Living with untreated allergies is burdensome, but an expert sinus doctor can help you get your allergies under control. If you’re suffering from an allergy, board-certified otolaryngologist Gerald Suh, MD, and his team at Princeton ENT and Sleep, LLC, can help. They perform fast, comprehensive allergy testing and provide effective treatments, including immunotherapy, at their Princeton, New Jersey, office. For help with allergies, call Princeton ENT and Sleep, LLC, or book online today.

Allergies

What are allergies?

Allergies are a common problem where your body reacts excessively to a certain substance. This substance could be something in your environment that you breathe in, like pollen or dust, or it could be something you touch, like latex or insect venom.

Certain foods can trigger allergies, too; common food allergies include peanuts, seafood, milk, and eggs. Food allergies can cause serious reactions, including potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis, where your body goes into shock. Some medications also cause allergies, most notably penicillin.

When you come in contact with these substances, your immune system reacts as if they were a threat, even though they’re typically harmless. The result is a set of unpleasant symptoms that can make living with allergies quite a challenge.

What are the symptoms of allergies?

Allergy symptoms often resemble other illnesses but don’t go away over time – for example, allergic rhinitis (hay fever) has symptoms similar to a cold but doesn’t clear up after a week or so as a cold would.

Common signs of allergies include:

• Itchy, watery eyes
• A dry cough with clear mucus
• Gastrointestinal distress when eating certain foods
• Symptoms that worsen in the spring, summer, or early fall
• Headaches
• Wheezing
• Lack of endurance when exercising
• Rashes or hives
• Swelling

Finding out what’s causing your allergies is vital so you can receive the right treatment.

What does allergy testing involve?

The allergy testing process at Princeton ENT and Sleep, LLC, is simple and noninvasive. The team first finds out as much about what triggers your allergies and the symptoms you experience as possible.

Then, for environmental allergies, they apply up to 48 different allergens to your skin to see whether you have a reaction. The amount of allergen used for testing is minute, entering your skin through a tiny scratch. The whole process takes just an hour, after which your provider can recommend the most appropriate treatment.

There is additional testing available if you are experiencing symptoms due to food allergies. Food allergy skin tests expose your skin to allergens where your provider can observe for signs of an allergic reaction. Because food allergies can be complex, additional testing may be necessary.

How are allergies treated?

Treating your allergy depends to some extent on what you’re allergic to. Allergic rhinitis, for instance, often responds well to antihistamines in oral or nasal spray form. Sometimes, steroid medication is necessary to reduce inflammation.

If you have a severe allergy, you should carry an epinephrine auto-injector in case of anaphylaxis. You should try and avoid the allergens that affect you as well, to minimize the chances of a reaction.

The Princeton ENT and Sleep, LLC, team specializes in treating allergies using immunotherapy. This treatment is a way of getting your immune system used to an allergen very gradually by long-term exposure.

You can get regular allergy shots or use sublingual immunotherapy that melts under your tongue. It can take months and often years to turn off your body’s allergic response, but immunotherapy is a very effective way of providing long-term relief of allergy symptoms.

Find out more about allergies or book a test by calling Princeton ENT and Sleep, LLC, today or schedule an appointment online.