| Allergies |
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When it comes to allergies, living in Houston makes treatment harder because the true allergy
to dust mites, mold or pollen is superimposed on the non-allergic effects of the pollution,
ozone and humidity. Several patients say they feel great when they travel elsewhere, only to
have symptoms come roaring back as soon as they walk out of Bush Airport. The “problem” is
that this is where the great jobs are. So, if you’re going to live in Houston because of your
job, or because this is where your loved ones are, then successfully treating allergies may
require you to be a bit more aggressive.
Typically, allergy treatment is broken down into three parts:
Most treatment focuses on medications--those to treat symptoms, like Allegra and Zyrtec.
Those to prevent symptoms like Flonase and Nasonex. Soon, we’ll see direct-to-consumer
ads for Allermist, a new nasal steroid , and Patanase, a new nasal antihistamine. Then we’ll
see ads for Xyzal, a second-generation version of Zyrtec. But these new medicines won’t be
much stronger than the drugs available now. Mostly, they are brand extensions or minor
changes to substitute profits for a drug that is about to go generic. Even with ideal
combinations of these medications and fine tuning of the dosages, inadequate relief is still
inadequate relief.
soon as you stop taking the medicine.
my patients have to breathe in a city that worsens their allergy symptoms, then we often need
to treat everything that’s treatable. That means paying equal attention to avoiding the dust
mites or mold that you’re allergic to, avoiding non-allergic triggers (e.g., cigarette smoke,
perfume, etc), and treatment with allergy shots.
that actually treat the underlying allergy, working toward a cure. In study after study, allergy
shots that are taken for three to five years continue to provide relief for years after stopping
the shots. That’s certainly not true for pills or sprays. Not even for the newest allergy
medications that will soon arrive with multi-million dollar ad budgets.
to dust mites, mold or pollen is superimposed on the non-allergic effects of the pollution,
ozone and humidity. Several patients say they feel great when they travel elsewhere, only to
have symptoms come roaring back as soon as they walk out of Bush Airport. The “problem” is
that this is where the great jobs are. So, if you’re going to live in Houston because of your
job, or because this is where your loved ones are, then successfully treating allergies may
require you to be a bit more aggressive.
Typically, allergy treatment is broken down into three parts:
- identifying what you're allergic to and trying to avoid it;
- medications to treat your symptoms, and
- allergy shots.
Most treatment focuses on medications--those to treat symptoms, like Allegra and Zyrtec.
Those to prevent symptoms like Flonase and Nasonex. Soon, we’ll see direct-to-consumer
ads for Allermist, a new nasal steroid , and Patanase, a new nasal antihistamine. Then we’ll
see ads for Xyzal, a second-generation version of Zyrtec. But these new medicines won’t be
much stronger than the drugs available now. Mostly, they are brand extensions or minor
changes to substitute profits for a drug that is about to go generic. Even with ideal
combinations of these medications and fine tuning of the dosages, inadequate relief is still
inadequate relief.
soon as you stop taking the medicine.
my patients have to breathe in a city that worsens their allergy symptoms, then we often need
to treat everything that’s treatable. That means paying equal attention to avoiding the dust
mites or mold that you’re allergic to, avoiding non-allergic triggers (e.g., cigarette smoke,
perfume, etc), and treatment with allergy shots.
that actually treat the underlying allergy, working toward a cure. In study after study, allergy
shots that are taken for three to five years continue to provide relief for years after stopping
the shots. That’s certainly not true for pills or sprays. Not even for the newest allergy
medications that will soon arrive with multi-million dollar ad budgets.
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