As physicians we have many responsibilities to the patients we see in our offices. We are required to listen carefully to our patients and obtain a history that allows us to accurately diagnose their problem. Regardless of outside influences, we are ethically required to treat our patients with the most appropriate treatment available. This might mean that we ignore the latest T.V ads and treat with medications that are less glamorous, but perhaps safer and more effective.

A common problem in the field of allergy is to over diagnose food allergy. Food allergy is rare in adults and somewhat more common in children. There is a tendency today to feel that herbs or diet manipulation can cure many ills. This would be convenient, but there is little scientific evidence to support this hope.

We at Virginia Allergy believe that we must use the best medical evidence available to treat our patients. We base our treatment decisions on a careful review of the medical literature, not necessarily on the headlines in U.S.A Today. Our clinical research activities provide us with the background to interpret the studies you read about in the newspaper or hear about on T.V. Often these articles can be misleading or even wrong.

For instance if a study shows that there is a 10% increased risk of obesity in people who eat carrots, one might wonder how this could be. It could be a study result if the carrot eaters also watched more T.V., ate more french fries and chocolates, or didn't exercise as much as the "don't eat" carrot group. Perhaps there were only 20 people in the study, which would mean the data was based on an inadequate number of patients. There are numerous reasons studies can provide wrong results. The physicians at Virginia Allergy are your best protection against misinterpreting studies or T.V. ads or the latest fad treatments. We will be happy to discuss with you any of the treatments or medications of which you have been made aware through the media. However, we will use our experience and best professional judgement to review your unique circumstances and determine the best course of action.