Find relief from seasonal and year-round allergies by calming symptoms and retraining your immune system. Dr. Ryan E. Stern, our board-certified ENT, offers allergy treatments that help you breathe easier, rely less on medications, and get back to feeling like yourself.
Reduce Reactions and Breathe Easier
Allergy treatments help reduce or control the symptoms you experience when your immune system overreacts to allergens like pollen, dust, mold, or pet dander. Instead of only masking symptoms, some treatments work to change how your body responds to these triggers over time. Under the care of Dr. Stern, allergy treatment may include medications, lifestyle guidance, or immunotherapy options that help calm inflammation, improve breathing, and support long-term relief.
What Do Allergy Treatments Do?
Allergies occur when your immune system overreacts to substances like pollen, dust, mold, or pet dander, triggering inflammation throughout your nose, sinuses, eyes, skin, or airways. Over time, this constant immune response can disrupt sleep, drain your energy, affect concentration, and make simple activities uncomfortable. Allergy treatments aim not just to relieve symptoms, but to calm this overactive response so your body reacts less intensely to allergens over time.
By addressing how your immune system responds, allergy treatments can help with:
- Chronic nasal congestion or stuffiness
- Runny nose and excessive nasal drainage
- Sneezing and nasal irritation
- Itchy, watery, or red eyes
- Post-nasal drip and throat irritation
- Sinus pressure or facial discomfort
- Allergy-related fatigue or poor sleep
Key Benefits of Allergy Treatments
Allergy treatments work to calm your immune system and reduce how strongly your body reacts to allergens over time.
When customized to your specific triggers, treatment can provide meaningful, long-lasting benefits, including:
- Reduced frequency and severity of allergy symptoms
- Improved nasal breathing and sinus comfort
- Less reliance on daily allergy medications
- Better sleep quality and daytime energy
- Fewer sinus and respiratory flare-ups
- Long-term immune tolerance to allergens
- Improved overall quality of life
Your Allergy Treatment Experience
Your care begins with a thorough consultation with Dr. Stern, during which he takes time to understand your symptoms, triggers, lifestyle, and how allergies affect your daily life. Allergy testing is then used to identify exactly what your immune system is reacting to, whether through skin testing or blood work. This allows Dr. Stern to pinpoint your specific allergens and design a treatment plan that addresses the root cause of your symptoms.
Symptom-control medications
For some patients, treatment starts with medications that help reduce inflammation and immediate symptoms. These may include nasal sprays, antihistamines, or topical treatments that reduce swelling, drainage, itching, and irritation. When used appropriately, medications can improve comfort and breathing while other treatments are being considered or optimized.
Allergen avoidance strategies
Once specific triggers are identified, Dr. Stern will guide you through realistic allergen-avoidance strategies. This may include environmental changes at home or work, air quality improvements, or lifestyle adjustments that reduce daily exposure. While avoidance alone is not always enough, it can significantly reduce symptom severity when paired with other treatments.
Allergy shots (immunotherapy injections)
Allergy shots work by gradually exposing your immune system to small, controlled amounts of allergens through injections in the arm. Over time, this retrains your immune system to become less reactive, reducing symptoms and flare-ups. Treatment progresses from a buildup phase to a maintenance phase and is carefully monitored for safety and effectiveness.
Allergy drops (sublingual immunotherapy)
Allergy drops offer a needle-free alternative that you take at home by placing drops under your tongue each day. Like shots, they work by retraining your immune system over time, but with added convenience and flexibility. Dr. Stern customizes the formulation to your specific allergens and closely monitors your progress throughout treatment.
Why Choose Dr. Stern?
Dr. Ryan E. Stern is a board-certified ENT and subspecialty-trained rhinologist with more than 25 years of experience caring for patients in the Pacific Northwest. For nearly 30 years, he has helped individuals find real relief from allergy through thoughtful, patient-first care. Dr. Stern takes the time to listen, explain your options, and tailor treatment to your needs rather than rushing through a one-size-fits-all plan. If you’re ready to breathe easier, schedule a consultation for allergy treatments in Auburn or Federal Way, WA.
