Seasonal allergies
Spring is in the air, and with it the romantic antics of plants, looking for mates. Pollen – clouds of it – is their love language. While some might dismiss the yellow powder as nothing more than a messy nuisance, pollen is, well, amazing stuff. It lasts forever, is uniquely regional and as a result it’s been used to convict murder suspects, trace counterfeit goods, and even give us insight into our distant past. Pollen grains have been found dating back 470 million years ago – quite a feat of bio-engineering.
In susceptible individuals, all that foreign protein floating on the breeze sets the body’s immune system off on a giant false alarm. Eyes water, noses run, throats itch, airways constrict. And climate change is only making the situation worse. After all, the key features of climate change (warmer temperatures and plenty of CO2) are exactly what plants need to grow.
Our advice to patients: use a multilayered defense, and start at the first sign of symptoms. Allergies are like supertankers – they take time to get going, and a long time to stop. Here’s our recipe:
1. Nasal steroids: if you can control symptoms at the nose, you hit a lot of bases. And skip the generics here – the branded versions (Nasonex, Flonase, Rhinocort) tend to create less irritation. Costco (like everything they sell) has the best price.
2. Eyedrops: Lots of options here including ketotifen, olopatadine, naphazoline, and more. Try a few until you find your favorite.
3. Non-sedating daytime oral antihistamine: we consider these third-line since they cover a lot of territory but don’t do anything really well. Examples include: Cetirizine (Zyrtec), levocetirizine (Xyzal), loratadine (Claritin), desloratadine (Clarinex), and fexofenadine (Allegra). Still better than the old stuff (Benadryl), which puts everyone to sleep.
4. Don’t ignore the value of good old irrigation. Nasal rinsing with the SinusRinse, or even a full shower and change of clothes after being outside in the yard is highly effective.
Still having problems? Please give your doctor a call to discuss!
Navigating care
We know there’s a lot of dysfunction in the health care system at large. Here are some tips for navigating common pain points outside of our doors:
Pharmacies and drug shortages
There has been a cascade of pharmaceutical shortages in recent months and years, and to further complicate matters, pharmacies are short-staffed. Unfortunately, we don’t have the resources to locate drugs for all patients all the time. Our solution: find out what mail order pharmacy is associated with your insurance plan, and sign up. Mail order pharmacies tend to have more reliable supply chains and customer service communications. So save yourself some time and money by subscribing.
Specialty office referrals
Just like pharmacies, specialty provider offices are in high demand. We encourage you to call for scheduling as soon as we issue the referral – you’ll find that contact information on your discharge summary from our clinic. We do what we can to refer you within our network of trusted providers, which often enables patients to get in for visits much quicker than they otherwise would. If you are getting stymied by a referral location – either unclear staff instructions or extended hold times – please let us know. You may actually need to visit that office to make your appointment when phones are overwhelmed.
Covid update
Here’s some good news. Covid hospitalizations in Oregon are at their lowest level since June 2020! We still recommend masking in high-risk situations (planes, trains), especially if you have underlying health problems.
Vaxcare
If you get a large, unexpected bill from Vaxcare, please contact us before paying. Sometimes it just requires Vaxcare re-running insurance to make sure your coverage is verified.
Tualatin office
Welcome to our newest team member, Shelbie Tanner! With her on board, we’ll be opening up in-office availability 5 days a week beginning in June. Just in time too, as our long-awaited remodel nearly underway, and our footprint will shrink a bit during the first phase of construction.
Breast cancer screening guidelines change
The US Preventive Services Task Force has updated the guidelines for breast cancer screening, again. • For those at average risk, mammograms are recommended beginning at age 40 and continuing every other year until age 74. • Those with a first-degree relative who’s had breast cancer or those who’ve had a past breast biopsy may qualify for supplemental screening. Talk with your doctor to learn more. ________________________________________
As always, we want to save something fun for the end… like Pilates!