• Find significant relief from your allergies through our unique Comprehensive Allergy Management Program which incorporates the most recent advances in medical science, and provides the latest methods in diagnostic allergy testing and treatment. for a wide range of inhalant and food allergies.

• Allergy is a genetic condition. Allergies are not necessarily inherited, but a family history increase the likelihood for the development of allergies.

• Allergies affect people in different ways, Many people only think of allergy as “hay fever”, with sneezing, runny nose, nasal stuffiness, and itchy watery eyes. 

• Many other troublesome conditions may be caused by allergy such as such as chronic “sinus” problems, post-nasal drip and head congestion, frequent “colds”, recurring ear infections, chronic cough, and asthma. 

• Stomach and intestinal problems, many skin rashes, chronic headaches, fatigue and tiredness can all be caused by allergies.

• It is more common for allergies to begin in childhood but symptoms can manifest themselves at any age. You are never too old to develop allergies!  Dust mites are the most common inhalant cause of childhood allergies

Causes of Allergies 

• pollens of trees, grasses and weeds,
• mold spores, 
• dust mites, 
• animal danders, 
• food
• drugs and insect venoms. 

Dust mite Allergy 

Dust mite allergy is the most common all year round trigger of nasal allergies and asthma in the San Francisco Bay area. In the Bay Area., there is an actual dust mite season in the months of September and October (The Bay Area’s Indian summer). 

Dust mite allergy triggers inflammation causing:

- allergic rhinitis, - nasal passages

- asthma - lungs

- eczyma.- skin

Mold Allergy

 cause  Allergic Rhinitis and /or asthma

Molds are very common both inside and outside. 

May be worse if you: 

•  Work in an occupation that exposes you to mold. 
•  Live in a house with high humidity. specially in basements, behind walls in framing, on soap-coated grout and other damp surfaces, in carpet pad and in the carpet itself
•  Work or live in a building that's been exposed to excess moisture. Leaky pipes, water seepage during rainstorms, flood damage: 
•  Live in a house with poor ventilation.. Damp areas, such as bathrooms, kitchens and basements, are most vulnerable.

ALLERGY DIAGNOSTIC TESTS

 Identifying the offending allergen(s) by allergy testing is the first step to determining the cause of your allergies and the most appropriate course of therapy.

There are two primary ways to test for allergies:

 Skin tests

 IgE blood tests.

 Our practice uses a combination of these tests. An individualized evaluation will be done at the time of your visit to determine which test will be best for you.

 Allergy Skin Tests:

 Allergy skin testing is easily and painlessly performed on the skin forearms.  It consists of gentle pricks made with disposable plastic prongs with drops of allergen extract on them. This completely sterile and disposable applicator tests for dust mites, molds, animal dander and pollens.

 If you are allergic, a slight swelling, itching and reddening of the skin will occur. The size may vary from allergen to allergen depending on your level of sensitization to each. This information can determine in minutes what you are allergic to, helping us determine the likely cause of your allergies

 Allergy IgE blood tests:

 IgE Blood testing for allergies is a newer technology for allergy diagnosis. The latest technology now assures that they are very accurate and reliable. These measure the same allergy triggers as skin tests. They are more reliable in testing for food allergies and for testing young children, and those on medications that prevent the use of  skin tests

 On occasion it may be appropriate or necessary to do blood testing in addition to skin testing in order to identify the causative allergen(s).

ALLERGY TREATMENT

Our Comprehensive Allergy Management Program consists of short-term and a long-term treatment:

   Short term treatment 

only provides relief from symptoms.

 Antihistamines, nasal steroid sprays, nasal antihistamines sprays, and allergy eye drops --- 

  Long-term treatment

 Avoidance measures for inhalant allergy, eg dust mite, molds 

 Dietary programs and recommendations for food allergy.

 Allergy immunotherapy (desensitization) therapy- treating the underlying cause 

Allergy Immunotherapy

 This reprograms the overreacting immune system by gradually delivering the substances that trigger allergies to acclimate the body to them

Over 85% of patients who receive immunotherapy over the recommended period of time experience significant improvement or complete relief from their symptoms. 

 This ongoing treatments will improve symptoms and decrease the use of allergy medications. 

San Francisco ENT & Allergy pioneered the use of SLIT in the Bay Area, 

and we have a strong track record of safety and success with SLIT

 With today’s busy lifestyles, allergy drops/SLIT is an ideal solution for many patients who can’t find the time to come in for a weekly shot.

•  SLIT is delivered under the tongue in a drop form that are taken at home.

•  SLIT works much like shots, slowly desensitizing you to your allergies. 

•  The allergy drops are a specifically tailored treatment for each patient’s specific cause of their allergy.

• They work by delivering a slowly increasing dose of the allergic causing substance called an antigen ** by building up the body’s tolerance to that antigen

• Allergy drops are taken daily for an average of two to three years.
•  Many patients find they need less medication to control symptoms after being on allergy drops. Our patients typically report fewer clinic visits, less time lost from work and school, after taking their allergy drops consistently

 Advantages of allergy drops?

 Allergy Drops are Safe and Effective  studies clearly show that dosing levels are safe enough to effectively treat infants, children, asthmatics and other chronic conditions, Because of the safety profile they are ideal for, those patients highly reactive to shots, and those with “needle phobia. 

• SLIT can now provide desensitization to even severe asthmatics who for mostly safety reasons, were unable to tolerate injections

• Easy to use. allergy drops are simply placed under the tongue and are used on a daily basis.

•  You can take allergy drops at home or even while traveling, as they need no special storage, thus making it much easier to stick with treatment

• SLIT cost less compared to shots, requiring fewer clinic visits, only a few per year. 

•  In many patients, chronic sinus and allergies are related. Treating the underlying allergic disease with SLIT has shown favorable results in reducing the frequency of sinus infections.

• In other parts of the world, the use of SLIT is extremely widespread. in Europe SLIT is the most common form of immunotherapy 

• The WHO (World Health Organization) recognizes SLIT as an effective form of treatment for allergies.