This clinic specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with allergic conditions and other conditions in which diet or environmental factors play a part.
Our team consists of two doctors, a specialist dietitian, a nurse and an occupational therapist.
Depending on the severity and duration of the condition, treatment may focus on:
- Diagnosis, including the use of skin prick tests and blood tests for specific IgE
- Controlling symptoms
- Improving well-being and energy levels
- Helping patients to manage their condition better
‘Classical’ allergic illnesses including ‘atopic’ conditions such as:
- Hay fever (grass or tree pollen)
- Bee or wasp venom allergy
- House dust mite allergy
- Asthma
- Some cases of atopic eczema
- Urticaria (“hives”) and angioedema
- Food allergy and intolerance
Conditions where a dietary approach may be helpful, such as:
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Migraine
- Chronic fatigue
- Poor nutrition due to restricted diet
Management may involve a number of different approaches, including:
- Helping patients to understand and manage their condition more effectively
- Allergen avoidance strategies
- Dietary modification
- Medication (such as asthma inhalers, nasal sprays, antihistamines, injectable adrenaline ‘Epipen’)
- Desensitisation (administration of low-dose allergy-causing substances, either as injections or by mouth, to reduce symptoms and medication use in allergic rhinitis, bee and wasp venom allergy)
- Dietary management (10 to 30% of IBS and
- CFS patients may respond to this approach)
- Complementary medicine.
We do not offer:
- Patch testing for eczema/contact dermatitis (refer to UCLH Dermatology service)
- Drug Allergy diagnosis and treatment
“Being allergic, asthmatic with lung & heart problems, I had a mass of difficulties coping with conventional treatment for thyroid & breast cancer... They helped me cope with the harsh drug side effects... I would not have coped so well without their help, and I look so well now, no one believes I have come through so much” Patient feedback, NHS Choices – July 2010.