Are you tired of dealing with persistent allergy symptoms that disrupt your daily life? Look no further! Dr. Pastorek has decades of experience as a general doctor / primary care provider treating patients with allergies. As a board-certified internist, Dr. Pastorek can help you develop a treatment plan to improve your quality of life by mitigating your annoying and frustrating allergy symptoms.
According to the Allergy Foundation of America, DFW is the second worst metropolitan area for allergies. More than 100 million people in the USA experience various types of allergies, and allergies are the 6th leading cause of chronic illness in the USA.
Our highly experienced internist at Pure Medicine, located in Frisco, Texas, offers comprehensive treatment for your allergy symptoms.
Allergies are the body’s way of reacting (or over-reacting) to substances that it considers harmful, even when the substances are generally harmless.
There are several different types of allergies that affect the body in different ways:
After obtaining a thorough medical history, including carefully ascertaining when and how your allergy symptoms developed, Dr. Pastorek likely will order basic laboratory tests, including a possible food allergy panel and begin treatment with various prescription and over-the-counter therapies.
If your primary symptoms are skin-related (itching/rash), Dr. Pastorek may suggest changing to a hypo-allergenic detergent and using Dove soap and other hypo-allergenic soaps/lotions. Food allergy testing may be appropriate as well, and if you’re found to be allergic to any foods, those foods should be avoided. Depending on how you respond to initial treatment, referral to a dermatologist may be indicated.
If your primary symptoms are allergic rhinitis symptoms (sneezing, itchy nose, runny/blocked nose, cough), a trial of allergy medications and nasal irrigation may be prescribed, and food allergy testing may be ordered as well. Depending on how you respond to treatment, it may be necessary for Dr. Pastorek to refer you to an allergist for formal allergy testing (allergy skin testing) and subsequent allergy shots.
If your primary symptoms are pulmonary in nature (such as asthma), it may be necessary to start therapy with inhaled steroids in addition to other allergy treatments.
For food allergies, the food basic allergy panel (a blood test) will show whether you have any food allergies and will also show how bad the allergies are (equivocal/low, moderate, high, or very high).
The standard food allergy panel tests for the following allergies:
For confirmed food allergies, the treatment is as easy as avoiding the foods to which you’re allergic.
Mild drug allergies can be diagnosed by trial and error (stop medications one at a time to see if symptoms resolve and then resume medications one at a time to see if the symptoms return). Any offending drugs should be added to your allergy list and avoided.
For allergic rhinitis and asthma, there are a number of treatments available.
Dr. Pastorek likes to use the water dam analogy when discussing how allergies should be treated:
Imagine you’re allergic to pollen. When pollen particles are inhaled and make contact with the mucosa inside your nose, imagine there’s a dam that suddenly has 100 holes in it, so water starts pouring out, causing runny nose, post-nasal drip/cough, itchy eyes, and other typical allergy symptoms.
There are several medications that work to plug up those holes.
Anti-histamines may plug up 20-30 of the holes.
Steroids may plug up 20-30 of the holes.
Leukotriene inhibitors may plug up another 20 holes.
Oftentimes, it takes several medications to stop the allergic reaction cascade - or plug up as many holes in the dam as possible.
You may need a few different types of medications to plug up enough holes to control the symptoms, and if you’re unable to control the symptoms, it may be necessary to see an allergist for formal allergy skin testing and subsequent allergy shots to desensitize yourself to the allergen (pollen in this case) so the holes don’t appear in the first place.
Another treatment for allergies is the neti-pot, Navage brand, or other nasal irrigation products. By flushing your nose out daily or a few times a week, you’re getting rid of the allergen (pollen in this case) so the 100 holes never open up in the dam.
Finally, avoiding the allergen in the first place is ideal (if feasible). One way to test and see if your allergies are related to environmental factors in the DFW area is to go on a trip to Vegas or a beach or a cruise. Patients typically notice their symptoms resolve during the trip, and it’s not uncommon for people to notice their symptoms return immediately ‘the minute they step off the plane at DFW.’
***Note - if any of these medications are used, and you’re referred to an allergist for allergy testing, you likely will need to stop treatment several days prior to allergy testing***
Antihistamines
Topical Nasal Steroids
Topical Inhaled Steroids - used mainly for asthma
Systemic steroids - Prednisone, methylprednisolone (Solu-Medrol)
Leukotriene inhibitors - montelukast (Singulair), zafirlukast (Accolate), zileuton (Zyflo)
To request your appointment, please call (469) 414-9660 or contact us online today!
Pure Medicine
4645 Avon Lane, Suite 200
Frisco, TX 75033
Phone: (469) 414-9660
