Allergy
Take a step towards relief.
Allergies - Diagnosis:
At Southwestern Colorado Ear, Nose and Throat our provider will do a physical exam as well as an allergy test. The consult will also include asking about your health, your symptoms and whether members of your family have asthma or allergies such as hay fever, hives or skin rashes like eczema. The doctor will want to know when symptoms occur, how often they happen and what seems to bring them on and will also ask about your work, home to see if these can provide clues to help pinpoint your allergy.
Allergy -Testing:
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Our office can test for common allergens such as plant pollens, molds, dust mites, animal dander, insect stings.
There are two types of skin tests:
1.) The prick test pricks the surface of the skin with a tiny amount of the allergen. The test is done on your back or the inside of your arms with several allergens tested at once. If you're allergic, redness and swelling appear at the site of the prick.
2.) The intradermal test injects the allergen with a very fine needle under the first few layers of the skin. This type of skin test may be used when the result of a prick test is not clear.
Common Treatments:
The treatment for environmental allergies (pollen, mold, dust mite, and animal dander) includes combination of avoiding what you are allergic to, medications, and immunotherapy. There are many medications that can be used to help control your symptoms (which are detailed below), however, sometimes medications and avoidance measures are not enough to make you allergies tolerable.
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SWOCENT specializes in Sublingual Immunotherapy drops as a treatment option for those that suffer from environmental allergies and asthma. Sublingual Drops (SLIT) drops are placed under the tongue. Allery drops are not FDA approved and may not be covered by your insurance, so a consultation with your allergist is needed to decide on the best treatment plan for you.
