Houston Allergies and Treatment Options at The Allergy Clinic

Houston is our home, and most of us will live here our whole lives. But 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. Many patients say they feel great when they travel elsewhere, only to have symptoms come roaring back as soon as they return. 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. That means paying equal attention to avoiding dust mites or mold that you're allergic to, avoiding non-allergic triggers (e.g., cigarette smoke, perfume, etc), and seeking medical help.

At The Allergy Clinic, we separate allergy treatment into three branches: avoidance, medication, and immunotherapy(allergy shots). It often takes a combination of some or all of the three to provide a healthy resolution to your problems. See treatment options for more information.

Most treatment focuses on medications – those that treat symptoms, like Allegra and Zyrtec or those that prevent symptoms, like Flonase and Nasonex. Newer medications like Allermist, a nasal steroid, and Patanase, a nasal antihistamine or Xyzal, a second-generation version of Zyrtec, aren't much stronger. 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. See medications for more information.

Of all treatment options, shots are the only ones that actually treat the underlying allergy, working toward a cure. In study after study, allergy shots, when taken for three to five years, continue to provide relief for years after treatment. That's certainly not true for pills or sprays. Not even for the newest allergy medications. See immunotherapy or rush immunotherapy for more information.