2023 Practice News
December
Asthma and Cold Weather: How to Cope
For people with asthma, identifying and avoiding known triggers is an important aspect of managing symptoms and reducing flare-ups. Unfortunately, even if you’re already taking precautions, winter can be a potentially dangerous time for people with asthma. Here’s what you should know about navigating the season’s challenges.
Tips for Combating Winter Allergies
If you are perpetually stuffy, have itchy eyes, and pressure in your head during winter, you might suffer from what is often called “winter allergies.” Because you are indoors more during the colder months often with little ventilation, you are exposed to indoor allergens like mold, dust mites, and animal dander.
November
Atlanta Allergy & Asthma’s Dr. Stanley Fineman Retires After 45 Years of Clinical Practice
A true thought leader, esteemed researcher, and honored expert in the field of allergy and immunology, Dr. Stanley Fineman is announcing his retirement after 45 years of clinical practice.
Allergy & Asthma Tips for a Happy Holiday Season
The holiday and winter season can be a tough time for individuals with allergies or asthma. From the cold weather to the holiday meals, it’s important for individuals with these conditions to be aware of potential risks they might face.
Holiday Closing Dates
Atlanta Allergy & Asthma will be closed on the following days during the 2023 Holiday Season:
October
2023 Allergy Extract Reorder Deadline
If you would like to order your allergy extract and have it billed to insurance in this calendar year, you must do so by Friday, December 15th. Any orders placed after that date will be processed in 2024.
Now Enrolling Participants for Pediatric Peanut Allergy Study
Atlanta Allergy & Asthma is currently enrolling participants for the VITESSE Pediatric Peanut Allergy study. Atlanta Allergy & Asthma’s Research Department has been actively involved in conducting clinical research studies for more than 40 years. These studies help in the development of new therapies for patients with allergic diseases and asthma.
Join Us in Supporting FARE’s Teal Pumpkin Project
The Teal Pumpkin Project supports a safe trick-or-treating experience for kids with food allergies. Learn where to get your teal pumpkins and ideas for non-food treats!
Halloween Tips for Safe Trick or Treating with Food Allergies
Make sure your family is well protected this Halloween season and check out our tips for your favorite trick-or-treaters.
Are You Allergic to Mold?
Molds can be found outdoors, in your home, and in other buildings you visit. Learn more about mold allergy symptoms and when mold activity is the highest.
Have You Met Your Deductible? Good Time to Schedule an Allergy Test
The end of the year is a good time to think about how to get the most from your health insurance, including scheduling an appointment for an allergy test. Both allergy testing and treatments are covered by most insurance plans, so if you’ve met your deductible for the year, your out-of-pocket costs could be minimal, or possibly zero.
September
Why You Really Need to Get Your Flu Shot
By getting the flu vaccine, we can hope to decrease the utilization of our healthcare system preserving resources for those that need it most.
Tips for Surviving Fall Pollen Season
Ragweed is the most allergenic of all pollens and can cause annoying symptoms that can last from late August until the first frost. Here are some tips for surviving those high pollen count days.
August
The September Asthma Peak — What Is It?
Fall is one of the most dangerous times for people with asthma, especially children. Asthmatics often enjoy a reprieve from symptoms during the summer months, but ER visits for asthma increase during September and October.
Fall Allergy Season and Virus Season — Are You Prepared?
What's causing those fall allergy symptoms, and which overlap with COVID-19 symptoms? Learn about fall allergy triggers and treatments from the experts at Atlanta Allergy & Asthma.
Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Discusses New Study Validating Pediatric ‘Allergic March’
The ‘allergic march’ is a pattern in which allergies first present as eczema, followed by food allergies, asthma, and then environmental allergies.
Modern Luxury Medicine + Doctors magazine recognizes three Atlanta Allergy & Asthma physicians among Castle Connolly’s Exceptional Women in Medicine 2023
Atlanta Allergy & Asthma is proud to announce that three of our physicians appear in the August issue of Modern Luxury Medicine + Doctors magazine Castle Connolly’s Exceptional Women in Medicine for 2023.
July
Safety Protocol Update-Summer '23
Atlanta Allergy & Asthma treats patients who are immunocompromised, as well as patients with respiratory diseases that make them vulnerable to complications from viral infections. For those reasons, we continue to recommend masks for most patients and guests visiting our clinics. However, masks are no longer mandatory.
Back to School with Allergies and Asthma
It’s that time again — ensure that your child has a safe, healthy, and successful school year. If your child has a food allergy, asthma and/or nasal allergies, we are sharing some important things to add to your summer to-do list.
Six Atlanta Allergy & Asthma physicians receive Top Doctors honors in Atlanta magazine
Drs. Stanley M. Fineman, Lily G. Hwang, Keith I. Lenchner, Kevin L. Schaffer, Kathleen A. Sheerin, and David D. Tanner appear in Atlanta magazine’s July issue
June
Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Welcomes Charmi D. Patel, M.D. To Our Athens Care Team
We are pleased to welcome Charmi D. Patel, M.D. to the practice. Dr. Patel, a board-certified allergist, will join the practice in September and see patients at Atlanta Allergy & Asthma’s Athens location.
Our East Cobb Office Has Moved
We are excited to announce that we have relocated our East Cobb office. To better serve our patients, we are moved to the Woodlawn Commons office complex at 1121 Johnson Ferry Road across from the Publix shopping center.
How to Tell When You’re Having a Normal Reaction to an Insect Sting and When It’s Something to Worry About
For many of us, summer brings increased time outdoors and increased exposure to insects. Although everyone will react in some way to the venom of stinging insects, an allergist is an expert who can explain the difference between an allergic reaction and a normal reaction.
Year-Round Allergy Symptoms? There Are Very Effective Treatment Options for One of the Most Common Indoor Allergens.
Dust mites may be the most common symptom trigger of year-round allergies and asthma. If you have allergic rhinitis triggered by house dust mites, you may feel like you have a cold that lasts all year!
Summertime Safety Tips for Individuals with Allergies and Asthma
The best part of summer is the time spent having fun outdoors; however, individuals with asthma and allergies must be aware of triggers and potentially dangerous situations specific to summertime. To help keep you and your family safe and symptom-free this summer, we’re sharing a few general safety tips to keep in mind.
May
Pollen Season 2023 – How Did It Compare?
‘Spring’ pollen season started early in Georgia this year. In fact, ‘spring season’ started in February with 14 of its 20 days falling in the high range according to the National Allergy Bureau’s (NAB) severity levels when the #AtlantaAllergyPollenCount was recorded. That is more days in the high range (14) than any previous February in the 30 years we have been recording the counts.
Georgia Trend magazine recognizes three Atlanta Allergy & Asthma physicians as Top Doctors
Atlanta Allergy & Asthma is proud to announce that three of our physicians appear in the May issue of Georgia Trend magazine and rank among its exclusive list of Top Doctors for 2023.
What is Eosinophilic Esophagitis?
When it comes to conditions that an allergist/immunologist treats, we most often think of nasal allergies, asthma, food allergies, as well as skin rashes, and immune disorders. But there is a chronic inflammatory condition of the esophagus you may not have heard of – and cases are on the rise.
Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Welcomes Sara B. Bluestein, M.D. to Our Austell and Northlake Care Teams
We are pleased to announce that Sara B. Bluestein, M.D. has joined Atlanta Allergy & Asthma and will see patients in our Austell and Northlake offices.
Tips for Protecting Yourself Against Harmful Air Quality
Most of our patients know the effect of pollen, dust, and animal dander have on people with asthma. Nearly 60% of people with asthma have allergies that make their asthma worse.
Eight physicians from Atlanta Allergy & Asthma recognized as Atlanta’s Top Doctors in Modern Luxury Medicine + Doctors and The Atlantan magazines
Eight physicians from Atlanta Allergy & Asthma –the largest allergy practice in Georgia– appear in the January issue of Modern Luxury Medicine + Doctors magazine and in the April issue of The Atlantan magazine among Atlanta’s Top Doctors. Atlanta Allergy & Asthma allergists consistently appear on the list, which annually honors notable physicians among the area’s healthcare landscape.
April
What Is an EpiPen and Who Needs It?
Cost and access to EpiPens has been in the news for some time and we are still facing shortages today. We asked Atlanta Allergy & Asthma physician Dr. Lily Hwang to talk about who needs this drug and how to make sure you have access if it is medically necessary.
Dr. Stanley Fineman Discusses Adult Onset Allergies on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt
Atlanta Allergy & Asthma allergist, Stanley Fineman, M.D., recently contributed to a segment for NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. The segment discussed the difficult pollen season being felt across the United States and how many seasonal allergy sufferers have never experienced allergy symptoms previously or were not diagnosed until adulthood.
Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Welcomes Njeri Maina, M.D., Ph.D. to Our Douglasville Care Team
We are excited to announce that Njeri Maina, M.D., Ph.D., recently joined the staff of our Douglasville office. Dr. Maina, an experienced allergist/immunologist, has been practicing in Birmingham, Alabama since 2018.
March
Pollen Count Available On Weekends beginning 3/25
The #AtlantaAllergyPollenCount will be available on the weekends starting Saturday, March 25, and continue through peak pollen season.
The FASTER Act: Why Isn't It All Good News for Sesame Allergic Patients?
The Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act was signed into law in April of 2021, prioritizing food allergy research and specifically declaring sesame as the 9th major food allergen recognized by the United States. The FASTER Act went into effect on January 1, 2023 and now requires allergen labeling laws be updated to include sesame seeds, sesame oil, sesame paste, and any other sesame products.
February
Dr. Howard J. Silk Retires
It has been my honor and privilege to practice medicine with Atlanta Allergy & Asthma for over 35 years. But after much consideration, I am announcing my plans to retire at the end of February.
Glimpse of Spring? Trees Release Pollen Early
As often occurs in Georgia and the southeast, we begin to get spurts of warmer temperatures leading up to Spring. These warmer temps encourage trees like Juniper, Elm, Birch, and Maple to release pollens that we normally do not see until the spring months. What does that mean for you?
January
Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Welcomes Steven Gottlieb, D.O.
Dr. Gottlieb’s path to caring for patients with allergic diseases and asthma began in medical school. Each year he would leave for Des Moines University, tissues in hand, seeking refuge in the air conditioning because of his ragweed-induced itchy eyes and stuffy nose. As his education and training continued, he sought out elective rotations in allergy/immunology. His exposure to the field of allergy confirmed that this was the area of medicine where he would specialize and then spend his life caring for patients with allergic diseases, asthma, and immune disorders.
How Does the FASTER Act Address the Rise of Sesame Seed Allergy?
The Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act was signed into law in April of 2021, prioritizing food allergy research and specifically declaring sesame as the 9th major food allergen recognized by the United States. The FASTER Act went into effect on January 1, 2023 and will require allergen labeling laws be updated to include sesame seeds, sesame oil, sesame paste, and any other sesame products.