Push pollen away for good with help from Chattanooga Allergy Clinic

Pollen counts are continuing their steady growth, and with peak season just around the corner, the team at Chattanooga Allergy Clinic is working to help patients find ways to fight the dreaded yellow dust.

Dr. Lee Perry

"If you know you have pollen allergies, you need to be on treatment already," explained Dr. Lee Perry. "Patients who have problems have to start their medications early to really have good results."

He added that it is most important to see a board-certified allergist for allergy testing if you are unsure of what triggers your allergies. Testing takes 15-20 minutes and is very accurate in revealing what the triggers are, helping allergists fine tune an approach to treatment.

"People who have trouble during spring months can continue to take over-the-counter medications, but it won't reveal what's really going on," Dr. Perry said. "Getting tested helps us find the person's triggers and then we can treat them so that they get real relief."

Typical treatments include antihistamines such as Allegra and Zyrtec and prescription nose sprays. Dr. Perry added that while people who battle allergies during the spring months are most likely allergic to tree pollen, some patients actually have perennial allergies caused by irritants such as dust mites or pet dander.

"When these people get into the spring months, it creates the perfect storm of symptoms and makes their allergies really severe," he said. "Some even find themselves with chronic sinus infections. If you find yourself in this pattern every year, you need to get [allergy] tested."

The best course of treatment for many patients, according to Dr. Perry, is immunotherapy or allergy shots.

"By making a specific extract of the person's allergens and exposing them to small amounts of it over time, we are able to completely remove the allergy," he explained. "We've had people on multiple medications come in and within a few months, they are off most of those medicines and responding very well."

Some people object to allergy shots due to the fear of great expense, however, Dr. Perry said most insurance companies cover them as a preventative medicine or treatment.

According to Dr. Perry, most insurance companies understand the research that has been done in regards to treating allergies, and recognize that it is cost-effective to treat with allergy shots as opposed to staying on multiple medications for years and years.

Another argument revolves around the time required for the shots to be effective, and Dr. Perry said that while it may take a few months to start seeing results, statistics show most patients are completely relieved from their allergies.

"Over-the-counter medications can control your symptoms, but they don't correct the allergies the way immunotherapy does," Dr. Perry added.

Younger patients who have the allergy shots also stand to benefit greatly when it comes to lowering their risk of developing asthma, Dr. Perry noted.

"Children with severe allergies are at a much higher risk for developing asthma," he said. "Kids and younger patients with the shots are able to decrease that chance greatly, which is important."

Immunotherapy is also able to target multiple allergies in one patient, whereas tablets and over-the-counter medications can only help patients deal with one specific allergy, and again only mask or relieve symptoms temporarily.