Diagnosing and Treating Allergies in Midtown NY
Suffering through allergies can be a miserable experience for anyone afflicted with them. There are many different types of allergies; food allergies, environmental allergies and seasonal allergies and it takes the expertise of a specifically trained and experienced physician such as our allergy doctor in Midtown NY, Dr. Andrew Fagelman, MD to diagnose exactly what the patient is allergic to.
In order to begin the diagnostic process our allergy doctor in Midtown NY holds a conversation with each patient, asking the patient a series of pointed questions concerning their symptoms, the onset of symptoms, lifestyle, diet and other relevant questions. The responses to these questions will often help narrow down the possible trigger substances and point our doctor in the right direction for further testing. Skin tests are an accurate way of finding out what types of substances are causing allergic reactions. Our doctor will either use a scratch test or a patch to test your sensitivity to various substances, such as dust, mold, pet dander, flowers and many others. The concentrated samples are placed on the skin, which will react to the samples that trigger an allergic reaction. Our doctor can also use blood testing to measure amounts of specific antibodies in the blood that are a reaction to particular trigger substances. If our doctor suspects a food allergy based on your symptoms he may systematically eliminate suspected food triggers for your diet to test whether they are the cause.
Once we’ve discovered what you’re allergic to the question becomes what can we do about it? The best remedy for an allergy is to avoid the trigger substance. In some cases this is an easy fix but in many cases the patient can’t easily avoid coming in contact with the offending substance, especially in the case of environmental or seasonal allergies. Depending on the type of allergy our allergy doctor in Midtown NY can prescribe both prescription and over-the-counter medications including antihistamines, decongestants, mast cell inhibitors as well as steroid and anticholinergic nasal sprays. Allergy shots can be used to desensitize the body to specific trigger substances by exposing it to small amounts of the substance over time to build up its own natural defenses. Don’t suffer with allergies call our office for an appointment.
Soho Health – Fagelman
155 Spring Street, 4th Flr
New York, 10012
(212) 343-0080