Download Summer - Allergy ARTS

SUMMER 2006
VOLUME III, ISSUE 3
CLINIC NEWS
Our New Logo!
O
CH
A
Small
Business
of the Year
Award
M
B
ER
A Publication of Allergy A.R.T.S.
CE
RILL
Why Should I Care If My
Allergist is Board Certified?
ER
A
MA
M
As part of our ongoing efforts to coordinate our messages and improve communications all around,
we recently adopted a new logo design for Allergy A.R.T.S. Look for it to appear in more and
more places. We hope you like it!
OF C
OM
Summer afternoon…the two most
beautiful words in the English language.
Henry James
What’s New on the
Allergy Horizon
If you suffer from allergies, you have lots of
company. Across the U.S., 40 million people
suffer right along with you.
Many people have good success with prescription drugs to control their allergies. In
addition, allergen immunotherapy (or “shots”)
specific to relevant allergens – as provided at
Allergy A.R.T.S. – induces superior relief in
patients who are highly allergic.
While there are a lot of good allergy drugs and
treatments, there is always room for improvement. A recent study reported in Newsweek
found that some patients say they are still
dissatisfied because their medications aren’t
effective or have negative side effects.
Fortunately, researchers are working on
alternatives. Future treatments such as
under-the-tongue allergy drops show promise
but may have undesirable side effects.
Scientists are also looking at a genetically
engineered medication that uses synthetic
DNA molecules to stimulate the body’s normal
immune response while suppressing the allergy
immune response.
6842 Plum Creek Drive • Amarillo, Texas 79124
PERMIT NO 195
AMARILLO TX
PAID
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
Please know that we are monitoring all allergyrelated research and new medications to
provide the best and
most up-to-date care
for you.
To your health!
Constantine Saadeh,
M.D., FACP, FACR
An allergist/immunologist is a physician who is certified in either internal medicine, as is Dr. Constantine
Saadeh of Allergy A.R.T.S., or pediatrics, and who
has completed at least two additional years of
accredited training in allergy and immunology. The
physician must also pass an examination given by
the American Board of Allergy and Immunology
(ABAI).
To pass board specialty examinations, a physician
must be extremely well versed in all areas included
in the specialty known as Allergy and Immunology.
Medical research adds volumes of new data regularly.
If your physician is board certified, you can be sure
he or she has the most up-to-date training in order
to provide you with the best care possible.
An allergist is trained to consider the entire body
and complete immune system when dealing with
allergy challenges. Often, those who suffer one
allergy symptom, such as allergic rhinitis with its
runny nose, also suffer other symptoms, such as
asthma (lungs and bronchial tubes) or skin reactions, like hives or itchy rash.
Family physicians and other specialists, such as Ear,
Nose and Throat physicians, may be limited in scope,
and less likely to consider the interplay of allergies,
immune system response and even other autoimmune diseases.
In fact, according to the world-renowned National
Jewish Medical and Research Center, skin testing
to determine reaction to specific allergens “should
only be done under the supervision of a board certified allergist.” ■
In this Issue
Microscope images
of airborne allergens.
Becoming an
allergist/immunologist
requires completion of at
least nine years of training.
•••
A trained allergist/immunologist can reduce how
often patients need to stay
home from work or school
due to symptoms. Studies
show that those under the
care of an allergist/immunologist make fewer visits
to emergency rooms and
are better able to daily
manage their allergies
and asthma.
ALLERGY & ASTHMA
RHEUMATOLOGY
CLINIC NEWS
• The ABC’s of Asthma
Management
• Asthma Educators to
the Rescue
• Calling Everyone
with Arthritis and
Fibromyalgia
• Meet Mendy
• The View Inside
the Clinic
6842 Plum Creek Drive • Amarillo, Texas 79124 • (806) 353-7000 • www.allergyarts.com
Board Certified Internal Medicine/Rheumatology
Board Certified Allergy-Immunology, Internal
Medicine/Rheumatology and Geriatrics
Luis G. Ramos, M.D., FACR
Constantine Saadeh, M.D., FACP, FACR
Allergy A.R.T.S.
(Asthma, Rheumatology Treatment Specialists)
6842 Plum Creek Drive
Amarillo, Texas 79124
(806) 353-7000
www.allergyarts.com
ALLERGY/ASTHMA
Meet the Staff:
A B C ’s
The
of Asthma Management
Most asthma patients know that managing their
condition requires plenty of knowledge and regular attention. Controlling asthma depends upon:
• Proper diagnosis
• A written asthma management plan
• Complete education about the disease and
how to control it
• Proper medical follow-up
Asthma patients at Allergy A.R.T.S. are taken
through a number of steps to help them become
partners in the management of their disease.
These include:
A
Assessment and monitoring – Physician
establishes diagnosis, classifies the severity of the
asthma and schedules follow-up care based on
severity.
B Control the factors contributing to
asthma severity – Physician determines exposures and sensitivities (many triggers can worsen
asthma, such as pollen, animal dander, irritants
in the air and some drugs) and explains how to
reduce exposure to these triggers and to avoid
tobacco smoke.
Also, the physician and patient work together to
treat or prevent other contributing conditions,
such as rhinitis, sinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux
disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
C Medications – Physician prescribes medications based on the severity of the patient’s asthma,
provides counseling about the medication approach
and evaluates effectiveness at follow-up visits.
D
Patient education – Physician develops a
written asthma management plan, agreeing on
treatment goals with the patient. Patients should
have daily treatment and monitoring measures,
along with an action plan for times when symptoms worsen.
Also, patients must be educated about how and
when to take long-term and rescue medications,
the correct technique for medication delivery
systems and triggers that can worsen symptoms.
It is vital for patients to take an active role in
learning about asthma and to take care to manage all aspects of the condition every day. ■
Asthma Educators
To the Rescue
Nurse practitioners Kathy Kennelly and Chris Ramos
are now certified asthma educators. They have even
more knowledge to share with Allergy A.R.T.S.
patients about:
• How asthma works in the body
• How asthma medications can help
• How to avoid the triggers that set off
an attack
Kathy and Chris learned what to look for to determine if a
patient's asthma is as controlled as it should be. For
example, they check to see if a patient is using an inhaler
too often. With new medications available, inhalers aren't
Kathy Kennelly, MS, FNP
Chris Ramos, MS, ANP
needed as often. There are both short- and long-acting
rescue medications. But if a patient is using them more
than two or three times a week, it is too much and the
asthma management program needs to be re-evaluated.
Customized patient education is important because
every patient is different, and recommendations and
treatment plans can vary widely. At Allergy A.R.T.S.,
we are committed to helping asthma patients thrive.
Mendy Martinez
Mendy Martinez is
the woman with the
winning smile who’s
responsible for the
Immunotherapy
Department – big
words for what is
informally known as “the shot room.”
In addition to her department management duties, Mendy is also OSHA/
Safety Coordinator for Allergy A.R.T.S.
The Amarillo native joined the clinic
four years ago and is trained as a medical assistant and emergency medical
technician (EMT). Her EMT training
provides the perfect background for her
position because she knows exactly
what to do in the small percentage of
cases where a patient has a poor reaction to an allergy shot.
“I really enjoy working with patients
here,” Mendy says. “I like the employees
throughout the clinic and especially in
this department. They are all team players and they do an awesome job.”
Mendy and her husband, Juan, have
four daughters and one son, ages 13 to
two. Obviously enough, she stays very
busy with family activities! In her limited amount of leisure time, she likes to
play softball and go to the lake. But
most of all, she enjoys time with her
family.
Be an optimist;
it does not seem
to be much
use being
anything else.
Sir Winston Churchill
RHEUMATOLOGY
Calling Everyone with Arthritis and Fibromyalgia
The popular and helpful Amarillo Arthritis Support
Group was created to support people with any one of
the more than 100 forms of arthritis or fibromyalgia.
Upcoming programs may include a music therapist
and a group discussion among members about what
works and doesn't work in managing their disease.
Recommended by Allergy A.R.T.S., the group meets
on the third Tuesday of each month at the Amarillo
Northwest Branch Library, 6100 W. Ninth, near
Amarillo College – West Campus.
Meetings follow this format:
• 6 p.m. – A gentle exercise class in Tai Chi
• 6:30 p.m. – Social time
• 7 p.m. – Program
Mark your calendars and join us:
• July 18
• September 19
• August 15
• October 17
For more information, please contact Judy Moenter
at 354-8828. ■
There shall
be eternal
summer in
the grateful
heart.
Celia Thaxter
Ambrosia:
The View Inside the Clinic
A Pretty Name
But Watch Out!
An Interview with Chris Ramos, MS, ANP, of Allergy A.R.T.S.
Microscope image
of Ambrosia pollen
The Number One late summer allergen is a
scrumptious-sounding plant called Ambrosia.
We know it by its common name: ragweed.
Strangely, the scientific name, Ambrosia, was
the delicious food eaten by the mythical Greek
gods to make them live forever.
Various grass pollens and two fungi, Alternaria
and corn smut, round out the major causes of
common late summer allergies. Alternaria is the
type of fungus most to blame for human infections from fungi. Corn smut is a fungus that
infects corn plants.
You can find out which allergens are at their peak
by going to www.allergyarts.com and clicking on
“Pollen Count.” This information also is broadcast daily during the KVII-TV Channel 7 local
news program.
Knowing the daily pollen counts can help you
protect yourself from the allergens that kick off
your allergy or asthma symptoms.
Tell us what you mean by the term “one-stop
shopping” at Allergy A.R.T.S.?
When patients are concerned about doing so
many tests here, and spending several hours at
the clinic, I try to explain the advantages of our
system to them.
We do almost all tests right here. There are only
a few tests we don't do, but we certainly do most.
There also is more speed in making the diagnosis.
For example, the lab can run a result right down
the hall. We can put together a treatment plan
much more quickly.
I tell them that we have the equipment and personnel right here at Allergy A.R.T.S. to do many
of the tests they need and would otherwise have
to get at several different facilities around town.
In most cases here at Allergy A.R.T.S., we can
begin the treatment plan in just one day. You
lose less time on the job or with your family in
the long run.
I say, ‘If we had to send you to three different
places, in three different parts of town, and you had
to drive there and get in and out of the car three
times, and wait for each one, it would take much
longer and might not be accomplished in only one
day or half a day, like here at Allergy A.R.T.S.’
Are there other advantages?
Does the “one-stop shop” lead to better
patient care?
Yes, even beyond the fact that it’s more convenient in the long run to have all testing done here,
the results are quick and immediate, so we can
begin appropriate treatment sooner. Without this
convenience, you might have to schedule the test,
wait to do the test, wait to have someone read the
test later, and then wait to have it sent to our
office, at which time you would need to schedule
another appointment to learn the test results.
Another important factor is improved communication among those of us who are caring for you.
We are all in the same building, and if questions
come up, it is easy to just ask each other – face to
face, if necessary.
We always try to warn new patients that the first
appointment can take quite a while – but that in
the end, we very well could have a treatment
plan established before you leave.
Another advantage is your computerized records
stay here at the clinic. All test results go directly
into the system, and we can pull up records easily
to compare old and new results. ■
Health is the vital principle of bliss;
and exercise, of health.
James Thomson
ALLERGY/ASTHMA
Meet the Staff:
A B C ’s
The
of Asthma Management
Most asthma patients know that managing their
condition requires plenty of knowledge and regular attention. Controlling asthma depends upon:
• Proper diagnosis
• A written asthma management plan
• Complete education about the disease and
how to control it
• Proper medical follow-up
Asthma patients at Allergy A.R.T.S. are taken
through a number of steps to help them become
partners in the management of their disease.
These include:
A
Assessment and monitoring – Physician
establishes diagnosis, classifies the severity of the
asthma and schedules follow-up care based on
severity.
B Control the factors contributing to
asthma severity – Physician determines exposures and sensitivities (many triggers can worsen
asthma, such as pollen, animal dander, irritants
in the air and some drugs) and explains how to
reduce exposure to these triggers and to avoid
tobacco smoke.
Also, the physician and patient work together to
treat or prevent other contributing conditions,
such as rhinitis, sinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux
disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
C Medications – Physician prescribes medications based on the severity of the patient’s asthma,
provides counseling about the medication approach
and evaluates effectiveness at follow-up visits.
D
Patient education – Physician develops a
written asthma management plan, agreeing on
treatment goals with the patient. Patients should
have daily treatment and monitoring measures,
along with an action plan for times when symptoms worsen.
Also, patients must be educated about how and
when to take long-term and rescue medications,
the correct technique for medication delivery
systems and triggers that can worsen symptoms.
It is vital for patients to take an active role in
learning about asthma and to take care to manage all aspects of the condition every day. ■
Asthma Educators
To the Rescue
Nurse practitioners Kathy Kennelly and Chris Ramos
are now certified asthma educators. They have even
more knowledge to share with Allergy A.R.T.S.
patients about:
• How asthma works in the body
• How asthma medications can help
• How to avoid the triggers that set off
an attack
Kathy and Chris learned what to look for to determine if a
patient's asthma is as controlled as it should be. For
example, they check to see if a patient is using an inhaler
too often. With new medications available, inhalers aren't
Kathy Kennelly, MS, FNP
Chris Ramos, MS, ANP
needed as often. There are both short- and long-acting
rescue medications. But if a patient is using them more
than two or three times a week, it is too much and the
asthma management program needs to be re-evaluated.
Customized patient education is important because
every patient is different, and recommendations and
treatment plans can vary widely. At Allergy A.R.T.S.,
we are committed to helping asthma patients thrive.
Mendy Martinez
Mendy Martinez is
the woman with the
winning smile who’s
responsible for the
Immunotherapy
Department – big
words for what is
informally known as “the shot room.”
In addition to her department management duties, Mendy is also OSHA/
Safety Coordinator for Allergy A.R.T.S.
The Amarillo native joined the clinic
four years ago and is trained as a medical assistant and emergency medical
technician (EMT). Her EMT training
provides the perfect background for her
position because she knows exactly
what to do in the small percentage of
cases where a patient has a poor reaction to an allergy shot.
“I really enjoy working with patients
here,” Mendy says. “I like the employees
throughout the clinic and especially in
this department. They are all team players and they do an awesome job.”
Mendy and her husband, Juan, have
four daughters and one son, ages 13 to
two. Obviously enough, she stays very
busy with family activities! In her limited amount of leisure time, she likes to
play softball and go to the lake. But
most of all, she enjoys time with her
family.
Be an optimist;
it does not seem
to be much
use being
anything else.
Sir Winston Churchill
RHEUMATOLOGY
Calling Everyone with Arthritis and Fibromyalgia
The popular and helpful Amarillo Arthritis Support
Group was created to support people with any one of
the more than 100 forms of arthritis or fibromyalgia.
Upcoming programs may include a music therapist
and a group discussion among members about what
works and doesn't work in managing their disease.
Recommended by Allergy A.R.T.S., the group meets
on the third Tuesday of each month at the Amarillo
Northwest Branch Library, 6100 W. Ninth, near
Amarillo College – West Campus.
Meetings follow this format:
• 6 p.m. – A gentle exercise class in Tai Chi
• 6:30 p.m. – Social time
• 7 p.m. – Program
Mark your calendars and join us:
• July 18
• September 19
• August 15
• October 17
For more information, please contact Judy Moenter
at 354-8828. ■
There shall
be eternal
summer in
the grateful
heart.
Celia Thaxter
Ambrosia:
The View Inside the Clinic
A Pretty Name
But Watch Out!
An Interview with Chris Ramos, MS, ANP, of Allergy A.R.T.S.
Microscope image
of Ambrosia pollen
The Number One late summer allergen is a
scrumptious-sounding plant called Ambrosia.
We know it by its common name: ragweed.
Strangely, the scientific name, Ambrosia, was
the delicious food eaten by the mythical Greek
gods to make them live forever.
Various grass pollens and two fungi, Alternaria
and corn smut, round out the major causes of
common late summer allergies. Alternaria is the
type of fungus most to blame for human infections from fungi. Corn smut is a fungus that
infects corn plants.
You can find out which allergens are at their peak
by going to www.allergyarts.com and clicking on
“Pollen Count.” This information also is broadcast daily during the KVII-TV Channel 7 local
news program.
Knowing the daily pollen counts can help you
protect yourself from the allergens that kick off
your allergy or asthma symptoms.
Tell us what you mean by the term “one-stop
shopping” at Allergy A.R.T.S.?
When patients are concerned about doing so
many tests here, and spending several hours at
the clinic, I try to explain the advantages of our
system to them.
We do almost all tests right here. There are only
a few tests we don't do, but we certainly do most.
There also is more speed in making the diagnosis.
For example, the lab can run a result right down
the hall. We can put together a treatment plan
much more quickly.
I tell them that we have the equipment and personnel right here at Allergy A.R.T.S. to do many
of the tests they need and would otherwise have
to get at several different facilities around town.
In most cases here at Allergy A.R.T.S., we can
begin the treatment plan in just one day. You
lose less time on the job or with your family in
the long run.
I say, ‘If we had to send you to three different
places, in three different parts of town, and you had
to drive there and get in and out of the car three
times, and wait for each one, it would take much
longer and might not be accomplished in only one
day or half a day, like here at Allergy A.R.T.S.’
Are there other advantages?
Does the “one-stop shop” lead to better
patient care?
Yes, even beyond the fact that it’s more convenient in the long run to have all testing done here,
the results are quick and immediate, so we can
begin appropriate treatment sooner. Without this
convenience, you might have to schedule the test,
wait to do the test, wait to have someone read the
test later, and then wait to have it sent to our
office, at which time you would need to schedule
another appointment to learn the test results.
Another important factor is improved communication among those of us who are caring for you.
We are all in the same building, and if questions
come up, it is easy to just ask each other – face to
face, if necessary.
We always try to warn new patients that the first
appointment can take quite a while – but that in
the end, we very well could have a treatment
plan established before you leave.
Another advantage is your computerized records
stay here at the clinic. All test results go directly
into the system, and we can pull up records easily
to compare old and new results. ■
Health is the vital principle of bliss;
and exercise, of health.
James Thomson
SUMMER 2006
VOLUME III, ISSUE 3
CLINIC NEWS
Our New Logo!
O
CH
A
Small
Business
of the Year
Award
M
B
ER
A Publication of Allergy A.R.T.S.
CE
RILL
Why Should I Care If My
Allergist is Board Certified?
ER
A
MA
M
As part of our ongoing efforts to coordinate our messages and improve communications all around,
we recently adopted a new logo design for Allergy A.R.T.S. Look for it to appear in more and
more places. We hope you like it!
OF C
OM
Summer afternoon…the two most
beautiful words in the English language.
Henry James
What’s New on the
Allergy Horizon
If you suffer from allergies, you have lots of
company. Across the U.S., 40 million people
suffer right along with you.
Many people have good success with prescription drugs to control their allergies. In
addition, allergen immunotherapy (or “shots”)
specific to relevant allergens – as provided at
Allergy A.R.T.S. – induces superior relief in
patients who are highly allergic.
While there are a lot of good allergy drugs and
treatments, there is always room for improvement. A recent study reported in Newsweek
found that some patients say they are still
dissatisfied because their medications aren’t
effective or have negative side effects.
Fortunately, researchers are working on
alternatives. Future treatments such as
under-the-tongue allergy drops show promise
but may have undesirable side effects.
Scientists are also looking at a genetically
engineered medication that uses synthetic
DNA molecules to stimulate the body’s normal
immune response while suppressing the allergy
immune response.
6842 Plum Creek Drive • Amarillo, Texas 79124
PERMIT NO 195
AMARILLO TX
PAID
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
Please know that we are monitoring all allergyrelated research and new medications to
provide the best and
most up-to-date care
for you.
To your health!
Constantine Saadeh,
M.D., FACP, FACR
An allergist/immunologist is a physician who is certified in either internal medicine, as is Dr. Constantine
Saadeh of Allergy A.R.T.S., or pediatrics, and who
has completed at least two additional years of
accredited training in allergy and immunology. The
physician must also pass an examination given by
the American Board of Allergy and Immunology
(ABAI).
To pass board specialty examinations, a physician
must be extremely well versed in all areas included
in the specialty known as Allergy and Immunology.
Medical research adds volumes of new data regularly.
If your physician is board certified, you can be sure
he or she has the most up-to-date training in order
to provide you with the best care possible.
An allergist is trained to consider the entire body
and complete immune system when dealing with
allergy challenges. Often, those who suffer one
allergy symptom, such as allergic rhinitis with its
runny nose, also suffer other symptoms, such as
asthma (lungs and bronchial tubes) or skin reactions, like hives or itchy rash.
Family physicians and other specialists, such as Ear,
Nose and Throat physicians, may be limited in scope,
and less likely to consider the interplay of allergies,
immune system response and even other autoimmune diseases.
In fact, according to the world-renowned National
Jewish Medical and Research Center, skin testing
to determine reaction to specific allergens “should
only be done under the supervision of a board certified allergist.” ■
In this Issue
Microscope images
of airborne allergens.
Becoming an
allergist/immunologist
requires completion of at
least nine years of training.
•••
A trained allergist/immunologist can reduce how
often patients need to stay
home from work or school
due to symptoms. Studies
show that those under the
care of an allergist/immunologist make fewer visits
to emergency rooms and
are better able to daily
manage their allergies
and asthma.
ALLERGY & ASTHMA
RHEUMATOLOGY
CLINIC NEWS
• The ABC’s of Asthma
Management
• Asthma Educators to
the Rescue
• Calling Everyone
with Arthritis and
Fibromyalgia
• Meet Mendy
• The View Inside
the Clinic
6842 Plum Creek Drive • Amarillo, Texas 79124 • (806) 353-7000 • www.allergyarts.com
Board Certified Internal Medicine/Rheumatology
Board Certified Allergy-Immunology, Internal
Medicine/Rheumatology and Geriatrics
Luis G. Ramos, M.D., FACR
Constantine Saadeh, M.D., FACP, FACR
Allergy A.R.T.S.
(Asthma, Rheumatology Treatment Specialists)
6842 Plum Creek Drive
Amarillo, Texas 79124
(806) 353-7000
www.allergyarts.com