The Allergy Clinic
Specialists in Allergy & Asthma Care
Specialists in Allergy & Asthma Care
Golden Handcuffs
Definition A situation where a person is financially rewarded to compensate for an adverse situation.
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:
Definition A situation where a person is financially rewarded to compensate for an adverse situation.
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:
- 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.
Even worse, most medications only treat symptoms, and those symptoms come right back as soon as you stop
taking the medicine.
Now don’t get me wrong. Houston is my home, and I intend to live here my whole life. But if 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.
Of all treatments, avoidance, medications, and allergy shots, the shots are the only treatment 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.
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.
Even worse, most medications only treat symptoms, and those symptoms come right back as soon as you stop
taking the medicine.
Now don’t get me wrong. Houston is my home, and I intend to live here my whole life. But if 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.
Of all treatments, avoidance, medications, and allergy shots, the shots are the only treatment 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.
Last Updated December 5, 2006
