Oklahoma Allergy and Asthma Clinic

Everyone has experienced a sniffly nose or pounding headache due to allergies. The allergy specialists at Oklahoma Allergy & Asthma Clinic can help safeguard your body from potential allergic reactions while also dispelling many of the myths that have received national attention in recent years. 

“We’re one of the oldest allergy clinics in the country, founded in 1925,” says Dr. Richard Hatch. The staff at Oklahoma Allergy & Asthma Clinic specializes in providing patients with the necessary defenses to fight those tiny molecular allergens that can turn into huge problems. More specifically, they evaluate and treat a number of allergic diseases including allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, asthma, skin and food allergies. “We’ll evaluate and treat anybody with allergy-type symptoms,” he says. Hatch says that there is one leading factor that makes the clinic the go-to source in resolving patients’ allergy or asthma related symptoms. “All of the physicians are board certified or board eligible allergists.”

By having experienced allergists on staff, Hatch says that it truly helps isolate the myths about allergies and reduce the chance of misdiagnoses. “In some cases, people think they have food allergies when they don’t.” Hatch points to a number of factors that cause people to be misdiagnosed with food allergies, including false positive testing. The staff at Oklahoma Allergy & Asthma Clinic hope to not only empower their patients with the truth about food allergies, but other physicians as well. “Physicians should have a good understanding of what a food allergy is, what kind of symptoms it causes and the natural history of food allergy so that you can take the history and physical examination into account in conjunction with the testing.”

So, what exactly is a good test for food allergies? The clinic uses a food challenge to determine if patients are truly suffering from food allergies. “We’ll carefully introduce food to the patient under observation in the clinic and see if they, in fact, have a reaction,” says Hatch. He emphasizes that these tests should be administered under the care of qualified physicians. The accurate results revealed by the challenge help distinguish myth from reality and bring patients who are truly suffering one step closer to finding relief. “When you over-diagnose the nation, it has a negative effect on people who truly are food allergic because others don’t take those patients seriously.”

For more information on the Oklahoma Allergy & Asthma Clinic, call 235-4040 or visit oklahomaallergy.com.