Allergies for all Seasons

Claudia Bedolla has been battling allergies since she came to the Valley with her family when she was 5 years old.
“We came up from San Diego, and I didn’t have any allergies then,” Bedolla said. “Since I came here I’ve had to deal with all kinds of allergies.”

She found out what those allergies were when she was examined by Dr. Tonny Tanus and had 80 needles applied to her back and arms to help identify them. That is normal procedure.

“Everything, I am allergic to everything,” she said, holding a tissue to her nose. “Roses, grass, trees, bees and certain foods, animals — really everything. There was one thing I wasn’t allergic to, and I can’t remember what it was, so I just say everything.”

Bedolla, now 27, is not alone. The Central Valley is a breeding ground for allergens.

There is, however, a heavyweight in the ‘always there’ department, Tannus said: dust mites.
“Some allergies are specific to seasons, but a perennial in the Valley, something that is present at least nine months out of 12, is dust mites,” Tanus said. “Different plants pollinate different times of the year, some trees pollinated early and traditionally some weeds are prevalent in summer and parts of fall. Pollen is also very common.”

So are mold and dander.

In Illinois, where he attended college, Tanus said one of the more significant allergens is the Ragwood plant, which produces severe pollen. That would cause problems in the late summer, mid-August to late fall.

As for trees, a person can be allergic to many trees at the same time, but usually they have a specific type of pattern. For example, nut and olive trees that are prevalent here and could cause problems. A person could be  allergic to nut or olive trees, but not necessarily be allergic to pine or palm trees.

Whether you are subject to an allergen depends a great deal on the history of the patient and family, which is very important, Tanus said.

Tanus, who has been practicing since 1989, said the problem with the Central Valley is that it has “a lot more irritants.”

He was asked if some people are more susceptible to certain allergies than others.

“Everybody is a little bit different,” Tanus said, “and it’s impossible to predict without knowing what’s going on in a person’s history. As far as being cured, some allergies are curable. For example, bee sting venom is one of the few potentially fatal allergens that is almost 100 percent curable. To do that, you desensitize the person with a series of injections.”

You can be desensitized to dust mites, too, he said.

“The allergen that is causing the reaction is already found in the secretions of the dust mite, so that can be given to the patient until they become immune,” Tanus said.

“They’re working on a cure for food allergens and it works the same way. Little by little you take in the food you are allergic to until you become immune. The challenge with that is kids are only able to tolerate very small amounts, not enough to get the build-up needed to build the internal fortress to resist the allergen.”

Peanut butter is a good example of the difficulty with building a food immunity in children. Just a little peanut butter can cause a severe reaction in a child, which makes it impossible for the child to take in even the tiniest amount.

Hortencia Chacon, 39, finds that to be true with one of her allergens — seafood.

“I was living in Mexico all of my life and didn’t know I was allergic to seafood,” she said. “I love fish and shrimp.

But one day, after I moved to Porterville, I got sick and had to go to Sierra View [District Hospital]. That’s when I found out.”

Chacon, according to Medical Assistant Carrie Ledbetter, is also allergic to some trees, cats and dogs and a “couple of molds.”

“She has been out sick with bronchitis for a couple of weeks, so she will get a half dosage shot today,” Ledbetter said. “The injection is an extract from what the patient is allergic to, and that helps build immunity to it.”

A new patient, she said, usually receives two shots a week for about six months, and then tapers down to one.
Without insurance, Bedolla said she found over the counter medication that works for her, at least to some degree.

However, Chacon chose to take the shots.
“It works for me,” Chacon said.

Depending on the allergy, air purifiers also work, in some cases, Tanus said

“Personally, I like them, they do help,” he said. “We have patients who live in environments that are not very good. For example, swamp coolers are really terrible for allergic patients. They require a lot more air be blown in the house, which means taking in a lot more unhealthy air. Humidifiers are different.

You put water in and increase the amount of water molecules inside your house. Too much is bad, because humidity is something dust mites and molds like to have. About 30 to 40 percent humidity is good in the room if the house is dry.”

Contact Anita Stackhouse-Hite at 784-5000, Ext. 1043, or astackhouse-hite@portervillerecorder.com.