Entries by Michael Park

The Facts About Honey And Allergies

Eating local honey has been considered a natural way to treat one’s seasonal allergies for many years. The rationale is since local honey is made with the local pollens from the area, eating the honey on a regular basis will naturally desensitize you to those pollens. Sounds nice, but does this really work? The short […]

Don’t Blame The Cotton!

In late May to early June, we often start to see the cottonwood trees shed their seeds. White, fluffy, cotton-like material can be seen floating all over the place. Some people get itchy and sneeze right around this same time of the year. Naturally, they blame the cotton. Their symptoms must be due to cottonwood […]

Peanut allergies can be deadly. This treatment might do more harm than good, study says

Brett Molina, USA Today, 2019 Oral treatment for peanut allergies dramatically increase allergic reactions compared to avoiding the treatment altogether, a study published Thursday revealed. The study published in The Lancet pulled together results from 12 randomized, controlled trials, including more than 1,000 patients, to compare how participants fared using oral immunotherapy, a treatment where a […]

ABCs of over-the-counter allergy medications – Part 4

Nasal decongestants come in two basic forms.  One is oral pseudoephedrine, better known as Sudafed.  This drug causes vasoconstriction of the blood vessels.  Since nasal stuffiness is caused by vasodilation of the nasal blood vessels, you can see how it can be an effective treatment.  Since antihistamines alone are not good at treating nasal stuffiness, […]

ABCs of over-the-counter allergy medications – Part 2

In Part 1, I discussed oral antihistamines.  In this post, I will review OTC allergy nasal sprays.  The main OTC options are Nasacort (triamcinolone), Flonase (fluticasone propionate), Rhinocort (budesonide), and Flonase Sensimist (fluticasone furoate).  These allergy nasal sprays are far more effective compared to oral antihistamines when it comes to treating classic allergy symptoms.  So, […]

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New research shows 73 percent of allergists prescribe under-the-tongue allergy tablets

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL – (APRIL 2, 2019) – Allergy shots (subcutaneous immunotherapy or SCIT) have been available for more than 100 years. Allergy tablets (sublingual immunotherapy or SLIT) have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the United States for four years. A new study in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the […]

Seasonal Allergies – Trees start pollenating at the end of March in southwest Michigan

Common Seasonal Allergy Triggers If you sneeze and cough during certain times of the year, you may have seasonal allergies. However, occasional allergies aren’t something you just have to live with. An allergist can pinpoint the cause and help you find relief. In many areas of the United States, spring allergies begin in February and last until […]