Specialist, LLC. “As we face an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases nationwide, and as more people are putting their masks back on, they may find their allergy symptoms decreasing a bit.”

Ragweed pollen is the biggest allergy trigger every fall and should be avoided, along with other fall allergy triggers like mold and grass pollen. Ragweed usually starts releasing pollen with cool nights and warm days in August and can last into September and October. And most people who are allergic to spring plants are also allergic to ragweed. Keep in mind that windy days can mean heightened allergy symptoms because wind can carry the pollen from ragweed, grasses, and trees up to 100 miles from its source.

Keep these four tips from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in mind as you head into the fall allergy season:

1. Start your meds early – Climate change may be causing an earlier and longer fall allergy season. Look for your symptoms earlier than you previously may have experienced them. Think about starting your allergy meds 2-3 weeks before you normally see them to get ahead of your symptoms. Don’t stop your medications until pollen counts have been down for about two weeks.
2. See your allergist – If you’ve noticed your allergy and asthma symptoms seem worse lately, make an appointment with your allergist. Allergists are specially trained to diagnose, manage and treat your allergies and asthma, and to create a personal plan to help you lead the life you want to live. An allergist can also provide immunotherapy – allergy shots or tablets – which target your exact triggers and can greatly reduce the severity of your symptoms. Allergy shots can also prevent the development of asthma in some children with seasonal allergies.
3. Banish the mold – Mold can be particularly troublesome in the fall and can hide in your basement, bathroom, a leaky cabinet under your sink, or in a pile of dead leaves in your backyard. The key to reducing mold is moisture control. Be sure to use bathroom fans and clean any standing water immediately. Scrub any visible mold from surfaces with detergent and water, and dry completely. You can also help ward off mold by keeping home humidity below 60% and cleaning gutters regularly.
4. Keep fall allergy triggers at bay – The first line of defense in controlling fall allergies is to avoid triggers. If you go outside, wear a hat and sunglasses to keep pollen out of your eyes. Keep your car and home windows closed, and your air conditioning on in both places. Leave your shoes at the door and throw clothes in the washing machine. Shower and wash hair in the evening before bed so you’re not sleeping with pollen and getting it on your pillow and in your nose. Monitor pollen and mold counts online so you can determine when it’s best to stay inside.

07/21/2022

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07/12/2022

Allergies

Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment & Management
Allergies are among the most common chronic conditions worldwide. Allergy symptoms of allergies range from making you miserable to putting you at risk for life-threatening reactions.

According to the leading experts in allergy, an allergic reaction begins in the immune system. Our immune system protects us from invading organisms that can cause illness. If you have an allergy, your immune system mistakes an otherwise harmless substance as an invader. This substance is called an allergen. The immune system overreacts to the allergen by producing Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies. These antibodies travel to cells
that release histamine and other chemicals, causing an allergic reaction.

Allergy Symptoms
An allergic reaction typically triggers symptoms in the nose, lungs, throat, sinuses, ears, lining of the stomach or on the skin. For some people, allergies can also trigger symptoms of asthma. In the most serious cases, a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis (an-a-fi-LAK-sis) can occur.

A number of different allergens are responsible for allergic reactions. The most common include:
• Pollen
• Dust
• Food
• Insect stings
• Animal dander
• Mold
• Medications
• Latex

Asthma
According to the leading experts in asthma, the symptoms of asthma and best treatment for you or your child may be quite different than for someone else with asthma.

The most common symptom is wheezing. This is a scratchy or whistling sound when you breathe. Other symptoms include:
• Shortness of breath
• Chest tightness or pain
• Chronic coughing
• Trouble sleeping due to coughing or wheezing

Asthma symptoms, also called asthma flare-ups or asthma attacks, are often caused by allergies and exposure
to allergens such as pet dander, dust mites, pollen or mold. Non-allergic triggers include smoke, pollution or cold air or changes in weather.

Asthma symptoms may be worse during exercise, when you have a cold or during times of high stress.

Children with asthma may show the same symptoms as adults with asthma: coughing, wheezing and shortness
of breath. In some children chronic cough may be the only symptom.

If your child has one or more of these common symptoms, make an appointment today:
• Coughing that is constant or that is made worse by viral infections, happens while your child is asleep, or is triggered by exercise and cold air
• Wheezing or whistling sound when your child exhales
• Shortness of breath or rapid breathing, which may be associated with exercise
• Chest tightness (a young child may say that his chest “hurts” or “feels funny”)
• Fatigue (your child may slow down or stop playing)
• Problems feeding or grunting during feeding (infants)
• Avoiding sports or social activities
• Problems sleeping due to coughing or difficulty breathing

Patterns in asthma symptoms are important and can help your doctor make a diagnosis. Pay attention to when symptoms occur:
• At night or early morning
• During or after exercise
• During certain seasons
• After laughing or crying
• When exposed to common asthma triggers

07/12/2022

07/12/2022