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Are Allergies disrupting your life ?

Itchy nose, eyes, ears and throat
Blocked up nose, Fits of sneezing,
Sinus headaches, post-nasal drip
Coughing wheezing, tired and out of breath.

Find the cause
Treat the allergy !

Let Dr Keightley and the team at Paradise Valley Allergy
diagnose and treat your allergies.

Call us Today at (480) 991-1930
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An Allergic reaction can occur when a person has developed a sensitivity to stuff that is usually harmless such as plant pollen, food, bug bites, animal dander, even medicines. We call these things antigens. Common antigens that can make allergic people sick include grass pollen, peanuts, bee venom, cat dander, and penicillin.

The result of an over-reaction to these antigens can range from just an annoying itch, to rapidly fatal Anaphylactic Shock.

Allergy antibody, IgE, that can recognise a particular antigen, is required for an allergic reaction. This IgE protein, circulates in the blood, then locks on to the surface of a special kind of cell; the mast cell. Mast cells are found in the skin, in the nose, the airway and along the gut


Think of the mast cell as a land-mine, packed with beads of concentrated histamine. IgE on the mast cell surface acts as a trigger. When the IgE can recognize and grab hold of antigen, it causes histamine to explode out of the mast cell into the surrounding tissues. Right away the mast cell gears up to produce a host of extra irritants that can make the allergic reaction more severe and prolonged.

Histamine and these irritants are responsible for allergic inflammation, shown by redness, itching and swelling, and in the nose and the lung, lots of mucus.

Allergy to plant pollen blown in the wind can cause Allergic Rhinitis, Hay Fever, with fits of sneezing, stuffy nose and itchy eyes. Smaller antigens such as pollen fragments, mold spores, and animal dander can get down deep into the lungs and cause Asthma with a feeling of tightness in the chest, coughing and wheezing.


While histamine released from mast cells is a major factor in the symptoms of Allergic Rhinitis
these other mast cell irritants are much more important in Asthma. This explains why antihistamines, so helpful for a runny nose, provide little relief for Asthma. Medicines such as xyflow and inhaled corticosteroids such as flovent and pulmicort are much more effective in controlling inflammation in the lungs in Asthma.

Untreated, these allergies can lead to complications such as Sinusitis, Bronchitis, or Pneumonia as well as associated headaches and fatigue.

Food allergies often show up in the skin with hives or chronic eczema. At the center of a hive in the skin, fluid leaks out of the tiny capillary blood vessels to form a welt. With Hives or Angioedema this is a limited event, however in the case of a severe generalised anaphylactic reaction all the capillaries become leaky. If this is not treated in time, so much fluid can be lost from the blood circulation that only a sludge remains and the body goes into irreversible shock. Epinephrine or Adrenalin given by injection is the one medicine that can halt this reaction and save a life.

Finding the cause of an allergy depends on finding out what things your IgE can recognize We can do this with skin tests or blood tests. Once you know what bothers you, you may be able to avoid it. If this is not possible then medicine can help control your symptoms but when you stop taking the medicine your symptoms will return.

Our office specialises in treating allergies with Allergy Shots or Immunotherapy. This process is a kind of vaccination that over time can make you less allergic, with fewer symptoms and fewer complications such as Sinusitis.


What is an Allergy ? Why do I have it ?

Allergy Nuts & Bolts: Mast Cells & IgE