The services that are listed on this site are services that your doctor provides. Before being treated for allergies, you must first be tested to see how allergic they are to an allergen.
Allergy Assessment
At your request, your medical records can be reviewed by your Primary Care Physician (PCP) to see if allergy testing is necessary. Additionally, you should complete and Allergy Pre-Assessment Form (Sino-Nasal Outcome Test – SNOT-22). It would be helpful to bring this filled out SNOT-22 with you when you visit your PCP office.
Cold, Flu, or Allergy? Your doctor can determine which it is by Allergy Testing
Allergy Skin Tests
Modified Quantified Testing (MQT) is skin testing to reveal what the patient is allergic to, and to what degree. Skin testing is regarded as the “Gold Standard” testing to identify which allergens you react to and moreover, you can visually see the size of the reaction on your skin. The test can be completed in less than one minute, with minimal discomfort to you. Your doctor may substitute blood testing in place of MQT.
Immunotherapy Treatment of Allergies
Immunotherapy is a simple and easy process to treat the cause and not the symptoms of allergies. Your sensitivity to allergens are slowly reduced over a treatment course of three to five years, with the symptom relief lasting a lifetime. Often, sensitivity begins to be reduced after about eight weeks of treatment.
Allergy Immunotherapy consists of correctly identifying the allergen or allergens, quantifying the severity, and then developing a serum specific to each individual. The serum is composed of small amounts of allergens that are causing your symptoms. During the treatment course, increasing amounts of the allergen are administered to you. With the your antibodies slowly increasing, your “resistance” slowly increases. The treatment process takes approximately three to five years.
There are three treatment options that your doctor can offer:
- Subcutaneous Immunotherapy (SCIT; also known as injections)
- Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT; also known as drops for under the tongue)
- Oral Mucosal Immunotherapy (OMIT; also known as toothpaste)
These treatment options allow you to participate in choosing the best treatment that meets your needs, subject to the physician’s agreement.
Patient Compliance
For allergy treatment to be successful, it is important for the patient to regularly obtain treatment until completed.
