Seasonal & Food Allergies

Allergies are very common. Tens of millions of Americans have seasonal allergies (hay fever). Food allergies affect a smaller but significant number of children and adults.

• Seasonal allergies (hay fever, allergic rhinitis): from tree, grass or weed pollen at certain times of year.
• Year-round (perennial) allergies: from dust mites, pet dander, mold or cockroaches.
• Food allergies: most often to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish and sesame.
• Food intolerance is different: it causes stomach symptoms (like lactose intolerance) but doesn't involve the immune system and isn't life-threatening.
• Anaphylaxis: a severe, whole-body allergic reaction that can be life-threatening.

• Family history of allergies, asthma or eczema
• Having asthma or eczema yourself
• Pollen counts, mold, dust or pets at home
• Living in areas with long pollen seasons
• For food allergies, having another food allergy or severe eczema as a child

• Seasonal: sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, itchy eyes, nose or throat, watery eyes, postnasal drip, tiredness
• Food: hives, itching, swelling of the lips or face, stomach cramps, vomiting or diarrhea, usually within minutes to 2 hours of eating
• Anaphylaxis: trouble breathing, wheezing, throat tightness, hoarse voice, swelling of the tongue or throat, dizziness or fainting, a sense of doom, or symptoms in two body systems at once (such as hives plus vomiting)
• At your visit, your provider looks in your nose for pale, swollen lining, checks your eyes, ears and throat, listens to your lungs for wheezing, and checks your skin for hives or eczema.

Diagnosis starts with your symptoms, timing and possible triggers.

Tests your provider may order include: allergy blood tests (specific IgE) for pollens, pets, dust mites or foods, and sometimes a complete blood count (CBC) with eosinophils or a total IgE level. We order lab allergy panels. When skin prick testing or a supervised food challenge is needed, we refer you to a specialist.

A positive test alone doesn't always mean a true allergy; results are interpreted with your history.

• Avoid triggers: keep windows closed during high pollen days, shower after being outside, use dust mite covers, and keep pets out of the bedroom.
• Seasonal allergy medicines: steroid nasal sprays (often the most effective), non-drowsy antihistamines, eye drops and saline rinses.
• Allergy shots or tablets (immunotherapy) for some people; we refer you to a specialist for these.
• Food allergies: strictly avoid the food, read labels, and ask about cross-contact when eating out.
• If you're at risk of anaphylaxis, carry two epinephrine auto-injectors, such as EpiPen (epinephrine), at all times, know how to use them, and have a written emergency action plan.
• Wear medical ID if you have a severe allergy.

Seasonal allergies are often long-term but can usually be controlled well with avoidance and medicines.

Some food allergies, like milk and egg, may be outgrown in childhood; others, like peanut and shellfish, often last for life. With a plan, people with food allergies live full lives.

Your primary care team at Moaddel Medical helps find your triggers, orders allergy blood tests, prescribes treatment and epinephrine when needed, and writes an action plan.

We order lab allergy panels and refer you to a specialist for skin testing, food challenges or allergy shots.

We're at 7230 Medical Center Dr, Suite 100, West Hills, CA 91307.