New treatments can provide allergy relief

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Despite all the rain and snow, February has turned out to be one of the warmest on national record. The mix of wet and warm weather has made it especially tough for those who suffer from allergies.

Ear, nose and throat specialist Dr. Geoffrey Trenkle with White Memorial said weeds have been growing wild and mold is multiplying.

"We're definitely seeing a big influx of allergy and sinus patients," Trenkle said.

While you should expect an intense spring, Trenkle said in Southern California, the assault on allergy sufferers is year round.

He recommended fighting allergies on four fronts.

"A neti pot is a very common type of rinsing tool or a sinus rinse kit," said Trenkle.

For more relief, try over the counter antihistamines and nasal sprays. But if symptoms don't get better, ask your doctor about reducing your body's reaction by injecting small amounts of what you're allergic to.

"Help your body become desensitized to it," Trenkle said. "It's what most people refer to as allergy shots."

For severe allergy patients dealing with chronically inflamed and infected sinuses, more doctors have begun opening up the airways using balloon sinuplasty right in their offices.

"This helps us to restore the natural flow system of the sinuses and improve the symptoms of this chronic sinus disease," Trenkle explained.

According to Trenkle, having it done in the office is just as effective as those procedures done in the hospital. People with deviated a septum or nasal polyps may not be candidates.