No patient should seek out alternative allergy treatments without first consulting a physician. There is almost always an established, tested treatment that can best treat a patient’s symptoms. Physicians can also warn patients about potential dangers associated with alternative allergy treatments and monitor any health effects of these treatments.

Patients themselves should be very skeptical of treatments that sound exotic or unusual, even if they are suggested by a physician. Though most medical doctors are committed to treatments that adhere to rigorous scientific principles, there are some physicians who promote extremely questionable or unproven practices. If a practice sounds strange, or too good to be true, patients should get a second opinion from a board-certified allergist/immunologist.

Patients should remember the following points when searching for an allergy treatment:

• Beware of practitioners who use pseudo-medical jargon and who back their claims by citing unnamed “scientific” references.
  
  
• Ignore practitioners who promote supplements or fancy diets as a means of treating allergies.
  
  
• Be wary of anecdotes and testimonials. Rigorous peer review and testing firmly grounded in science are the only valid means of evaluating a treatment.
  
  
• Beware of herbal remedies, which are almost always inferior treatments to synthetic compound drugs. In addition, many herbs contain chemicals that can be dangerous to humans.
  
  
• Be skeptical of products alleged to cure many different diseases or disorders.
  
  
• Ignore claims of “secret” treatments or cures, or practitioners who claim that the medical establishment is trying to suppress certain treatments.

It is extremely unlikely that most physicians will suggest alternative treatments as a substitute for standard medical care. However, patients who decide to seek these treatments should, at the very least, take the following steps:

• Check into the background, qualifications and competence of any practitioner. Call or write to state and local regulatory agencies that authorize practitioners to perform the therapy or treatment in question. Keep in mind that these standards usually are not as rigorous as those applied to traditional medicine.
  
  
• Talk to patients treated by the practitioner. Get feedback about both the therapy and the person performing it.
  
  
• Talk to the practitioner. Find out about the person’s training, licenses and experience. Ask questions about the practitioner’s approach to treatment and patients. Make sure the practitioner is willing to answer all questions and to talk honestly and openly about the procedure.
  
  
• Pay close attention to important details, such as the cleanliness of the clinic and the condition of tools and other instruments to be used in the procedure.
  
  
• Weigh the costs of the treatment. Find out whether or not insurance reimburses the treatment. Most alternative treatments are not covered by health insurance plans.
  
  
• Involve your physician in the alternative therapy. Most healthcare providers in the mainstream medical community strongly urge their patients not to pursue alternative therapies. This is because there are well-established, clinically proven treatments for the majority of allergic and asthmatic conditions. However, patients who pursue alternative therapies despite such warnings should include their physician in the process. The danger in alternative treatments is not just that they may not be effective. Some may be unsafe for a particular patient. Involving a physician will help to ensure that any alternative therapies are explored with as little risk as possible.