Stop allergies before they start

By Patricia Nugent

Depending on the weather, spring allergies kick off in mid-March for tree allergies, and grass and weed allergies will begin assaulting your nasal passages somewhere around mid-April. The fun winds down by June or July.

According to allergy specialist Dr. Barry Lampl, who founded Allergy Diagnostics, over the past 25 years the number of Americans affected by allergies and asthma has nearly tripled.

Says Dr. Lampl, “If patients let their allergies go without addressing their cause, they develop more severe symptoms, other allergies, and sometimes asthma. I recommend being proactive and treating your allergies early, before symptoms begin. If you wait until the middle of the season to seek help, it’s like you’re swimming upstream.”

The bottom line, he says, is no one should suffer needlessly. If medications are ineffective, the best option is immunotherapy, which is simple and effective.

Allergists, like Dr. Lampl, administer trace amounts of the substance the patient is allergic to through tiny pain-free injections, typically once a week, until they reach a point where they only require maintenance shots.

When the pollen begins to fly, he recommends keeping your windows closed, using your air conditioning, showering as soon as you come in from the outdoors, and not bringing clothes and shoes that have been outside into your bedroom.

Allergy Diagnostics has locations in Fairlawn, Mentor, Strongsville, Beachwood, Westlake and Parma. They welcome patients ages six and up. Call 330-836-9232 to make an appointment, or visit AllergyDiagnostics.com to find out more.