SC Connecticut News

• Fall allergies typically begin in August and can last through October.

• To diagnose allergies, doctors may recommend either a blood test or a skin test.

• Some treatment options include over-the-counter medications, nasal sprays and immunotherapy.

CT ENT Sinus Center's Dr. Robert Weiss wants fall allergy sufferers to know they have options when it comes to allergy treatment.

While allergies shots still exist, sublingual allergy treatments are now readily available, where drops are placed under the patient’s tongue to provide daily treatment, effectively eliminating the problem many have with having to make regular visits to a doctor’s office for the shots.

According to WebMD, fall allergies typically begin in August as ragweed begins to release pollen. With the season lasting through October, patients now have the advantage of being able to travel with their treatments, as opposed to having to make trips to the doctor’s office or miss treatments altogether because they are away from home. Little by little, allergen titrations are released to provide immunity from those allergens.

“A lot of our patients we treat with immunotherapy,” Weiss told SC Connecticut News. "Immunotherapy is desensitizing someone to all the things they're allergic to. Your body will start to ignore those allergens and stop reacting to them. You don't have to have an injection. The injections, by and large, you must go to the allergist's office once a week, get the injection and wait around for 30 minutes, so they can make sure you're not going to have a bad reaction. You've got to park; you've got to go through traffic. With allergy drops, you get a little bottle of your recipe, and each day, you place drops under your tongue. You do this at home; you do it by yourself. You don't have to be at a medical practice to do it, and it's just as effective as the shots. A lot of our patients do that, and we've seen some very, very good results from using the drops."

Even people residing in areas where ragweed doesn’t grow are vulnerable to allergies, as the wind can easily carry ragweed pollen for hundreds of miles. Another common trigger is mold, which can grow in piles of damp leaves.

Seasonal allergy sufferers can also be affected by dust mites, which can become active as people begin to do things as simple as turn on the heat in their homes with the change of season. Dust mites are also commonly found in schools, making students susceptible as they return to the classroom. Common allergy symptoms include a runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, and itchy eyes and nose.

In arriving at a diagnosis, WebMD reports that doctors often review the patient's symptoms and medical history prior to recommending either a blood test or a skin test. For a skin test, the doctor will place a small amount of the allergen on the patient's skin, typically on the forearm or back. If the patient is allergic to that particular allergen, a small, itchy bump will appear.

Depending on the severity of the patient's allergies, doctors may recommend other treatment options that could include over-the-counter medications, nasal sprays or, in very severe cases, carrying an emergency epinephrine shot, such as an EpiPen.

If you have allergies and are considering seeking treatment, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.