Dr. Stuart Agren
If you ever have wondered how some people can skate through spring and fall in high health while you are miserable with each new pollen onslaught, some of the credit may go to your parents.
Statistics show that if you have one allergic parent, you have a 50 percent chance of developing allergies. If both of your parents are allergic, your chances rise to 75 percent. Allergies can surface at any age, ranging from infancy to the senior years, and play out through an internal allergy war.
The Allergy War
The body is naturally hard-wired to fight off germs. That’s how you stay healthy. But allergies occur when your immune system gets confused and mistakes harmless allergens in the environment (pollen, pet dander, mold, etc.) for germs, which must be obliterated.
Perhaps you have encountered these pollens before without incident, but for some reason, your immune system may suddenly decide to flag the allergens as enemies. In response, white blood cells in your body release an explosion of chemicals (such as histamine) into your body. These chemicals cause swelling and inflammation—the common denominators of most allergic misery.
If you have a stuffed-up nose, you know firsthand the effect of swelling of your nose lining. If you have had the tight feeling of asthma in your chest, you know all about swelling of the airway lining. If you have had hives, you have seen and felt the result of inflammation of the skin.
Allergy Shots Versus Allergy Drops
The good news is even if you inherited your allergies, you do not need to be stuck with them. While pills, inhalers and topical creams can take the edge off of various allergy symptoms, a treatment known as allergy immunotherapy has been shown to alter the underlying allergic disease. In essence, it teaches your immune system to stop overreacting to allergens in the environment.
Immunotherapy previously was available only through shots, but it is now available through oral drops, which dissolve under the tongue and absorb into the bloodstream. The drops are safer than shots, so they can be dosed at home rather than under direct medical supervision. This often makes them a better choice for young children and people who don’t have time to go to the doctor for allergy shots.
If allergies are cutting into your quality of life, talk to a physician to find out if you are a candidate for allergy immunotherapy.
Stuart H. Agren, MD, opened the Family Allergy Clinic in the East Valley in 1985. He has helped more than 15,000 patients overcome food and pollen allergies. Peers recently chose him as a Phoenix Magazine Top Doc. For more information, or to make an appointment, call (480) 827-9945. You also can visit www.FamilyAllergyClinic.com.