May is a challenging month for people with allergies. In White Lake,Waterford, Commerce and Highland, Michigan, it’s one of several peak months, which means you endure endless sneezing, a runny or congested nose, and itchy, watery eyes. But you don’t have to put up with allergy symptoms.
At White Lake Family Medicine, David Leszkowitz, DO, specializes in comprehensive allergy care for people of all ages. In addition to in-office allergy testing, he creates individualized treatment plans that give you much-needed relief from your allergy symptoms.
Let’s explore why you should consider allergy testing and one of the top ways we can help you get relief without allergy shots: identifying and avoiding triggers.
You may not doubt that you have allergies. And after learning about your symptoms, we may agree there’s a high probability you have allergies. But allergy symptoms can also be caused by numerous possible problems.
The only way to verify that allergies cause your symptoms is to get allergy testing. Your test also tells us exactly what substance is causing your allergies.
Identifying your allergen (the substance responsible for your allergies) is the precise information we need to effectively relieve your symptoms. We can’t create a treatment plan if we don’t know the type of allergen.
Allergy testing doesn’t take long, and we do it in the comfort of the office. We can administer various allergy tests, but most people get a skin prick test. This test detects nearly all allergens, including the most common ones, such as pollen, mold, pet dander, food, and dust mites.
First, we place a small drop of your suspected allergens on your skin (usually the underside of your forearm). Then we gently prick (scratch) the skin under the allergen, allowing it to get under the surface.
After about 15 minutes, we look at your arm to see if you have a skin reaction to any of the allergens. If a red bump appears, you’re allergic to that substance. The size of the skin reaction helps us estimate how sensitive you are to the allergen.
If we have any doubts about the results, or if you don’t have a skin reaction even though all your symptoms point to allergies, we may recommend another type of allergy test, like a blood test.
You also need a different test, called a patch test, if you have contact allergies. These allergies occur when your allergen touches your skin. The most common contact allergens are poison ivy and oak.
We recommend three essential allergy treatments. We teach you to limit exposure to allergens, recommend over-the-counter or prescription medications to ease symptoms or suggest allergy shots.
If you have mild to moderate allergies, identifying and avoiding your allergy triggers may be all you need to get relief and make life comfortable.
We help each person develop a proactive plan. Many possible lifestyle changes can help you avoid or reduce your allergen exposure. The steps you need to take depend on the type of allergen and the severity of your symptoms.
If you have questions about allergy testing or want to schedule an appointment to get help for your symptoms, call White Lake Family Medicine or use the online booking feature today.
