Are Seasonal Allergies Worse This Year? (with Dave Stukus, MD)

What are you allergic to? Do you know? Do you get all itchy and snotty in the spring and summer? Does it seem worse this year than in the past?? Do we have to just stop going outside?? (Spoiler alert, the answer is no to this last one.. :)Let's answer all these questions and more! Our expert today is Dave Stukus MD!Dr. Stukus (or “Dr. Dave, as his patients call him” ;) is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy/Immunology Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He’s also the director of the Food Allergy Treatment Center. He’s very active on social media with @AllergyKidsDoc on Twitter and Instagram.Key highlights in this episode include:What actually ARE allergies?Why do seasonal allergies seem so much worse lately?ARE they actually worse? Why?Does lactose intolerance count as an allergy?How often are people "really" allergic to penicillin?What medicines help with seasonal allergies? Is Benadryl good?How do you know if your kid has allergies, as opposed to something else causing their symptoms?Does allergy testing work? Who should do it?What about allergy shots? Do they help?
Follow Dr. Stukus via his handle "allergykidsdoc" on Instagram and Twitter!Dr. Stukus recommends the following resources to learn about allergies:The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, particularly their page on Choosing Wisely Videos, as well as the Choosing Wisely website.(BONUS- Check out Dr. Dave's Choosing Wisely video HERE explaining IgG testing and allergies!)The American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology website.
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