Allergy shots from a Washington DC allergist are for you if you are interested in long-term allergy relief. Do you suffer from your allergy or asthma symptoms? Do you experience chronic sinus infections, recurrent sinus infections, and/or recurrent upper respiratory tract infection symptoms? Have you tried taking allergy medications, only to find that your symptoms are insufficiently mitigated? If you have had difficulty with your allergy symptoms, you should consider meeting with our highly ranked board certified allergy doctor in Washington, DC.
If you have tried a variety of avoidance measures and medications for your allergy symptoms, but nothing seems to adequately address them, we are prepared and eager to provide you with other options. We may suggest allergy shots (allergy immunotherapy; allergy injections) from our Washington DC allergy doctor as a potential remedy for your symptoms. There are a variety of reasons why allergy shots may be a great choice to alleviate your allergy symptoms and our allergy shots are specifically catered for you and the allergens that you are sensitive to in the Washington, DC environment.
Why Allergy Shots?
In order to understand why allergy shot treatment or allergy immunotherapy might work to combat your allergy symptoms, it is beneficial to understand how allergies work. When your body is exposed to a virus, bacteria, or parasite, your immune system fights the offending microbe to eradicate it from your body. This is similar to what your body does when you experience allergies as your immune system reacts to allergens such as dust mites, molds, pollens, pets, etc. Your allergy symptoms are the reactions that your body has created to fight the perceived invasion, but because many of the things that humans are allergic to are not harmful like viruses or bacteria, these reactions only make us suffer and feel miserable. Allergy shots are a method of building up an “immunity” against specific allergens so that when you are exposed to those allergens, your reactions are much less severe or in many cases nonexistent at all.
Allergy shots can seriously improve your quality of life. At our Washington, DC office, patients can receive their allergy shots anywhere from twice a week to once a month depending on their individual needs. When you first begin receiving your allergy shots, a very small amount of the allergens that triggers your allergic reactions is injected into your body. Over time, the amount of the allergens is increased in each injection and your body builds up an “immunity” to these allergens which results in alleviation of your allergy symptoms. Patients at our Washington, DC office often report successful results from their allergy shot treatments as allergy shots are effective in 80-85% of patients who take them. They can and are given to patients that vary in age from young children to elderly adults, as long as their medical history is reassessed. Allergy shots generally take between 4-6 months to begin to become effective and the average length of time on allergy shots is usually 3-5 years. Pregnant women can continue on allergy shots but should not begin a course of allergy shots if already pregnant. Our Washington DC allergy specialists are experts in allergy shot treatments that can reduce or eliminate your allergy symptoms and their complications which include, but are not limited to the following:
- Hay fever (allergic rhinitis) symptoms which may include runny nose, nasal congestion (stuffy nose), sneezing, post-nasal drip (mucus running down the back of your throat), itchy nose, a horizontal line that runs across the lower third of your nose (allergic crease), decreased sense of smell and/or taste, itchy eyes, watery eyes, red eyes, puffy eyes, dark circles under the eyes (allergic shiners), horizontal wrinkles or folds that occur directly below the lower eyelids (Dennie-Morgan lines), sore throat, itchy throat, earaches, itchy ears, clogged ears, sinus pain, sinus congestion, headaches, inability to concentrate, and/or fatigue
- Nasal polyps
- Itchy skin and/or hives if they are a result of exposure to physical contact with an allergen such as grass pollen, pets and animals, etc.
- Recurrent acute sinus infections
- Chronic sinus infections and/or painful sinuses
- Asthma symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, and/or chest tightness
Allergy shots can be helpful to you in diminishing or even eliminating some or all of your most serious allergy symptoms. If you, a family member, a friend, or a co-worker suffers from allergies or exhibits any of the above symptoms of allergies and/or asthma, please do not hesitate to contact our Washington, DC allergist’s office. You can call us directly at 202-466-4100 or you can click Request an Appointment and we will get in touch with you within 24 hours of the next business day. Black & Kletz Allergy has 2 other convenient Northern Virginia locations in addition to its Washington, DC office. We have offices in McLean, VA (Tysons Corner, VA), and Manassas, VA. There is on-site parking at all 3 of the offices and the Washington, DC and McLean (Tysons Corner, VA) locations are also Metro accessible. The board certified allergists at Black & Kletz Allergy treat both children and adults and has been serving the greater Washington, DC, Northern VA, and Maryland metropolitan area for over 50 years.