Check out this Video: KVUE-TV Treatment for Cedar Fever with Hetu Parekh, MD of Austin, TX. Dr. Parekh was interviewed on KVUE-TV of Austin, Texas on what to do about cedar fever and the treatment of cedar allergies. Below is a Q & A overview of his points. SCROLL to the bottom of this post and click on the link to watch the interview.
KVUE-TV: Previously we talked about “cedar fever,” what it is and what it isn’t. Today, let’s talk about treatment once you’ve got it! But, before we get to that, have you been seeing a lot of cedar allergy this winter?
Dr. Parekh: We having been seeing less cedar allergy this season compared to previous years, and I think the big thing has been the warmer weather and also all this rain and moisture. Which has been a blessing for cedar allergy sufferers! Okay, but for unfortunate people who do have cedar allergy, what are their treatment options? As always, it starts with saline irrigation. You gotta “flush out” those allergens at least once, if not twice a day. After that, you want to use your nasal spray, like an OTC Flonase or Nasacort. Most people will also need an OTC oral AH such as Allegra or Claritin and eye drops as well. Of course, if you have asthma, it’s critical that you stay on top of your asthma meds! Sometimes, this is not enough, and you need systemic steroids. Can you tell us about that? Well, cortisol is our endogenous steroid hormone and it has numerous functions in our body. One of the things steroids
KVUE-TV: Okay, but for unfortunate people who do have cedar allergy, what are their treatment options?
Dr. Parekh: As always, it starts with saline irrigation. You gotta “flush out” those allergens at least once, if not twice a day. After that, you want to use your nasal spray, like an OTC Flonase or Nasacort. Most people will also need an OTC oral AH such as Allegra or Claritin and eye drops as well. Of course, if you have asthma, it’s critical that you stay on top of your asthma meds! Sometimes, this is not enough, and you need systemic steroids.
KVUE-TV: Can you tell us about that? Well, cortisol is our endogenous steroid hormone and it has numerous functions in our body. One of the things steroids
Dr. Parekh: Well, cortisol is our endogenous steroid hormone and it has numerous functions in our body. One of the things steroids do is they can suppress your immune system, which in the case of cedar allergy sufferers, is “over-reacting” to cedar pollen. So, in this scenario, that’s a good thing. But, when you get a steroid injection or take oral steroids, they are a very powerful and effective medication. And of course, along with the good, comes the bad: in this case, very severe side effects. So we reserve their use for people who are really miserable and even then, only for a short duration.
KVUE-TV: And, what are some of those side effects?
Dr. Parekh: Mind you these are dose dependent and we see them more commonly in people taking them for prolonged periods of time.
Here are some of the systems and/or parts of the body that can be impacted:
- Immune system: immunosuppression, thus more likely to get infections
- Eyes: increase intraocular pressure/glaucoma + cataracts
- Heart: High blood pressure, accelerated atherosclerosis
- Bone: Osteoporosis and fractures including hip Fx; stunted growth in children
- Metabolic: Obesity and Diabetes
KVUE-TV: And, what is the role of immunotherapy in the treatment of cedar allergy?
Dr. Parekh: We use immunotherapy for patients, in who the conventional medicines we just talked about, are not sufficiently controlling their symptoms, or they are requiring too many steroids or something like that. What “allergy injections” or allergy drops* do, is they are making you more “tolerant” of the pollen that is bothering you so much. We give you extremely small amounts of the thing that are bothering you – and over time, you become less sensitive to it! So for example, if you start treatment after this season, in anticipation of next season, the hope is you will be less bothered by cedar next year and thus will also need to use decreased amounts of medications.
*Allergy drops may be more a cost effective option for those who are concerned with cost as continued treatments may be done at home. Click HERE to learn more!
Click HERE to watch Dr. Parekh in this interview about treatments for cedar fever, on KVUE-TV in Austin, Texas
At Austin Family Allergy & Asthma, Board Certified Allergists Doctor Allen K. Lieberman and Doctor Hetu Parekh treat the WHOLE patient — and family members of ALL ages! They can help with cedar allergies, oak allergy, hay fever, asthma, food allergy issues, and so much more. Same day or next day appts available. Sí, Hablamos español!
