May 15, 2019
Stone Oak Allergy Featured in Parents Magazine
We are excited to share Stone Oak Allergy’s spotlight in Parents Magazine!
An Expert Approach to Allergy Relief
Stone Oak Allergy’s expert team of allergists and immunologists provide personalized treatments to help patients feel better faster.
Jennifer Edwards had become convinced that her allergies would never go away. She had received twice-weekly injections for more than a year during her early 20s but found no relief from the sneezing, watering eyes, sinus infections, and bronchitis caused by her allergies to ragweed and grass clippings. For more than a decade, Jennifer knew to expect six weeks of suffering every fall and spring. “Every September, I felt like I was dying,” Jennifer recalls. “Every March, I felt like I was dying. It was like clockwork.”
Even after joining Greater Austin Allergy to become its chief operating officer, Jennifer was skeptical that her new employer could do anything to provide her relief. It was only after she familiarized herself with the practice’s expert immunologists and the treatment options offered that Jennifer decided to give treatment a second chance. Instead of traditional immunotherapy or sublingual allergy drops, Jennifer opted for a more potent, progressive treatment option: cluster immunotherapy, a personalized, tailored treatment plan that shortens the time needed to build tolerance to allergens. “Because of the severity of my allergies and my past history, I said, ‘Give me the best of the best,’” she says. “I wanted to get this under control once and for all. This is the first year I have not been sick during ragweed season.”
Find Relief Faster
Allergy treatment can be daunting for doctors who lack expertise in immunology. Immunotherapy for allergies involves slowly exposing patients to what they are allergic to. While this usually leads to long-term tolerance and decreased allergy symptoms, there are real risks of an allergic reaction. While lowering the dose of immunotherapy can lower the risk of this reaction, it often leads to weaker response and minimal allergy improvement. Low dose immunotherapy and stopping immunotherapy too early are some of the most common reasons for allergy immunotherapy to not be effective.
The expert allergists and immunologists at Greater Austin Allergy are known for their progressive approach to treating allergies using advanced techniques. “Because of their expertise, the doctors here understand what is safe and what is not safe,” says CEO Paul M. Helm Jr., RPH. “That helps get patients relief safely and faster than someone without that expertise.”
In addition to their expertise, the physicians at Greater Austin Allergy are known for their commitment to compassionate care. The personalized nature of immunotherapy makes it necessary for the physicians to spend more time with each of their patients. Successful immunotherapy depends on more than just treating what is positive on testing; it is also based on what actually bothers the patient. This can only be found through a detailed history.
The focus on the doctor-patient relationship, however, extends to every patient, regardless of the type of treatment they receive. “Some of our doctors have scribes, and the sole purpose is to allow our doctors to be able to make eye contact with their patients instead of focusing on taking notes,” Paul says. “Quality time with the doctor helps make the relationship—it’s a part of the culture of our practice.”
Like Jennifer, many people with allergies go untreated for years because they’ve become accustomed to living with the symptoms. What they don’t know is that a higher quality of life is well within reach. With six locations in Greater Austin, expert care isn’t far away. “We’re proud of what we do and how we treat our patients from the minute they walk in the door to the quality of medicine they receive throughout their visits,” Paul says. “You can feel better. We can help.”
Original article above published in the June issue of Parents magazine
