Tips for Managing Spring Allergies

When spring rolls around, do your eyes water? Do you suffer from constant sneezing? If so, you’re in good company. In fact, more than 50 million Americans also suffer from allergies. 

The good news is, you don’t have to suffer indefinitely. Allergy testing may be able to help you live well. At CHW Cares, which is located in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan in New York City, Edward Kleiman-MD, Allergy and Immunology and our team can find out what triggers your allergy symptoms and design a plan to reduce your symptoms. Edward Kleiman-MD, Allergy and Immunology

In this blog, we explain ways you can combat your allergies.

Allergy testing

If the thought of the spring season causes you dread because of allergies, an allergy testing appointment with our team can put you ahead of the game. We can test you for dozens of allergies, and, when we find the source of your symptoms, we can design a treatment plan to give you relief.

Skin prick testing

Skin allergy tests involve exposing you to tiny amounts of allergens to find out how your body reacts to them. One way is to make pricks in your skin, which are barely noticeable. We then apply as many as 50 substances in tiny amounts to check for a reaction.

The skin prick test shows an allergic reaction within 30 minutes, so our team can discuss your results with you during your appointment. We can then customize a treatment plan to reduce the severity of your allergic reaction.

Patch testing

Another type of skin allergy test is the patch test. With this test, you wear a patch for 48 hours. This is a test to see if there’s more of a delayed reaction to substances you may be allergic to. Once we remove the patch, we can see your results and discuss treatment options.

Blood testing

To test your blood, we draw a sample and send it to the lab for processing, where we check for specific antibodies that your body will produce in response to an allergen. It can take up to a week to receive your results. At your follow-up appointment, we can talk with you about our findings and develop your treatment plan.

Asthma testing

We also provide asthma tests to evaluate your breathing before and after you inhale medications.

Depending on the testing you undergo, you might benefit from over-the-counter medications to help relieve your symptoms. Or, you might benefit from immunotherapy (allergy shots), in which you receive incremental increases of allergens to help your body become less and less sensitive to them.

Other ways to help prevent allergies

Beyond allergy testing, there are other things you can do to help prevent allergy symptoms from arising. Here are some of them:

1. Exercise early in the morning or at the end of daylight
2. Take antihistamines
3. Use saltwater nasal sprays to help clear out the allergens
4. Keep your home as dust-free as possible
5. Close your windows

If you have allergies and need help, we can give you the guidance, testing, and treatment you need. To learn more, call 212-740-2020 or book an appointment online with allergy and immunology specialist Dr. Kleiman at CHW Cares today.