Spring allergies in the Tri-Cities are nothing to sneeze at

Watery eyes, a scratchy throat, coughing and, of course—sneezing. If you’re among the more than 50 million in the United States who suffer from allergies, you’ll agree, allergies are certainly nothing to sneeze at. They can be quite serious.

The Tri-Cities region ranks near the top in spring allergy prevalence, ranking 21st out of 100 cities throughout the United States. Knoxville ranks 6th. (The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s allergy report compares cities based on key environmental and medical factors.)

HMG’s David Cowden, MD, says he is not surprised by this ranking.

“The incidence of allergies in the Tri-Cities is extremely high,“ says Dr. Cowden, an ear, nose & throat specialist with more than three decades of advanced allergy testing and immunotherapy experience. “As the report indicates, our region is home to a tremendous number of offending allergens.”

Allergies are characterized by an overreaction of the human immune system to a foreign protein substance (allergen) that is eaten, breathed into the lungs, injected or touched.

For the person with allergies, their immune system overreacts, resulting in symptoms such as: coughing; sneezing; itchy eyes; a clear, runny nose; or a scratchy throat. More severe cases can result in rashes, hives, lower blood pressure, difficulty breathing, asthma attacks and even death.

There are no cures for allergies—only prevention and treatment.

“Surprisingly to some, allergies are the fifth leading chronic disease in the United States,” explains HMG’s Hal Loveless, MD, an ear, nose & throat specialist with advanced allergy training. Dr. Loveless has been providing allergy testing and treatment since 1986.

Drs. Cowden and Loveless, along with HMG ear, nose & throat specialist Jeff Hunt, MD, offer both skin and blood testing for specific allergens known to be associated with allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, asthma, and insect anaphylaxis.

“If allergy testing is positive, it confirms the validity of using allergy medications and/or allergy shots to control a patient’s symptoms,” explains Dr. Loveless. “If allergy testing is negative, the patient doesn’t need to spend their time or money on allergy treatment.”

One in five Americans suffer from all types of allergies including indoor/outdoor, food & drug, latex, insect, skin and eye allergies.

Among physicians in the U.S., there is wide latitude of belief in respect to allergy testing and treatment. Some advocate skin testing for allergies while others only blood testing. Some will treat food allergies with immunotherapy, others will not. Likewise, some will provide allergy injections for insect venoms, others will not.

As for Drs. Cowden, Hunt and Loveless, they do not agree with immunotherapy for food allergies.

“We feel that is unsafe and of unproven efficacy,” explains Dr. Cowden.
Yet, for those who allergy testing has revealed specific allergens and who are good candidates for allergy immunotherapy, both allergy specialists agree that their outcomes with allergy injections have been quite successful.

“Our experience has been that relief from allergy symptoms can be expected for between 70 to 90 percent of the patients who are treated,” says Dr. Cowden.

Allergy shots, or immunotherapy, are custom-mixed for each individual patient within HMG Ear, Nose & Throat by trained medical professionals. Each mixture contains the allergens to which an individual patient is allergic.

“The beginning concentration of each allergen in the mixture is determined by the relative allergenicity of each antigen,” explains Dr. Loveless. “Only with accurate allergy test results can you create the specific allergy mixture for each patient.”

In addition to allergy treatment, HMG Ear, Nose & Throat also provides specific counseling regarding possible food allergies and environmental modifications. Such counseling can greatly reduce a patient’s exposure to offending antigens.

For more information concerning allergy testing and immunotherapy, talk with your HMG primary care provider or contact HMG Ear, Nose & Throat at 423-990-2494 (Bristol) or 423-392-6299 (Kingsport).