When do seasonal allergies occur?
Dr. Natalie Miller: Tree pollen can come as early as Valentine’s Day and typically lasts until Mother’s Day. Grass pollen follows then arrives
and stays from May until July 4th. Weed pollen comes last and lasts typically from mid-August until the first freeze. Often times, patients
will come in for seasonal allergies but we find they have symptoms later in the year when pollen isn’t around. This is how we discover they
may have mold or pet allergies from animals such as cats, dogs or horses.
At what point should a person suffering from allergies visit a physician?
Dr. Natalie Miller: Allergies are very much a quality of life issue. When they’re affecting your ability to sleep, to work, to go to school, to
care for your family, at that point it would be good to see your doctor because there are so many things we can do to help.
Dr. Sean Miller: Additionally, if your allergies are causing recurrent sinus or ear infections and if you’re having difficulty breathing due to
allergies, you should see your doctor.
How can an Ear, Nose and Throat physician help those with allergies?
Dr. Sean Miller: Ear, Nose and Throat doctors can complement allergists by offering diagnostic studies or surgical options. When shots or
medications don’t give patients the relief they need, we can offer relief from recurrent infections by improving the nasal airway. For a lot of
patients, chronic sinusitis and allergic disease is an ongoing issue which will require regular maintenance. But surgery is for some patients
a way to achieve better control of their symptoms, less frequent infections and less frequent complications.
What are the common symptoms of seasonal allergies?
Dr. Natalie Miller: Frequent nasal congestion, runny nose, post-nasal drainage, frequent clearing of the throat, sneezing, itchy red eyes,
shortness of breath and frequent infection, those are the noticeable symptoms. But, we also worry about the long term reaction to allergies
which can cause chronic congestion and asthma symptoms. There are a lot of recurrent problems. The only thing that is going to make your
body not react to the things you’re allergic to are allergy shots.
Could you talk ab out the process of a person receiving allergy shots?
Dr. Natalie Miller: Allergy shots are a way we change the immune system from being allergic to no longer reacting to allergens. There
are several ways for this to take place, but the standard way is for patients to come in two or three times per week for about 12 weeks
until they get up to the goal dosage. Then, they visit once per week for about a year and we slowly space the shots out based on how the
patient is doing. As symptoms improve and they need less medicine, we space it out with the ultimate goal of eventually getting them off
of shots. It’s a good three to five year commitment.
Dr. Sean Miller: Some studies have shown that when not appropriately treated, there is a progression of allergic symptoms from skin
manifestations to things which are more severe such as asthma. Intervening early, especially for children, is helpful for avoiding the progression of those symptoms.
If a person is unsure about the severity of their allergies,
what is your advice?
Dr. Sean Miller: If you’re having recurrent sinusitis, say at least three or four infections per year requiring antibiotics, it may be time to
consider an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. We see patients who have been given antibiotics on a monthly basis and not seen better results.
At that time, they are better served by seeing a specialist to have conversations from there because there is a whole host of things that
need to be investigated to make sure they’re being properly treated. If it’s a significant burden to you, then you need to consider being
evaluated further.
Dr. Natalie Miller: If you have sinus infection like symptoms the same season every year, that’s a good sign allergists should be a consideration. If you’re having hay fever symptoms like we described and over the counter medicine isn’t helping, that’s a really good time to see us.
Dr. Sean Miller: I think that’s a good way to put it. If you’re not satisfied with the control you’ve had with the medication you’ve taken so
far, maybe it’s time to do further investigations.
VITAL SIGNS Volume 10 • Issue 1
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