Here are a few allergy pro tips to share with your loved ones.  The most joyful time of the year is upon us, and we at Windom Allergy are choosing to keep things simple. We want to focus our time and energy on family and friends and do less. Decorate less. Worry less.  1.  For food allergy friends - If you are planning on hosting a holiday meal, please save the ingredient labels for your allergic guests.  Also, have guests be mindful of cross-contamination. Please don’t mix utensils while preparing dishes, and wipe down surface areas with soap and water.  2. ...

You might be smirking and saying to yourself that central Florida doesn’t have a Fall. If I weren’t an allergist and self-declared Lorax, I would agree with you. But fortunately for us, I am.  We don’t have a change of leaf colors, but we do have a change of pollen. It’s mid-September and a delightful patina of weed and grass pollen is on your patio. Not to mention, it’s the rainy season and the mold spore count is up.  Most of the time I have a general idea of what allergens are outside based on my patients’ symptoms plus knowledge of...

Our doctors organized and lectured at the 5th Annual Food Allergy Support Team (FAST) meeting held in Dallas, TX June 17-8, 2022. The meeting, for doctors in the US and Canada, offers the most cutting-edge information on treatment for food allergy. Our experiences at Windom Allergy were shared with the attendees and we picked up a few tips from other physicians. You may find the FAST website of interest:www.fastOIT.org.  New and Exciting! Allergy desensitization has taken many forms over the decades – subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT, or allergy shots) for environmental allergy, oral and intravenous desensitization for drug allergy, and oral immunotherapy (OIT) for food...

As seen here :  https://www.wesh.com/article/severe-allergies-treatment-oral-immunotherapy/39875473# Cole Dhoore, 5, has been forced to live differently than most kids. "They said never leave the house without an EpiPen,” said Cole’s mom, Hannah Dhorre. Cole has a severe allergy to cashews and walnuts. His mom was told Cole should never come into contact with anything that might bear even traces of tree nuts. "Once he started pre-school, that’s when we really realized how much it was going to impact him socially, and that’s when it felt more real and more scary,” said Dhoore. But a year ago, Hannah learned other kids with food allergies were...

Hello, I’m BJ and I joined the Windom Allergy family in June 2021. I was born and grew up in Southwest Florida. I have also lived in western North Carolina for a few years and recently relocated to Port Charlotte with my mom. Nursing has been my main career and I specialized and currently work in Clinical Research. I have two amazing children; my daughter Julia and my son John. I am an author and I write inspirational Christian poetry. In addition to writing, things that I enjoy doing are reading, walking, golfing, gardening, spending time at the beach, going to flea markets and...

You would think that eye allergies would be easy to treat. In the US alone, up to 40% of the population has been affected by eye allergies, AKA allergic conjunctivitis. However, the poor eyes often get overlooked in order to treat the more obvious allergic diseases like asthma, allergic runny nose, or eczema. Underdiagnosis and undertreatment can lead to chronic annoyance and, rarely, a serious eye condition.  Did you know the eyes are “privileged”? The eyes are considered an immune privileged site, and for good reason. They have evolved in a variety of ways to stop immune responses and preserve vision. Sounds...

Hi, I’m Rose and I have been with the wonderful Windom Allergy family for over 3 years! Most of my life I lived in Ohio, but I have always longed to be where it is warm and sunny. Luckily, I was able to relocate to Florida and have been enjoying the sunshine here ever since. Some of my favorite things to do in the sunshine are walking, bird watching, enjoying the beach and riding my bike on the wonderful trails in the area. I became a nurse following my grandmother’s example in 1983. I have worked in dermatology, periodontics and allergy...

We are sad to say goodbye to Dr. Tara Saco. We will surely miss her, but at the same time we are happy that she is pursuing her dreams!We wish you the best of luck Dr. Saco!

I thought being a pediatrician would give me a fairly large advantage in the game of motherhood. Unfortunately, I learned quickly how my preconceived plans and mantras were “cute” in the eyes of my ferocious newborn Evelyn. By the time my second kid, Tanner, was born I thought “this was it.” I could use my knowledge and experience to finally have the perfect baby experience. I almost had it until he turned 2 months old and the first signs of dry skin appeared. I admit I was a bit sleep deprived and likely in denial that me, an allergist of all...

Hot off the internet press, Cleveland Clinic just published their results that nasal steroids, like over-the-counter Flonase and Rhinocort, may impact COVID-19 related outcomes in a good way. Cleveland Clinic reviewed 72,147 patients positive for COVID. They compared patients who were on nasal steroids before getting COVID to those not on them. They looked at who got hospitalized, admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), or died in hospital. Compared with nonusers, nasal steroid users had a lower risk for hospitalization (decrease by 22%), ICU admission (decreased by 23%), and in-hospital mortality (decreased by 24%). As with any new research, more...