An independent clinic providing individual care
Board-certified in allergy and immunology, Gary C. Steven, M.D., Ph.D. and his staff operate the most state-of- the-art allergy and asthma referral center in southeastern Wisconsin. We provide the full range of allergy services for both children and adults with:
· Allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis
· Asthma and related lung disorders
· Acute and chronic sinusitis
· Urticaria (hives) and angioedema (swelling)
· Stinging insect and food allergies
· Clinical trials of new medications and devices for allergic rhinitis and asthma
Since our incorporation in 2003, the staff of the Allergy, Asthma & Sinus Center - a nurse practitioner, three clinical nursing staff, two clerical staff, two study coordinators, and both clinical and administrative office managers - have worked hard to develop the facilities and expertise to meet the needs of all allergic patients. See inside for more information on our special programs, including:
· Exercise challenge testing using a treadmill
· Exhaled nitric oxide analysis for better asthma care
· Fitness evaluation for asthmatics interested in scuba diving
· Fiberoptic rhinoscopic evaluation of upper airway symptoms and cough
Why should I see an Allergist?
Of course, it is reasonable and appropriate to first try over-the-counter medications, and then see what your primary care physician can do for you. However, you should see an allergist if these steps don’t give you the relief you need. Specific allergies are hard to diagnose just by asking questions about what your symptoms are and what causes them (are your indoor symptoms due to dust mites or the family cat?), and an accurate diagnosis ensures that we can recommend the right steps to take - if you’re so miserable that you would actually think about giving the cat away, it would be terrible to find out that you’re still miserable after the cat was gone because you’re really allergic to dust mites instead. It is important to see an allergist because blood tests are less accurate and more expensive than skin testing, and can miss milder, but still significant, sensitivities. Some other reasons to see an allergist:
· It is well-known that mouth-breathing during the night worsens orthodontic problems in children. Kids whose nose stays plugged despite medications should be fully diagnosed with testing.
· Studies have shown that children allergic to dust mites are 20 times more likely to develop asthma than other kids; early treatment of their allergies is essential to help prevent asthma. Furthermore, severely allergic children treated with allergy shots are 2.5 times less likely to develop asthma than kids who don’t get shots.
· All asthmatics should have lung function testing, at least once. Many people with allergies have worse lung function than they think they do, and the only way to find out about it is to do the test (see the video that explains how this is done on the Your First Visit page). We can’t treat a problem that we don’t know about, until it gets so bad that it becomes obvious. By that time, significant damage could already have been done in the lungs.
· Immunotherapy, or allergy shots, is more effective than medications - the shots actually make you less allergic, while medications simply mask the symptoms. Most people are able to reduce their medications while taking allergy shots, making it more cost effective than medications alone.
· The only effective treatment for bee-sting allergy is allergy shots. If you’ve had an allergic reaction to a bee, your doctor has probably given you an Epi-pen - using it will probably keep you alive until you reach the ER, but a course of allergy shots to bees will prevent you from having the allergic reaction in the first place.