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Posts for tag: Allergies

By Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeons of Western New England
September 21, 2018
Category: ENT

Sinus pain and pressure can be downright unpleasant. We can make it better.

Sinus PainAt some point in a person’s life, they will experience a sinus infection (also known as sinusitis). You may already know the telltale signs: the nasal congestion, the facial pain and pressure, and the headaches. If you are someone who deals with sinus pain quite frequently you may want to get to the bottom of the problem rather than just treating or masking the symptoms. This is where our Springfield, Northampton, and Mary Lane Hospital, MA, otolaryngologists come in.

The most common cause of long-term sinus pain is chronic sinusitis. While acute sinusitis will clear up in a couple of weeks, it’s truly a chronic sinus infection once your symptoms don’t go away after 12 weeks even with the proper treatments and care.

So, what could be causing this sinusitis-related pain? Well, there are a couple of things that could be going on to cause your chronic sinusitis including:

  • Nasal polyps: growths within the nasal tissue that can become so large that they block the sinuses
  • Deviated septum: when the cartilage and wall that divides the two nostrils is crooked, which fully or partially blocks one of the nasal passages
  • Certain health problems: this can include everything from immune system disorders and cystic fibrosis to HIV
  • Respiratory infections: colds and other viruses can cause inflammation within the sinus cavities, which restricts or prevents mucus from draining properly
  • Allergies: the most common culprit is hay fever, which can block your nasal passages

When should I see a specialist?

It’s a good idea to schedule an appointment with one of our ENT doctors if you continue to experience multiple sinus infections over the course of a year, if your sinus infection symptoms don’t respond to treatment, if your symptoms last more than a week or if your symptoms aren’t getting better.

What are some treatment options?

There are a variety of medications on the market for treating and managing your chronic sinus symptoms. Common treatments include corticosteroids (oral, nasal, or injectable), antibiotics (for treating bacterial infections) and immunotherapy (for allergy-related sinus problems).

In some cases, a minor procedure such as minimally invasive endoscopic sinus surgery or Image-guided sinus surgery may be needed to relieve your symptoms.

If you are having trouble getting your sinus problems under control then it might be time you turned to the ENT specialists at Ear Nose & Throat, Surgeons of Western New England. We offer three convenient locations in Northampton, Mary Lane Hospital, and Springfield, MA.

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By Ear, Nose & Throat Surgeons of Western New England, LLC
March 27, 2015
Category: ENT
Tags: Allergies  

With spring finally here, many of us are excited about the warmer months coming back around. Unfortunately for the rest of us, that can only mean one thing: more allergies.

Roughly 50 million Americans - 20 percent of us! - suffer from allergies today. This ranges from common indoor/outdoor allergies, caused by environmental substances like pollen, to food allergies caused shellfish. That does not even include the other allergies caused by drugs, annoying insects, and other skin and eye irritants. Many people do not know that allergies represent the 5th-largest chronic disease among Americans today.

But at Ear Nose & Throat, Surgeons of Western New England, spring allergies can become a thing of the past when the ENT doctors on site diagnose and ultimately treat your specific allergy issue.

But first, you must understand what an allergy is: allergies happen because your immune system has an extreme response to something in your immediate environment. Hay fever, which is most common during the spring and fall months, is the most common allergy today.

Take a look below at some of the most common allergy symptoms to watch out for now that spring has sprung:

  • coughing
  • itchy/sensitive eyes
  • tender/dry/scratchy throat
  • runny nose
  • excessive sneezing
  • Nasal itchiness and congestion
  • Dark circles underneath the eyes
  • Mouth breathing
  • Fading sense of taste or smell
  • Recurrent ear and/or sinus infections
  • Fluctuating hearing loss patterns
  • Chronic fatigue


If you find yourself suffering from symptoms like these, being treated with prescribed allergy medications from your EMT doctor can go a long way towards improving your well-being. Also, limiting exposure to allergens altogether by doing things like keeping your windows closed during the day and not going outside unnecessarily can help prevent allergy symptom onset in the future.

For more information on how to overcome and prevent allergies this spring, give one of the ENT experts at At Ear Nose & Throat, Surgeons of Western New England LLC a call today. In Springfield, call (413) 732-7426. In Northampton, call (413) 586-2033. Or call our office at Mary Lane Hospital at (413) 967-2249. We are awaiting your call!

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By Ear, Nose & Throat Surgeons of Western New England, LLC
May 15, 2014
Category: Uncategorized

Spring Allergens At An All-Time High: What Makes Them Better (And What Makes Them Worse) 

When you see the telltale dusting of yellowish-green on your car, you know what’s not too long to follow: the itching, sneezing and wheezing of seasonal spring allergies. Pollen counts seem to grow by the year, and the Western New England area is no exception. allergies
 

Beating Spring Allergies

The first step to beating spring allergies is to know your enemy: pollen. This yellowish-green dust mentioned earlier is a grain-like substance area plants release into the air to fertilize plants. While this may help all the beautiful flora and fauna grow, it can wreak havoc on your allergies. When you inhale this pollen, your body perceives it as a foreign substance, just like a virus for the common cold. This sends your body into overdrive, releasing inflammatory compounds called histamines that make your eyes water, your nose itch and you to sneeze your head off.
 
The best ways to fend off spring allergies is to prepare yourself. You can visit our site on a daily basis and scroll to the bottom of the homepage, clicking on “What Is the Pollen Forecast?” If the pollen counts are exceptionally high on a certain day, you’re probably not going to want to go outside without taking some allergy medication first. Breezy days are especially troublesome because the wind carries pollen, often straight to your doorstep.
 
Another factor that can worsen your allergies is what time you spend outside. For example, pollen counts tend to be the highest early in the morning until about 10 a.m. If you need to work outdoors, time your work for later in the afternoon. While you are working, wear a mask and washable clothing. You should also shower immediately after returning from working outdoors.
 

Medications and Immunotherapy for Allergy Relief

Over-the-counter allergy medications can definitely improve your symptoms, but it’s important to choose carefully. For example, some allergy medications contain pseudoephedrine, which can affect your blood pressure and heart rate. If you are especially sensitive to these effects, you may need to choose a different antihistamine, such as cetirizine, fexofenadine or loratadine. These may not address all your symptoms, however.
 
Allergies are more than discomforting -- they are closely connected to asthma, which can affect a person’s ability to breathe. Allergies can also affect your work or school performance. After all, it’s pretty hard to concentrate when you’re sniffling and sneezing.
 
If you aren’t seeing relief from your allergy symptoms, make an appointment to come see us at one of our locations. You may require adjustments of allergy medications or stronger allergy medications. We can also recommend a number of potentially beneficial interventions, including air filters that minimize the amount of pollen in the air. We also offer immunotherapy or controlled exposure to allergens to de-sensitize your body’s immune system reaction.
 
Immunotherapy is a preventive treatment for allergic reactions to substances such as grass pollens, house dust mites and bee venom. This preventive treatment process involves giving gradually increasing doses of the substance, or allergen, to which the person is allergic. Through these incremental increases of the allergen, the immune system becomes less sensitive to the substance, potentially causing production of a “blocking” antibody, which reduces the symptoms of allergies when the substances are encountered in the future. Immunotherapy can also reduce the inflammation that characterizes rhinitis and asthma.
 
All these therapies can come together to finally help relieve your allergy symptoms.
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