If you are a primary care physician, you probably see many allergic patients walk in the door of your practice. Allergies affect 1 in 5 Americans. And while allergies manifest in many predictable ways—a runny or congested nose, sneezing, and itchy eyes—they can also cause lesser-known symptoms. Allergies may trigger headaches, fatigue, chronic sinus and ear infections, eczema, asthma, gastrointestinal distress, and more.
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Prescription medications are often the opening salvo in the war against allergies. You may prescribe antihistamines, decongestants or corticosteroids. These drugs can take the edge off of seasonal allergies, but some patients complain that they do not offer full relief. And many of these medications come with side effects. Antihistamines can cause sedation, depression, and heart palpitations. Decongestants have been linked to seizures, difficulty breathing, and irregular heart rhythms. Corticosteroids can cause yeast infections, acne, and bone loss.
Turnkey Allergy Treatment Program
If your patients are unhappy with the side effects of medications, or if the medications are not providing adequate relief, you may refer a patient out for allergy treatment. Allergy immunotherapy is the only treatment that has been shown to reduce the underlying allergy—not just its symptoms. Allergy immunotherapy can provide long-term relief instead of simply a band-aid fix.
But rather than referring patients out for allergy immunotherapy and losing continuity of care, you can now offer a turnkey allergy treatment program in your practice. Our AllergyEasy program is easy to implement and allows you to order environmental and food allergy test kits. You can then prescribe sublingual immunotherapy, which is a shot-free form of allergy immunotherapy. With sublingual immunotherapy, patients can dispense liquid allergy drops under the tongue where they can absorb into the bloodstream through special cells in the mouth. Sublingual immunotherapy is safer than shots and can be dosed at home.
According to a recent Medscape Business Magazine article, two-thirds of people with allergies would prefer to receive treatment from their primary care physician than from an allergist. It’s a win for patients, who can get allergy treatment from a familiar doctor in a known setting. It’s also a win for doctors who can expand their services and increase their medical practice revenue.
Contact AllergyEasy to find out how you can add environmental and food allergy treatment to your services.
