Finding the Right Treatment for Your Hay Fever Symptoms

Have you noticed that when there is an excess of pollen, pet dander, dust mites, or other common allergy-causing factors that you get symptoms like you have a cold? If so, then you may be suffering from hay fever. Its official name is allergic rhinitis and almost ten percent of Americans suffer from it either seasonally or over the entire year. The good news is that you can find answers. Come to Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Medical Group to find a personalized treatment plan for your particular hay fever symptoms.

Start by getting a diagnosis

When you visit Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Medical Group, one of our first steps will be to correctly diagnosis you. This is especially important because many of the symptoms of hay fever can actually have causes that are more serious than an allergic reaction. Note that the symptoms of hay fever include:

• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Ear popping
• Eyes that are itchy or watery
• Congestion
• Sinus headaches

In most cases, we’ll want to determine your allergic profile by completely two tests. The first is a skin prick test that we do on your back. Next we’ll do what’s known as an intradermal skin test on the top of your arm. This checks for specific allergies that a skin prick test can miss. We’ll get results from both of these tests in just around 15 minutes, which means we can quickly determine what’s wrong and move into finding the right solution for you.

In some cases, you may be dealing with hay fever but have another condition that’s making it worse. Some examples include sinusitis, asthma, or nasal polyps. We can determine if this is the case and offer treatment options that are tailored to your particular needs.

Potential treatments for hay fever

There are many treatments that may help with your hay fever. It really all depends on what the results of your tests are. The most common way we treat hay fever is with oral medication, an allergy shot, or a nasal spray. In some cases, we’ll treat using several of those options.

If you have severe hay fever that hasn’t responded to medications, or you’re a person who’s simply had a lot of side effects with medications, then allergy shots may be the best chance. Known also as immunotherapy, these shots can actually get rid of your hay fever altogether instead of just reducing symptoms like some other treatments do.

Are you ready to breathe easier?

There are many reasons to visit an allergist and at Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Medical Group we hope the top reason is that you’re ready to feel better. Hay fever can feel overwhelming and be a huge problem in your life. It can keep you up at night, prevent you from attending activities you’d like to, and can help you feel better on a daily basis. Today is the day to call Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Medical Group at 805-658-9500 to set up your appointment.