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“My Worst Allergy Spring Was the Winter I Just Spent in Arizona”

When we think of allergy season, fall and spring comes to mind, but not so much winter.  Yet this December, January, and now into February, patients have been coming into our allergy clinic in the suburbs of Phoenix complaining of some of the worst allergy symptoms all year.  Typical complaints include sneezing, itchy nose, and […]

New Immunotherapy Tablet for Grass Allergy: Phoenix Residents Should Read the Fine Print

Last month, the Allergenic Products Advisory Committee  of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted to approve two sublingual allergy immunotherapy  products.  The FDA will need to give final approval, but this typically follows the advice of its advisory committees.   Both products contain a mixture of pollen from several different grasses commonly found in […]

Progress in the Treatment of Food Allergy

Immunotherapy is a form of treatment in which small amounts an allergen (pollen, mold, or animal dander) is given to an allergic patient in slowly increasing doses to induce long-lasting tolerance to that allergen.  Immunotherapy is very effective in reducing allergy symptoms and is the closest treatment that we have to a cure. The trick […]

Is it Allergy or a Cold?

It’s winter and  the season for runny, stuffy noses, coughing and hacking, and scratchy, sore throats – but not necessarily from allergies.  A question that comes up a lot this time of year is  how to tell the difference between allergies, a sinus infection, and a cold? This is, of course a trick question because […]

Fall Allergy Season

Although residents of central Arizona are just now beginning to enjoy cooler fall temperatures,  fall allergy season started a bit earlier, sometime around mid to late September.  At this time, following a (hopefully) rainy monsoon season, weeds begin to proliferate and then pollinate in response to the shorter days and cooler nights.  As the monsoon […]

Alien Allergy Attack from the Planet Alpha-Gal

It sounds like science fiction.  A hideous blood-sucking alien creeps into the bedroom of an unsuspecting victim while they sleep.  With razor sharp fangs the monster begins to feed, injecting a cocktail of chemicals to keep the blood flowing. As the fiend’s venom works it’s way through the body, a frightening change takes hold.  Forever […]