Windom Allergy, Asthma, Sinus

There is a down side to living in the beautiful subtropics of Sarasota. We rarely get freezing temperatures that stop the grasses, trees, and weeds from pollinating. In fact, our grass pollen season is about ten months long! But if you're still sneezing and blowing your nose when we get some frost, you might have indoor allergies. Common causes of winter, indoor allergies are dust mites, pets and molds. The Sarasota humidity allows dust mites and mold to flourish. If you have allergy symptoms that are severe enough to require medical treatment, it’s likely time to see an allergist. Once you...

The lungs of asthma patients are very sensitive to the air we breathe.  While Red Tide annoys all of us, asthmatics are prone to bronchospasm and cough when exposed to the aerosolized toxin, an all to present occurrence in 2018 along coastal Florida .  We now head into cooler weather, yet another trigger for the ‘twitchy’ airways of people with asthma.  Many of our asthma patients need to increase their maintenance medications during the winter months.  Knowing what triggers your asthma is key to staying healthy. https://www.visitsarasota.com/article/beach-conditions-red-tide-and-travel-alerts

Congratulations to Dr. Fergeson and colleagues on the success of their article “The Electronic Cigarette: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” which was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. This article was one of the top cited articles in 2017 and has provided the medical community with valuable information on the risks and benefits of electronic cigarette use in asthmatic smokers and highlights what questions still need to be answered.  Electronic cigarettes (EC) are battery-powered nicotine delivery systems that have increased in popularity since they entered the US market. EC has been reported to contain...

Happy holidays from Windom Allergy! We are truly grateful to be a part of your lives. We cherish the trust you have in us in keeping you and your loved ones safe and healthy. Here are some food allergy tips to navigate the holiday parties. If you are planning on hosting please consider the following. Save the ingredient labels for an allergic guest. They may feel more comfortable double-checking the ingredient list.If your guests ask to contribute, suggest food alternatives such as flowers, or holiday-themed dinnerware.Use a natural turkey or meat. For example, Pre-basted turkeys may contain top allergens such as...

Dr. Windom was on the Sunday program at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology in Seattle.  His lecture on food oral immunotherapy (OIT) was part of a program presented by Dr. Robert Wood from Johns Hopkins and Dr. Wesley Burks from the University of North Carolina.  The ACAAI meeting is held each fall, attracting allergist/immunologists from the United States and abroad. www.acaai.org

Windom Allergy continues to be at the forefront of treating food allergy patients with oral immunotherapy (OIT). Dr. Windom published an article about the current status of OIT in the United States in the September issue of the Annals of Allergy Asthma & Immunology. The article reported on the collaboration of allergists offering OIT as discussed at their 1st annual meeting in 2017. The group met again in the summer of 2018, at which Drs. Ly and Fergeson lectured on “Initiating Peanut OIT in Children under Four Years Old. https://www.annallergy.org/article/S1081-1206(18)30483-6/fulltext

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.

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 labels from the food you are serving...

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 dairy4. Be careful of cross contamination. Don’t mix utensils while preparing dishes and wipe down surface areas with...