What we do
Our vision
We’re here to help you find solutions for a better life. We aim to give you more understanding and control over your allergies at every step of the journey, and recognise that as you grow and change your allergies are likely to as well! We understand how important it is to regularly review your health, so we can provide ongoing support as you learn how to live better.
Conditions we treat
All of the doctors at Adelaide Allergy are experts in different areas of allergy. Between them, there will be the right doctor to help you or your child.
All of our doctors are skilled in the diagnosis and management of food allergies, aeroallergies such as hay fever, urticaria and penicillin allergy.
Our expert team manage a wide range of allergic conditions including: food allergies, hay fever, dust, pet and other aeroallergies, eczema, urticaria (hives), anaphylaxis, venom and drug allergies.
Learn more about our approach to allergic conditions.
Our approach
We find our patients benefit from a detailed assessment. For most people, this involves a questionnaire in advance of the appointment followed by a 30-minute consultation with one of our doctors. We also incorporate any notes or test results you and your regular doctor send through in advance of the appointment. We know that’s a lot of information to provide, but we also know that allergies are often complex and interwoven throughout your life, and would rather take the time to get you the help you need.
During the initial consultation, we will work with you to determine if allergy testing is needed, and if so, what form of testing is best for your particular situation. When needed, skin prick testing is planned as part of a second appointment; these appointments typically run for up to an hour, including testing with one of our skilled allergy nurses followed by a consultation with the doctor to interpret and explain the test results, make plans and prescribe treatment. Follow-up consultations with our doctors are usually 20-30 minutes long.
Allergic conditions
At the end of the day, this is how we make a difference in your life. It’s important for us to know a lot about medicine, and we’ve spent thousands of hours learning it. But we haven’t yet learned anything about you, and we know you’re the expert!
We’ll have a lot of questions for you when you book in. We want to know when you’re sick and when you’re well, what makes you feel better and what else you’ve tried! We want to know how your family’s going, how work or school are treating you, and what you’re dreaming about for your next holiday. We want to know your pets, your plans, and your hobbies! Because just knowing the science isn’t enough to make it useful to you.
Allergy testing can take many forms, from skin prick testing using purified protein derivatives to fresh, or ‘prick to prick’, testing to intradermal or serum testing. Some people often benefit from related tests, like scans of their sinuses (for the sneezy, coughy, headachy problems) to looking at how well their gut is working (for the foodie types). We use our knowledge of medicine along with your personal experience to tailor our approach. If you will benefit from testing, we’ll be able to facilitate it for you.
There’s an important caveat here, and we’d like to clarify it early. We take pride in practising evidence-based medicine, and we know that people may have sought many avenues to better understand their allergies. It has been so difficult to access quality allergy care that lots of people have been fooled by testing which doesn’t have a scientific basis, including Vega testing, ‘live blood analysis’, and internet-based IgG or immunoglobulin panels. That doesn’t mean we won’t see people who’ve had those kinds of tests done. We know how frustrating these problems can be, and how desperately people look for answers – we’re here to help.
Knowing is half the battle – the other half is application. We’ll work with you to figure out what support you need, whether that’s as ‘simple’ as avoiding your triggers or as complex as a plan for immunotherapy to change your immune system’s mind about how to interact with the world around you. Most people with allergies or allergy-related problems have lots of options for how best to manage their impact on day to day living, and we’re excited to explore those options with you!