Allergens can come from pollen, food, dander from pets, bee stings, dust mites, latex, mold, and more. If you are allergic to one of these and exposed to it, your immune system goes into overdrive by producing specific antibodies. These may not be released in someone else's body when exposed to the same thing. These antibodies release chemicals that cause an allergic reaction. It's good to know what may trigger an allergic reaction so you can better prepare for and manage it. The doctors here at West Coast Ear, Nose, Throat, and Neck Surgery provide allergy testing in Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Oxnard, and Camarillo, CA.

How does allergy testing work?

There are multiple ways to perform an allergy test, the most common being skin testing. However, depending on your case, another kind of test may be ordered.

Skin test

The skin test involves a pinprick with a needle that has a tiny amount of the substance that your doctor or you think that you may be allergic to. Intradermal skin testing is another method. In this type of test, a small amount of the suspected allergens are placed right underneath the skin using a small needle. After either type of skin test, results will be available in about 15 minutes.

Blood test

Sometimes, an individual will not make an appropriate candidate for a skin test. This is usually the case with individuals who are on medications that may affect the results of a skin test. In this case, a blood test may be ordered. Your blood will be tested for how it responds when exposed to potential allergens. A higher number of antibodies and white blood cells may determine that you have an allergy to something.

Other tests

There are other, lesser-used allergy tests. These include a patch test which involves the wearing of a patch on your skin containing a small amount of potential allergen. After 2 days, you will return to the office and your provider will determine your level of allergy to the substance. There is also something called a Challenge test which must be conducted under medical supervision. This test involves swallowing a small amount of food that is a suspected allergen and watching how your body reacts.

How can I better manage reactions to my known allergens?

Some things that you can do to manage allergies in Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Oxnard, Camarillo, CA are:

● Avoid allergens, particularly ones that cause a strong reaction
● Taking a daily antihistamine or other allergy medication
● Allergy shots dampen the response of the immune system when exposed to allergens.
● Carry a medical alert card and epinephrine pen with you for severe reactions.

Contact us

Schedule an appointment for allergy testing at West Coast Ear, Nose, Throat, and Neck Surgery in Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Oxnard, Camarillo, CA by calling one of 4 locations:

● Thousand Oaks - (805) 379-9646
● Simi Valley - (805) 527-7320
● Oxnard -  (805) 983-0395
● Camarillo location - (805) 484-5929

Is a thyroidectomy right for you?

The thyroid might be small but it plays a key role in body temperature regulation, hormones, nervous system function, heart rate and more. So when your thyroid starts to act up you may begin to notice weight gain or weight loss, hair loss, chronic fatigue and other problems. While our Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Oxnard, Camarillo, CA, ENT doctors can manage most thyroid problems without surgery, sometimes surgery is necessary. Surgery might be necessary if,

You Have an Excessively Large Goiter

A large and painful goiter (an enlargement of the thyroid) that impacts swallowing or breathing may mean turning to our Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Oxnard, Camarillo, CA for thyroid surgery. Surgery may remove only a part of the thyroid or the whole thing.

You Have an Overactive Thyroid

Hyperthyroidism or overactive thyroid occurs when excessive levels of thyroid hormones are produced by the gland. Most cases of hyperthyroidism can be managed with medications; however, if are unable to take any of these medications and you’ve either tried other therapies and treatment options (or have decided not to undergo certain therapies), then removing the overactive thyroid through surgery might be the best choice.

Nodules on the Thyroid

Unfortunately, not all nodules of the thyroid can be diagnosed as cancerous or noncancerous through biopsy methods. If this is the case, our ENT team may recommend surgery to remove the thyroid, especially if there is a chance that the nodules could be cancerous.

You Have Thyroid Cancer

This is a more obvious reason why you might need to undergo thyroid surgery. If cancer is present we may only need to remove a portion of the thyroid; however, if there is a chance for recurrence, or if cancer has spread outside the thyroid, then our team may recommend removing the entire thyroid gland.

If you think thyroid surgery might be right for you, it’s time to talk with our ENT doctors to find out. West Coast Ear, Nose and Throat is the premier ENT practice, providing thyroid treatment and surgery to individuals in Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Oxnard and Camarillo, CA. You can schedule your appointment in Thousand Oaks at (805) 379-9646, Simi Valley at (805) 527-7320, Oxnard at (805) 983-0395, and Camarillo at (805) 484-5929.