Over 50 million Americans understand the misery of allergies all too well. From runny noses to itchy eyes, allergies can disrupt your daily life and make you say “no” to the things you enjoy doing, such as spending time in the garden or enjoying an outdoor cafe with friends.
Another interesting fact? It may not be your imagination if you feel like your allergies are now more intense.
At the Primary Care Walk-In Clinic, Dr. Neha Maheshwari and Dr. Pankaj Chopra offer critical allergy testing and effective treatment. They listen intently to how your allergies affect your well-being and are sincere about finding solutions to relieve you.
There are seemingly endless things you can be allergic to, from pollen, food, and insect stings, to medications, environmental allergens like dust and mold, fibers, and skin care products — and every person’s allergy symptoms are individual:
There’s no question — these symptoms can stop you in your tracks.
Allergies occur when your immune system overreacts to a certain substance. It’s almost like your immune system is confused, thinking it’s fighting off a virus or bacteria. As it reacts, your body produces histamine, which causes the unpleasant symptoms.
Though many allergy symptoms are nuisances, they can also become life-threatening in the case of reactions like anaphylaxis (when your airway closes up and blood pressure plummets).
Intensifying allergy symptoms are real, we assure you. Here are some signs to watch for.
Are you sneezing more, stuffier, and feeling lousier overall? Are your breathing problems worsening, or are your rashes and hive outbreaks more severe than in the past?
If these things are happening, your allergies could be escalating.
Perhaps you’ve only had a runny nose when you went outside, but never experienced persistent stuffiness. Or your eyes may have historically itched, but now you're scratching and wiping away tears.
Perhaps completely new symptoms have cropped up that point to an allergy you’ve never experienced, like your lips tingle and your tongue feels puffy for the first time after drinking your favorite mango smoothie.
Your once-mild allergy is now becoming more serious, or you’ve developed one you didn’t have before.
Especially with pollen, your allergies can be triggered by allergens you’ve never been exposed to. If you move from the South to the Midwest, for example, you will encounter new plants, grasses, and trees that could cause you a new set of symptoms.
Climate change has also been linked to worsening allergies. Global warming is making allergy season more intense, and unfortunately, longer. For instance, higher levels of pollen, mold, and air pollution conspire to make people living with asthma more severely impacted.
Never underestimate the power of your allergies to make you miserable. Allergy symptoms can seriously interfere with:
If you feel like your allergies are markedly different — and worse — than they used to be, seek testing at the Primary Care Walk-In Clinic. This is the first step to getting relief.
The Primary Care Walk-In Clinic team believes that allergy testing is the critical first step that allows your expert provider to start determining how they can help. Only after you actually know what you’re allergic to can you and your doctor take action.
When you visit our office for testing, we may advise that you undergo blood testing, skin testing, or both.
With blood allergy testing, we take a small blood sample and measure allergen-specific antibodies responsible for the development of allergies. The good news is that they also help your doctor formulate treatments.
Skin allergy testing involves your doctor applying droplets of allergen solutions, typically to your forearm, in a consistent pattern. Then, we gently scratch the spots on your skin where the droplets were applied so they’re absorbed into your skin.
If you’re allergic to any of the applied potential allergens, your skin reacts by either turning red or developing a welt.
Blood testing takes 1-2 weeks to yield results, but with skin testing, your doctor can tell you what you’re allergic to immediately.
With your results, you can learn how to avoid your allergens, and your doctor can develop a treatment plan for you.
Don’t delay scheduling your appointment for testing at the Primary Care Walk-In Clinic nearest you. You can book one online or call us.
