Our Services

Allergy and Asthma Consultants of Mid-Michigan offers a full array of services to help you stay healthy. Some services we offer include:

Immunodeficiency

Getting an infection can be common but if you have frequent recurring sinus infections, bronchitis,pneumonia or other unusual infections it could be a sign of a low immune system. We will perform detailed lab testing to determine if you have impaired immune function. Allergic disease can cause recurrent infections as well. If an antibody deficiency is found, then treatment with immunoglobulin infusions may be indicated.

Insect Allergy

When stung by wasp, hornets and bee’s it can be painful and scary. A reaction to a sting can be either local where one develops large local swelling, redness and itching at site of sting. However if one develops a "systemic reaction" where you get generalized itching, hives, wheezing, swelling called anaphylaxis then this may be due to an "allergy to the stinging insect venom". To prevent future reactions, venom "allergy shots" may be indicated. With skin testing and a detailed history we can decide if venom immunotherapy is appropriate.

Eczema

Eczema is the most common skin condition, especially in children. It is due to a defect in the skin barrier and also called atopic dermatitis. It will cause red, scaly itchy patches. This chronic skin condition can cause significant discomfort, affect sleep and well being. We help patients to identify what allergic triggers may be involved. We will discuss proper skin care measures and medications to help keep the eczema under control.

Allergies

The most common allergies we see in our patients are environmental allergies which is also known as allergic rhinitis or hay fever. Symptoms can be year round or seasonal. You could be allergic to any combination of allergens including weeds, grasses, trees, molds, dust mites and animal dander. Allergies can also cause Asthma.

Treatment plans are based on allergy skin tests so one can identify the allergic triggers and implement environmental changes. We will also advise you as to what medications are appropriate or if allergy shots are indicated.

Allergy Shots

Some patients who have severe allergic rhinitis, asthma or insect sting allergy, are candidates for allergy shots also known as Allergen Immunotherapy.  Allergy shots will desensitize you to specific allergens that cause your symptoms. Symptom relief is achieved by beginning with small doses of allergen extract and gradually increasing the dose to achieve immunologic tolerance. This is achieved gradually and generally takes about 6 months. There is a small risk of an allergic reaction so patients have to wait in our office for 30 minutes after every injection.

Allergen immunotherapy ( allergy shots) results in improved quality of life, a reduced need for mediation and in some patients " tolerance to the allergen".

Asthma

Patients often come to our office and don’t realize that allergies and asthma go hand in hand. Asthma is a lifelong chronic breathing problem caused by inflammation of the airways in the lungs. Patients with asthma may experience shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing, and chronic cough. Diagnosis is based on history, exam and pulmonary function testing.

We work with our patients to determine which triggers are causing their asthma. Allergy skin testing can identify potential allergens. Once the diagnosis of asthma has been confirmed, we will prescribe appropriate treatments. Common therapies may include medications ( inhalers), allergy injections, and in severe cases, new biologic therapies may also be indicated in patients with severe uncontrolled asthma.

Chronic Cough

An occasional cough is normal, it helps clear irritants and secretions from your lungs and helps prevent infection. However, a cough that persists for weeks is usually the result of a medical problem. Some causes of a chronic cough, alone or in combination include postnasal drip, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, infections, or chronic bronchitis.

As Allergists, we can help determine the cause and treatment for Chronic cough.

Contact Dermatitis

Contact dermatitis can be caused by soaps, cosmetics, fragrances, jewelry and plants. This rash is described as a red, itchy rash, that is not contagious or life threatening but is very uncomfortable. To treat contact dermatitis successfully, you will need to identify and avoid the cause of your reaction. We can perform Patch skin testing to help you identify your triggers so that these can be avoided.

Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Eosinophilic esophagitis is a rare condition characterized by inflammation of the esophagus. Symptoms can vary by age. Infants may have feeding difficulties, irritability, and poor weight gain. Older children typically have regurgitation, vomiting, heartburn and belly pain. Teens and adults can also show symptoms to those of older children, they typically have chest pain with or without eating, difficulty swallowing and a feeling that their food gets stuck while swallowing.

Treatment is difficult and includes elimination diets and medications. Allergy testing can be helpful in determining which allergens are triggering your symptoms.

Food Allergies

An estimated 9 million adults and 6 million children have food allergies. There are 8 types of food that account for about 90% of all reactions: eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, and soy. Helping patients to understand the diagnosis is very important to our practice.

A combination of history, labs and skin testing will help the physician to determine whether the patient suffers from life threatening food allergies.  If necessary we do supervised oral food challenges in our office to determine whether a patient has " outgrown" their food allergies. We will help with setting up a "Food Allergy Action Plan" to prevent future reactions.

Hives

Hives affect about 20% of people at some time during their lives. Hives can present as red or skin colored, raised, itchy bumps. There are a wide variety of triggers for hives that include foods, medications, insect bites, latex, pollen, pet dander, plants and physical stimuli such as pressure, cold, heat or sun exposure. We perform appropriate skin testing, labs to determine the cause. In some patients cause of hives is unknown.

We are trained to treat hives aggressively with medications including Xolair - a biologic therapy, if none of the other medications are effective.

Medication Allergies

Some people experience reactions to medications such as rash, hives, itching, swelling, difficulty breathing, stomach problems and sometimes anaphylactic reactions. With a detailed history of what reactions you have had, along with testing done in our office we will help you to determine what medications you have an allergy to.

Vocal Cord Dysfunction

Patients can sometimes be misdiagnosed with asthma when really they have vocal cord dysfunction (VCD). These two conditions have many similar triggers and symptoms. However, the treatment approach for them are very different. Symptoms of vocal cord dysfunction can include difficultly breathing, coughing, wheezing, throat tightness, hoarse voice and voice changes.

We can evaluate and help treat our patients with VCD. Our doctors can prescribe treatments and give patients advice on techniques to help better control symptoms.

Pediatric Allergies

For parents it can be frightening to go through an allergic reaction with your child, or to watch your child suffer through eczema or asthma. We can perform testing as necessary with a focus on minimizing discomfort. With a detailed history from the parents and the results of the testing we will find a solution for your child's symptoms.

Sinus Problems

If you have nasal congestion, facial pressure, cough and thick nasal discharge you may have rhinosinusitis, commonly referred to as sinusitis. We help patients to determine what type of sinusitis they have. We work closely with the patients to advise enviromental changes, medications and when appropriate allergy injections. It’s our goal to help our patients live a symptom free life.

Angioedema

Angioedema is swelling in the deep layers of the skin. Angioedema most often occurs in the soft tissue such as lips, eyelids, hands or feet. In some severe cases there is tongue or throat swelling which can be life threatening.

Our doctors will review your history in detail, perform appropriate testing and screen for rare diseases that may be causing the swelling. The doctor will  prescribe appropriated treatments to keep swelling controlled.