Windom Allergy, Asthma, Sinus

Allergy shots for hay fever and allergic asthma has been around since 1911 (the 1 st published medical article).  The same concept of gradually desensitizing the allergic person to an airborne allergen is now being tried through an oral disintegrating tablet placed under the tongue, called sublingual immunotherapy.  A house dust mite tablet, Odacta, is coming out in 2018.  People with dust mite allergy will take the tablet daily to make them less allergic to household dust.  Our Expert opinion:  dust mite allergy shots are still the gold standard of successful treatment, but for those crazy-busy high school students or business...

You’ve surely seen the TV commercials about at least one of the many new, hugely $$, biologic drugs being approved for all sorts of diseases: psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, and our area of expertise, asthma.  The newest of these is Fasenra, a subcutaneous injection every 4-8 weeks for severe asthma patients over 12 years old.  While this was just approved, here at Sarasota Clinical Research and Windom Allergy we’ve had the opportunity of seeing our patients on the drug for the past few years.  We thank those patients for their help in the research and development of this drug.  Contact...

We just said goodbye to our 8 year-old milk allergic Australian who came to Sarasota for milk oral immunotherapy (OIT). She has returned to Brisbane drinking a small amount of milk daily. On the research front, Dr. Panida Sriaroon from All Children’s Hospital in St. Pete presented a poster of our first 72 peanut OIT patients in California at Stanford’s Gordon Research Conference. Dr. Shiaroon spent several days in Sarasota combing our records to prepare her awesome scientific presentation.

Do you know anyone who has had shingles?  If so, you know how miserable the skin and nerve ending condition can make you for weeks to months.  Shingles is the reactivation of childhood chickenpox, occurring at any age in adults, but most commonly after age 50.  There is no effective treatment for shingles, but there is prevention.  A new vaccine, Shingrix, is coming out in 2018 for people over 50, even those that have had shingles or the earlier Zostavax vaccine (yes, the new one is so superior it is still recommended if you had the older one).  Shingrix is given...

How exciting! Gulf Coast Family Living Magazine has published their 2017 reader’s choice awards for area's best in health and wellness! Windom Allergy, Asthma and Sinus was the winner for allergy specialists.

Holiday treats.  Volunteer to provide the allergen free snacks for holiday parties at school or provide the teacher with a box of allergen free snacks for your child so they don’t feel left out. Letting guests know.  Inform your guests that your child has a food allergy. Instead of food, guests may consider bringing holiday themed plates, cups or napkins. Planning ahead.  Let your host know that you or your child has a food allergy. Offer to bring allergen free foods for you and others to enjoy. Food labels.  If you are the host of a holiday feast, keep the ingredient...

2017 marks the five-year anniversary of Mylan's EpiPen4Schools® program. Schools interested in having a non-student specific EpiPen in their health room may request one from Mylan, the manufacturer of this life-saving device. New data presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting showed that more than 1,500 anaphylactic events were reported in the 2015-2016 school year, and nearly 60% of the time an epinephrine auto-injector was used, it was an EpiPen® (epinephrine injection, USP) Auto-Injector donated by the EpiPen4Schools program. Nearly one-third (30%) of individuals experiencing anaphylaxis had no previously known allergies, emphasizing the need...

Holiday travel, gatherings and decorations can be problematic for those with allergies and asthma. Here are a few tips on how to avoid potential triggers:   Travel.   Allergies to pet dander and dust mite are worse during the winter when there is less ventilation. Pet allergen can be carried in the air, on clothes and in hair. Dust mite exposure increases during the holidays when we travel, spend time in hotel rooms and in other people’s beds.  When traveling, remember to take your allergy medication and consider bringing your own pillow with an allergen-proof cover, or request a down-free pillow...

Food allergies aren’t just a kid thing.  A recent Northwestern University study out of Chicago showed 45% of food allergies in adults began during adulthood.   https://www.healio.com/internal-medicine/allergy-asthma-immunology/news/online/%7B0fb00b5a-fc15-4cf0-9d63-eb8c45976387%7D/many-food-allergic-adults-develop-a-new-food-allergy-in-adulthood?utm_source=selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=internal%20medicine%20news&m_bt=2189352409594

Thanksgiving is upon us and we hope to keep all of our food allergy patients safe and healthy this holiday season! If you are planning on hosting the perfect Thanksgiving meal please consider the following. 1. Save the ingredient labels for an allergic guest. They may feel more comfortable double-checking the ingredient list. 2. If your guests ask to contribute, suggest food alternatives such as flowers, or holiday-themed dinnerware. 3. Use a natural turkey. Pre-basted turkeys may contain top allergens such as soy, wheat, and dairy 4. Be careful of cross contamination. Don’t mix utensils while preparing dishes and wipe down...