Allergen: a substance that can provoke an allergic reaction in a sensitized person (animal dander, pollens, molds, foods.)

Allergy: an abnormal immune system response to a substance (allergen) that would otherwise be harmless.

Allergy Drops: a form of allergy treatment that uses drops of liquid placed under the tongue. For certain allergies, this treatment can be an alternative to traditional allergy injections. Also known as sublingual immunotherapy. (See Treatment for details.)

Anaphylaxis: a life threatening allergic reaction. Symptoms may include difficulty in breathing, wheezing, difficulty swallowing, hives, vomiting, diarrhea, swelling. Severe cases may lead to inability to breath and/or low blood pressure causing a person to feel light-headed, faint, or pass out. This may be fatal.

Asthma: a chronic lung condition caused by inflammation leading to "twitchy lungs." Symptoms can be wheezing, coughing, tightness in the chest, or shortness of breath. Asthma can be triggered by exposure to allergens, irritants (tobacco smoke), exercise, changes in temperature or infections.

Atopic Dermatitis or Eczema: a chronic skin condition that often occurs in people with allergies. Typically starts in childhood. Symptoms include dry skin that itches and is often red. Symptoms may worsen with exposure to irritants (detergents), changes in temperature, and allergens.

Board-Certified: a certification earned through post-doctoral work and qualifications that indicates a special level of expertise.

If you wish to know more about the board certification process, click here. (Note: All of our physicians have completed training in the specialty of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and have been certified by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology.)

Conjunctivitis: Itchy, watery eyes may be a sign of environmental allergy.  Inflammation can lead to chronic discharge, sensation of foreign body and redness.  Treatment includes identifing the allergic trigger, avoidance if possible, eye drops and immunotherapy.  Some prescription nasal sprays are also helpful in reducing occular symptoms.  Conjunctivitis can also be caused by infection ("pink eye") or by irritant exposure such as working in a dusty environment or exposure to tobacco smoke.

Congestion: Nasal congestion is swelling of the lining of you nose.  This can result from allergy, infection, or irritant exposure.  Prescription nasal spays are effective in reducing symptoms.  Allergy testing can identify your trigger and offer more definative treatment options.  Patients who use over-the-counter nasal sprays (topical decongestants) may experience medication rebound.  These sprays should be used for no more than 3-5 days in duration.

Epinephrine: an emergency medication, similar to your body?s natural adrenaline, which is used to treat allergic reactions. Patients with severe allergic reactions to foods or stinging insects should carry self-injectable epinephrine (EpiPen©) for use during emergencies. Side effects include racing heart and flushing. Any patient needing to use epinephrine must go to an Emergency Room for further observation.

Food Allergy/Hypersensitivity: occurs when an individual has an allergy antibody (IgE) to a particular food. If an allergic reaction occurs, symptoms usually develop within several minutes to an hour after eating the food. Symptoms may include hives, oral itching, wheezing, vomiting, diarrhea, or anaphylaxis.

Food Intolerance: an adverse food reaction that is not allergic in nature. Many patients are intolerant to certain foods, such as lactose intolerance. Sometimes small quantities are tolerated, with larger amounts leading to symptoms.

Histamine: a chemical released by allergy cells (mast cells) during an allergic reaction. Results in itching, redness and swelling, and is responsible for many of the symptoms of allergy. Medications called antihistamines work by blocking the action of this chemical.

Hives/Urticaria: Hives occur when allergy cells in the skin release large amounts of histamine causing local swelling and itching. Hives may be caused by an allergic trigger and usually last for several hours, eventually fading.

IgE: the allergy antibody found in the blood of allergic people. This is the antibody responsible for stimulating the allergy cells (mast cells) to release histamine, resulting in an allergic reaction.

Immunotherapy: a treatment program for allergic patients with respiratory allergies consisting of regular injections of allergens. This results in desensitization, or tolerance, to those allergens and can be a more definitive approach to treating allergies.

Mast cells: allergy cells located in the skin, nose, and respiratory tract which can release the chemical histamine. This causes many of the symptoms of allergy.

RAST Test or Serum IgE: a special blood test looking for the presence of allergy antibody (IgE) to specific allergens. May provide additional information to skin testing.

Skin Test: the preferred technique used to evaluate for presence of allergy. After a small amount of allergen is placed on the skin, the skin is lightly pricked with a plastic tooth-pick like device. If the patient is allergic, a small red bump will appear.

Vocal Cord Dysfunction: occurs when the vocal cords narrow during inspiration (breathing in). This may result in symptoms similar to asthma such as difficulty obtaining a deep breath. Some patients are mistakenly treated for asthma.

Wheezing: a high-pitched noise, often referred to as a whistling sound, which comes from the chest in a patient with asthma. May be accompanied by chest tightness or shortness of breath.