America's Allergist Blog

As the weather continues to dip and germs are spread throughout school and work places, avoiding the flu is a high priority. On average, the flu puts about 200,000 people in the hospital each year, killing roughly 36,000. Although the flu vaccination only covers certain strains each year, it is still highly recommended for babies, kids, pregnant women, elderly people, and those with respiratory illnesses. Reducing your chance of the flu is easy to do. ·Make sure you get your flu shot – as stated above, the flu shot is recommended each year. It builds your immune system to fight...

Weekends are a time for running errands, catching up with friends and family, and the unfortunate task of cleaning the house. It’s usually the last thing on our list that we want to do, however, what if it helped keep asthma symptoms in control, especially for children? One in every 10 children has asthma. This is important, especially this time of year with cold weather, germs, colds and the flu circulating. Viruses can often lead to bronchitis, pneumonia and other respiratory issues for those with asthma. Keeping allergens outdoors and minimizing indoor allergens can reduce asthma symptoms in children, and...

It’s that time of year again. Back to school, the holidays, and the flu. The flu comes and goes, but for those who have certain health issues, the flu can linger and cause additional complications. So, are you at risk of these complications? Influenza is a viral infection that attacks your respiratory system. This includes the lungs, nose and throat. It is very contagious and can cause fevers, congestion, runny nose, headache, fatigue, chills, sore throat, cough and more. The flu makes people miserable and can knock you down for a couple weeks. It can be very serious for young...

Do you have trouble breathing? How about snoring, headaches, and face pain? You could be suffering from a deviated septum. A deviated septum happens when the bone and cartilage (nasal septum) separating the nasal cavity in half is crooked and pushes towards one side. This can cause problems breathing because it makes one side of the passage smaller. About 80% of people suffer from some type of alignment problem within their nasal septum, most of them not knowing about it. Deviated septums can be caused by trauma or an injury to the nose. People can also be born with one....

We’ve all been there – stuffy nose, runny nose, sinus pressure and pain, and watery, red, swollen eyes – the dreaded cold. People also experience these same symptoms with allergies. You may think the only way to look while sick is miserable, but there are a few ways to looking better while sick. For swollen, dark or red puffy eyes you can try cool compresses, ice packs, or ice cubes wrapped in towels or in bags to relieve swelling. Eye drops will help with redness (some prescription allergy eye drops may be available through your physician). You can also try...