- Allergy injections are just for kids. Not true! Immunotherapy can be effective at any age. Ask your doctor if allergy injections are appropriate for your treatment.
- People with asthma can’t play sports. Jerome Bettis of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee both were diagnosed with asthma, making that claim erroneous. Work with your doctor to identify your triggers and determine the best treatment to get you off the sidelines and back in the game!
- You outgrow your allergies. Actually, the opposite can occur: adults sometimes experience onset of allergies later in life or a recurrence of childhood allergy that seemed to have cleared. It is true that some allergies can fade but others will require a lifetime of treatment and management.
- You only need medications during an attack/ flare up. Many asthma treatments control symptoms before you even feel them. While each patient is different, your doctor can determine what and when medications are appropriate. In some cases, if you wait too long to medicate, it may be too late to get relief.
- Regular exposure to asthma triggers reduces attacks. This is a dangerous myth fueled by the misguided belief patients can build a tolerance on their own by repeated exposure to their asthma triggers. Avoidance is often the best management strategy when used in conjunction with a doctor-directed medication plan. For example, if you’re allergic to dog dander, Fido may have to move out.
- You are allergic to any foods that make you feel bad after consuming. Part of the reason it seems like more and more people suffer from food allergies is a result of inaccurate self-diagnosis. Food intolerances and sensitivities are not true allergies and worse, food poisoning is often mistaken to be an allergic reaction. Skin testing can reveal if you have an actually food allergy.
Myths About Allergies and Asthma
