Spinal Decompression

Impact on Allergies

“You just want to crawl under the bed and try to get some sleep, you feel exhausted, you can’t see because your eyes are blurry, you can’t breathe, you just wonder, can I go on living like this?” says allergy sufferer, James Cahill.

James Cahill tried every over-the-counter medication available to help ease his allergy symptoms, but not a one brought him relief. “Some people know they have allergies and seek out an allergist, others really are not aware of what is going on and say I am miserable, maybe it is an allergy and they see a number of other doctors first and then they finally go to the allergist,” says allergist, Dr. Raymond Dattwyler of Westchester County Medical Center.

And that’s exactly what happened to James, who initially thought he was experiencing a perpetual cold…he didn’t think he needed to see an allergist.
Little did he know that his allergies were the culprit causing him tremendous discomfort and pain, decreasing his ability to work and be a dad and husband to his family.

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, in one of the largest surveys of its kind “Allergies in America,” there is an overwhelming trend linking allergic symptoms to quality of life and decreased performance on the job.

“The economic impact of allergies, people that have a significant reduction in their productivity when they are having allergic problems, so it is costing our society literally billions of dollars, and lack of productivity,” explains Dr. Dattwyler.

The asthma and allergy foundation estimates that direct costs accounted for nearly $6 billion in medications and $300 million in office visits.

According to the “Allergies in America,” survey, fifty-six percent of allergy sufferers have symptoms all year around and at their peak, symptoms leave patients feeling tired, miserable and irritable….fifty-two percent said their symptoms interfere with work and in many instances cause them to miss work.

“The survey definitely shows that patients are just not getting the relief that the doctors think they are getting, and I think that we as doctors need to learn from that and pay more attention to our patients and just do a better job, and also the role of the specialist in this disease has to be emphasized,” says Dr. Dattwyler.

After a year of living with the agony of allergies, James finally went to an allergist who discovered he is highly sensitive to dust. His allergist prescribed medication and James is now living symptom-free.
“It is really a large quality of life issue, it is not just inside or outside, I can play with the kids, I can spend time with my wife, I can wake up and go to work and not feel like I’m suffering,” says James.

Similar Spine Stories