The most important thing - in anything in
medicine - is the history and what the patient
tells you.
And an allergist takes a very detailed history
about things that most people - most physicians
- don't ask about.
We ask: how old is your mattress, how old
is your pillow, do you have animals sleeping
in the bedroom, what kind of heating do you
have?
So we ask all kinds of questions about their
everyday lives to try and figure out how they're
affected by their environment.
Society's approach to allergies is that you
just live with them.
So when patients come to see us they're pretty
miserable.
And they've tried most of the over-the-counter
solutions, and it's not enough.
And so they really want some guidance about
what it is that could be causing them so much
distress.
And they also want to be a partner in the
solution.
