Allergy alert

Even with rapid medical breakthroughs, doctors now realize that the best way to approach a disease or sickness is prevention.

"In the United States, insurance companies now pay for preventive treatment," said Dr. Alejandro Ortigas, chief of the immunology center of the St. Luke’s Medical Center. Preventive medicine looks at natural methods or procedures of treating the disease or sickness and uses medicines as the last resort.

In the case of allergies, most of which are caused by either dust mites or pollen, preventive treatment can be as simple as using allergy control products such as dust mite impermeable pillow cases and bed sheets.

Some of these products are available only in Ortigas’s clinic while other products are also available in commercial stores. For example, Ortigas pillow cases from P995 to P1,395 and bedsheets from P3,395 to P5,195, depending on the size. A HEPA (or high efficiency particulate air ) filter for those suffering from pollen-based allergies costs P29,395. A 10-ounce tube of Tacrolimus, a new topical treatment for asthma of the skin which reduces the need for steroids (and its adverse effects such as the thinning of skin, weight gain and puffy face) sells for P3,000.

"At first, I was hesitant to offer such products to my patients after diagnosing their problems even if this is a trend in the US. Then I realized that I was merely offering my patients a choice on how to approach their specific problems," said Ortigas.

The other alternative for patients is to take medicine.

Home tips

Allergy caused by dust mites (some of the symptoms are itchy eyes and running noses upon waking up) is prevalent in the Philippines. Dust mites thrive in humid weather. They are also mostly found in pillows, stuffed toys and beds because they feed on the discarded dead skin of humans.

Washing the pillows or clothes or cleaning the surface of beds and furniture will not kill the mites. Sleeping on beds that do not have fillings or cushions or using cloth, wrapped together Japanese-style, for pillows will significantly reduce the population of dust mites.

Favorite stuffed toys can be wrapped in plastic and put in the freezer for 10 hours. Clothes must be washed in hot water and, if possible, dried in a drier with heat. If that is not available, then bring it to the laundromat to ensure that the dust mites are eliminated.

Before any treatment, whether it is preventive or mainstream medical, can be prescribed, the root cause of the allergy must be determined. Skin tests and blood tests are all done in the hospital. "It’s a one-stop shop at St. Luke’s. They have acquired all the testing and laboratory equipment needed for determining and treating the problem," he said. –EBdelaPaz