Dr. Travis Miller, medical director of The Allergy Station in Roseville, offers his insight into regional allergies. For more from Miller, check out “As The Wind Blows” in our April issue. Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll email you when it’s available online.

What’s the biggest change in allergy treatment or research in the past year?

There have been advances in topical therapies (sprays and eye drops), several disease modifying treatments (immunotherapy — sublingual tablets and drops), treatment schedules (cluster and rush protocols) and telehealth is helping patients who can’t get to the office readily. For more information, patients should seek professional medical advice from an allergist.

What do you foresee as the biggest change on the horizon in the year to come?

First, increasing costs are being shifted to patients from insurance products. High deductible plans are becoming the norm. The other is more biologic in nature. There is clear and increasing evidence that climate change is affecting pollen loads — increased pollen — and causing longer, heavier seasons.

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