Finding The Best Allergist

The question often arises as to how one find’s the Best Allergist in San Antonio to meet your medical needs. An Allergist is a physician who has completed Medical Residency training in either Pediatrics or Internal Medicine followed by an additional 2 years of Fellowship training in the specialty field of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. A “Board Certified” Allergist has passed a medical certification examination and regardless of their initial residency training, they have been fully trained to provide care to both adults and children of any age. To remain Board Certified, an Allergist, must continue to train in this field by completing 20 or more hours of specialty specific educational courses each year. Most Board Certified Allergists practice medicine very similarly by following clinical guidelines called “Practice Parameters” (available on-line at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology: www.aaaai.org) . Although these guidelines were written for physicians and contain some technical language, they are an excellent source of medical information for non-physicians as well.

If all Allergists practice medicine in a very similar way, then does it really matter who you choose as your physician? The answer to this question is yes if you are interested in allergy shots. Allergy shots, as provided by Allergists, contain the high levels of allergens that are needed to both control allergic symptoms and to create changes in the immune system that can lead to a state of long-term remission which can provide allergy symptom control long after the shots are discontinued. Since allergen immunotherapy involves injecting allergic persons with the allergen(s) to which they react, this process comes with the potential danger of triggering a serious allergic reaction. For this reason, Allergists do not provide patients with “home” allergy shots. Some non-allergist physicians offer “home” allergy shots however; these shots typically contain doses of allergen that are below the “Probable effective dose ranges”; as published in the Practice Parameters on Allergen immunotherapy. In addition, the long term effectiveness of low dose “home” allergy shots has never been scientifically studied and until proven otherwise, “home” allergy shots should be considered a risky and inferior treatment choice when compared to “Conventional” allergy shots. When allergy shots are provided by Allergists, they are nearly 100% effective for those who receive their injections once or twice per month. If you need allergy shots, the Best Allergist in San Antonio Texas is the one who is physically closest to your work or home and has convenient office shot hours that fit your schedule.

Asthma & Allergy Associates
115 Gallery Circle
Suite 200
San Antonio, TX 78258
(Stone Oak MRI/Urgent Care Bldg.)
Tel: 210.499.0033
Fax: 210.404.0926
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