>>JENNIFER READY: HELPING YOU LIVE HEALTHY. IT’S A TIME OF THE YEAR THAT MANY PEOPLE
DREAD FOR MANY SPRINGTIME
MEANS SEASONAL ALLERGIES. AND
IN FACT, MORE THAN 50% OF
PEOPLE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL
ALLERGIES GET WORSE IN THE
SPRING. SO JOINING US NOW TO
DISCUSS HOW TO CONTROL THE
SYMPTOMS. AND WHEN YOU SHOULD
VISIT A DOCTOR IS DOCTOR
ALEXANDER FOR RIDE WITH H C A
FLORIDA ORANGE PARK. SO GOOD
MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BEING HERE MORNING. THANK YOU
FOR HAVING ME. YEAH,
ABSOLUTELY. SO TELL ABOUT
ALLERGIES AND REALLY ARE THE
COMMON FOR PEOPLE IN FLORIDA.
HAVE YOU NOTICED? YOU’RE
BEAUTIFUL. YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE
YEAR ROUND?
>> WELL, I THINK THAT’S ONE OF
THE PRICES YOU PAY FOR BEING
SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PART OF THE
COUNTRY. ALLERGIES ARE
EXCEEDINGLY COMMON. AND, YOU
KNOW, BECAUSE OF OUR CLIMATE
DOWN HERE, THERE’S ALMOST A
SEASON WHERE WHERE TREES ARE
ALWAYS POLLINATING OR GRASSES
OR OR WEEDS. AND IT’S ALMOST
CONTINUOUS. SO STATISTICALLY,
IT’S IT’S ACTUALLY VERY
CALMING DOWN HERE. AND I KNOW
THAT.
>> ALLERGIES CAN LOOK
DIFFERENT ON DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THEM ARE
COMMON SYMPTOMS? SO COMMON
SYMPTOMS CAN BE RUNNING NOSE
CONGESTION, ITCHY EYES,
SNEEZING.
>> PROBLEMS, WHEEZING. WHEN
YOU BREATHE, THOSE CAN ALL BE
CONTRIBUTED TO ALLERGIES,
INCLUDING FACIAL PAIN
PRESSURE. THEY CAN MAKE THINGS
WORSE IN LEAD TO OTHER
CONDITIONS.
>> I KNOW FOR THE MOST PART,
SOME PEOPLE MIGHT JUST TRY TO
TREAT IT WITH, YOU KNOW, AT
SOME LOCAL ALLERGY MEDICINE,
YOU GET FROM YOUR LOCAL BUT
WHEN SHOULD YOU SEEK HELP FROM
A PROFESSIONAL? WELL, SO THAT
THEY CAN BECOME. I’M GLAD YOU
BROUGHT THAT UP.
>> SO ORAL ANTIHISTAMINES,
THINGS LIKE ALLEGRO CLAIRTON.
THOSE CAN BE REALLY HELPFUL IN
CONTROLLING YOUR DAILY
SYMPTOMS. WHAT’S USUALLY WHEN
THOSE AREN’T ENOUGH OR WHEN
YOU’RE HAVING TO TAKE A MORE
OFTEN THAN NOT, YOU KNOW, ALSO
NASAL STEROIDS CAN ALSO BE
QUITE HELPFUL IN TERMS OF
CONTROLLING YOUR SYMPTOMS. BUT
IT’S REALLY WIN. YOU’RE
STARTING TO NOTICE THAT THE
SYMPTOMS ARE WELL CONTROLLED
BY THOSE MEDICATIONS OR YOUR
SYMPTOMS ARE SO SEVERE THAT
DESPITE THOSE MEDICATIONS THAT
IT’S REALLY INTERFERING WITH
YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE AND YOUR
ABILITY TO
>> INTO THE ENJOY THE THINGS
AROUND YOU. I AND I KNOW THAT
SURGERY IS ALSO A POTENTIAL
OPTION. TELL ME THE RISK
FACTOR THAT COMES WITH THAT
TYPE OF SURGERY AND WHAT ARE
THE BEST OPTIONS WHEN YOU
SHOULD DECIDE, OK, SURGERY IS
THE BEST BET.
>> YEAH, I THINK YOU REALLY
HAVE TO YOUR MEDICAL APPROACH
TO PERSONALIZE IT TO EVERYONE
AND BASICALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT
ARE THEIR SYMPTOMS AND WHAT
BOTHERS THEM. SO ALLERGIES
WHEN THEY GET OUT OF CONTROL
CAN LEAD TO OTHER THINGS LIKE
ASTHMA WHEEZING, PROBLEMS WITH
BREATHING, AS WELL AS WITH
SIDE TO SIDE AS A SINUS
INFECTIONS, FACIAL PAIN
PRESSURE, THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND WHEN YOU START TO DEVELOP
THOSE SECONDARY TYPES OF
MEDICAL PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF
UNCONTROLLED ALLERGIES OR
OTHER REASONS, THAT’S REALLY
WHEN SURGERY CAN HELP. IT’S
NOT NECESSARILY A MAGIC
BULLET, BUT IT CAN REALLY
IMPROVE YOUR SYMPTOMS. SO WHEN
YOU’RE GETTING, YOU KNOW, 3,
4, 5 SINUS INFECTIONS A YEAR,
AND THEY’RE NOT GETTING BETTER
WITH MEDICATIONS OR
ANTIBIOTICS. JUST DON’T SEEM
TO WORK. THAT’S REALLY THE
TIME WHERE YOU READ, YOU
SHOULD BE EVALUATED TO SEE.
HEY, IS THERE SOMETHING WE CAN
DO IN TERMS OF MEDICAL
MANAGEMENT, CULTURE, DIRECTED
ANTIBIOTICS, LOOKING AT YOUR
KNOW, SEEING IF THERE ARE
ENOUGH COOL THINGS AND THEN
UNDERSTANDING WHAT ARE THE
THINGS THAT YOU WANT IMPROVE
AS THE OFFICIAL PAY? THE
PRESSURE IS THAT SENSE OF
SMELL IS A TASTE. IS IT A
RUNNY THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
AND THAT’S REALLY WHEN NOW,
WHEN SEEING A SPECIALIST AND
THAT’S ALSO ONE SURGEON CAN
MAKE A DIFFERENCE CASE. LET’S
TALK ABOUT THE COST OF
SURGERY.
>> WHAT IT TYPICALLY BE
COVERED BY INSURANCE. WHAT
DOES THAT PROCESS LOOK LIKE?
YEAH, YOU KNOW, I JUST TAKE
CARE OF PEOPLE. SO WHEN IT
COMES TO INSURANCE, I DON’T
REALLY FOLLOW THAT CLOSELY. I
THINK IT COMES DOWN YOUR PLAN
FOR THE MOST PART. YES, IT IS.
COVERED BY INSURANCE. IT IS AN
ELECTIVE PROCEDURE.
>> IT’S A VERY COMMON
PROCEDURE. THE SUN ACROSS THE
COUNTRY TO TREAT THINGS LIKE
THIS. SO IT’S ABSOLUTELY AN
INDICATION. AND SO, YOU KNOW,
YOU’RE POST-OPERATIVE CARE.
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF
HORROR STORIES ABOUT WHAT
SINUS SURGERY IS LIKE AN YOU
KNOW, DO IS PACKING AND HOW
PAINFUL IT IS. AND, YOU KNOW,
THEY HEAR ABOUT THESE
LONG-TERM SYMPTOMS WERE ALL MY
MY UNCLE HAD THE SEARCH AND IT
WAS JUST TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.
AND SO THAT’S REALLY NOT THE
EXPERIENCE ANYMORE. YOU KNOW,
MEDICINE HAS COME A REALLY
LONG WAY. WE DO EVERYTHING
THROUGH THE NOSE. THERE’S NO
EXIT ON STATIONS. NO. HAVEN’T
ANY IDEA ANYTHING DONE? AND SO
PEOPLE REALLY FEEL ACTUALLY
PRETTY GOOD RIGHT AFTER
SURGERY. NOTICE A BIG
IMPROVEMENT. AND SO I THINK
THAT’S THE KEY WITH USING
TECHNOLOGY AND DIFFERENT
APPROACHES, WE NO LONGER PACK
YOU. THE EXPERIENCE. VERY
DIFFERENT PEOPLE REALLY ABLE
TO START ENJOYING THE QUALITY
OF LIFE. OKAY. SO I THINK THAT
SURGERY COULD BE AN OPTION IF
YOU’RE REALLY SUFFERING FROM
SEVERE ALLERGIES. SO
>> IF YOU’RE NOT, THOUGH, WHAT
IS THE BEST THING TO DO?
SHOULD YOU JUST START OFF WITH
TRYING TO GET SOMETHING AT
YOUR, YOU KNOW, LOCAL PHARMACY
OR SHOULD YOU JUST TRY TO KIND
OF JUST HANDLE IT?
>> WELL, I THINK THERE’S KIND
OF LIKE AVOIDANCE OF PUTTING
YOURSELF IN HIGH-RISK
SITUATIONS. SO, YOU KNOW,
THERE ARE SOME WHAT WE CALL
BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. SO
MAYBE TRYING TO LIMIT YOUR
EXPOSURE CHECKING ON THE DAYS
OF THE POLLEN COUNTS ARE HIGH,
MAYBE NOT SPENDING QUITE AS
MUCH TIME OUTSIDE. THERE ARE
LITTLE THINGS YOU CAN DO IF
YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE THE FORTUNE
OF TO HAVE A CENTRAL COOLING
SYSTEM. IF A FILTER SYSTEM FOR
THE WHOLE HOUSE THAT CAN HELP.
ALSO HAVING A HEPA FILTER IN
YOUR BEDROOM COULD BE HELPFUL
BECAUSE STATISTICALLY, THAT’S
THE RIM. WE SPEND THE MOST
AMOUNT OF TIME AND OTHER THAN
THAT, MAYBE LIMITING ONE THING
THAT I TELL. MY PATIENTS IS
VERY HELPFUL AS BABY SHOWER IN
THE EVENING. YOU KNOW, YOU CAN
THINK OF YOUR HAIR IS KIND OF
LIKE A SPONGE FOR POLLEN. SO
THOSE HIGH POLLEN DAYS, YOU
KNOW, IF YOU DON’T WASH YOUR
HAIR BEFORE YOU GO TO BED, YOU
PUT IN YOUR PILLOW, YOU
ROLLING YOUR PILLOW. AND THEN
NEXT THING, YOU KNOW, YOU’RE
BREATHING THAT IN ALL NIGHT.
SO LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT.
MAYBE NOT NOT HANG YOUR
CLOTHES OUTSIDE. SO THERE ARE
CERTAIN THINGS LIKE THAT IN
TERMS OF MEDICATIONS, YOU
KNOW, USING AN ANTIHISTAMINE
TOPICAL STEROIDS LIKE FLOWN
A’S OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE
LINES CAN CAN DEFINITELY HELP
MAKE AN IMPROVEMENT TO. SO
THERE’S MEDICATIONS AND THEN
TAILORING PERSONALIZING THE
MEDICATIONS IS KIND OF THE
NEXT LEVEL. WHEN YOU SEE A
SPECIALIST AND THEN SEEING
WHAT TYPE JUMPED OF THERAPIES
AND SOME OF THOSE I JUMPED UP
THERE. A PIECE MIGHT BE.
>> YOU KNOW, OR EVEN SURGERY,
OK? WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR ALL THOSE OUT THERE THAT
ARE SUFFERING FROM ALLERGIES.
YOU HAVE A WHOLE A LOT OF