You At Your Best

speCial tO yOu at yOur Best It's a rite of spring for many people in northwest Arkansas—we are overjoyed to spend time outdoors without freezing. But for many, the increased time outdoors leads to that other rite of spring - heading to the pharmacy to pick up those allergy meds! "Thousands of people across Northwest Arkansas suffer every year because they assume that they are doing all that can be done by seeing their primary care physician and taking over the counter allergy medications," says Dr. Matt Bell of the Hedberg Allergy and Asthma Center in Fayetteville and Rogers. "More can be done and a visit to a board-certified allergist might be the answer." But why? Family doctors, pediatricians, and ENT doctors all manage allergy symptoms, so why an allergist? Allergists are specially trained to diagnose AND manage patients with nasal allergy symptoms. The first step is to determine whether someone's symptoms are truly due to allergies. "This may seem crazy, but believe it or not, many patients, even those whose symptoms have been attributed to allergies their whole life, aren't actually allergic," Dr. Bell points out. "For these people, a negative allergy test can actually help to determine the actual underlying cause of symptoms. For others, allergy testing confirms what they've always suspected - they're allergic! So what now? Well, this is just the question an allergist can answer." Let's take a quick step back. What is allergy testing? It typically involves scratching the skin with tiny amounts of different airborne allergen extracts (pollens, dander, molds - not foods which do not cause nasal allergy symptoms.) Each allergen that someone reacts to will be evident by a raised bump – like a mosquito bite. These are recorded, giving a specific profile of which airborne allergens are causing a patient's symptoms. For patients who are allergic, a specifically tailored medication regimen combining both over the counter and prescription medications is often recommended. This may be enough for some patients. For others though, something more is needed. Most people have heard about allergy shots, but most don't understand what they really are. "Allergen immunotherapy shots are a proven way to offer a potential lifetime of freedom from allergies. Advances in allergen immunotherapy over the last 10-15 years actually make this a reality for most patients," Dr. Bell explains. "Think of allergy shots as the reverse of a vaccine. A vaccine tells the immune system: 'This thing is bad, make a plan to fight it off!' Allergy shots say: 'Hey, this pollen protein isn't harmful! Quit attacking it!'" By introducing a patient's allergens in a non-threatening manner with slowly increasing doses, the immune system begins to understand that these little airborne proteins aren't harmful and eventually it quits attacking them. Allergens are administered using a tiny shot in the upper arm once weekly for about a year. At that point, shots are spaced out to once a month for 3-4 additional years. Then shots can typically be stopped and the patient's allergies are no more. So if you're among the thousands that have a love/hate relationship with spring (or fall for that matter), a visit to a board-certified allergist may be the answer! For more information about how to schedule an appointment with an allergist to address and help manage your allergies, visit www. hedbergallergy.com It's spring again and you're miserable! Why should you see an allergist? 4 | yOu at yOur Best | yOuatyOurBest.NWaONliNe.COM May - Best Nurses | suNday, april 24, 2022

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