AllerVie Health – Hoover

Dr. Maina completed her Allergy and Immunology fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She received her medical degree along with her degree in Microbiology and Immunology from Indiana University School of Medicine.

As a lifelong allergy sufferer, Dr. Sikora recognizes the importance of appropriate medications and procedures in treatment. Food allergy is one of her special interests, as it affects every aspect of a patient’s life as well as their family’s life.

Becca Watkins, CRNP, is a board certified family nurse practitioner working in collaborative practice with Dr. Maxcie Sikora. She obtained her bachelor’s of science in nursing from University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Morgan Mims, CRNP, is a board certified family nurse practitioner working in collaborative practice with Dr. Njeri Maina. She obtained her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) for food allergies is a medical treatment, guided by a board-certified allergist, which re-trains the immune system to become desensitized to food allergens through regular ingestion of food proteins at increasing doses.

If you have a history of reactions to different medications or if you have a serious reaction to a drug, an allergist/immunologist has specialized training and testing experience to diagnose the problem and help you develop a plan to protect you in the future.

Our early introduction program begins with a peanut allergy test. As a parent, you may already know the risks of food allergies and how they can impact the life of your child.

To help you and your family to be healthy wherever they are, you can now get access to healthcare anywhere that offers sufficient privacy with Telemedicine.

A challenge, or challenge test, is a highly accurate diagnostic test for allergies which is sometimes performed even after a skin prick and blood tests. For example, our allergists may order the test to find out if a patient has truly outgrown a food allergy.

A skin allergy test is an umbrella term used to refer to a number of testing procedures used in the diagnosis of allergies. Skin allergy tests are popular because they help in the diagnosis of many common allergies.

Allergy patch testing is a common allergy testing method used to confirm the cause of allergic contact dermatitis in a patient.

An intradermal allergy test involves injecting a small amount of allergen under the skin. Intradermal allergy tests can test a for a variety of allergies including insect sting allergies and drug allergies.

AllerVie Health performs allergen-specific IgE (Immunoglobulin E) testing, commonly known as ELISA/EIA testing, utilizing ImmunoCAP by ThermoFisher, when conducting allergy diagnostics.

Allergy drops are administered sublingually (under the tongue) and are a great alternative for patients averse to allergy shots or whose conditions cannot be treated with allergy shots.

Allergy shots are a form of immunotherapy. They work by exposing the body in stages to an allergen so that the body ‘learns’ not to react to that trigger.

Immunotherapy, also known as biological therapy, is a medical intervention that uses the body’s immune response to treat a disease. It can work by either activating or suppressing the immune system’s response, and it is used to treat multiple conditions, including cancer and allergies.

Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) is a very rare and potentially life-threatening genetic condition that occurs in about 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 50,000 people. HAE symptoms include episodes of edema (swelling) in various body parts including the hands, feet, face, and airway.

The immune system plays a role in the control of cancer and other diseases, but also is the culprit in the phenomena of allergies, asthma, and recurrent infections such as sinus infections, pneumonia, ear infections, and bronchitis.

Skin conditions are one of the most common forms of allergy treated and managed by an allergist, a physician with specialized training and expertise to accurately diagnose your condition and provide relief for your symptoms.

Adverse reactions to medications are common, yet everyone responds differently. One person may develop a rash or other reactions when taking a certain type of medication, while another person on the same drug may have no adverse reaction at all.

Non-allergic rhinitis (vasomotor rhinitis) is a condition that causes chronic sneezing, congestion, or runny nose. While these symptoms are similar to those of allergic rhinitis (hay fever), non-allergic rhinitis is different because, unlike an allergy, it doesn’t involve the immune system.

A milk protein allergy, or a cow milk protein allergy (CMPA), is a food allergy in which a person’s immune system has a histamine response to the protein in a cow’s milk, though it can also be triggered by the milk of other animals, including goats and sheep.

Angioedema is swelling that occurs just beneath the skin in the body. It can happen in many areas of the body and not just the external regions that we usually associate with ‘skin.’

Hives, also known as Urticaria, occur as a sudden outbreak of bumps and welts on the skin. These bumps and welts are typically pale red in color and are often accompanied by swelling known as angioedema.

Some disorders may produce symptoms that are similar to those of food allergies. However, some related digestive diseases are conditions that do not involve IgE (immunoglobulin E), the antibody that causes potentially life-threatening reactions in people with food allergies.

Also known as pollen fruit syndrome or pollen fruit allergy syndrome (PFAS), oral allergy syndrome is a cross-reactivity that occurs in patients with existing allergic rhinitis when they consume certain fruits and vegetables.

Allergic reactions can be caused by a variety of stinging and biting insects. Common insects that cause allergic reactions include wasps, hornets, yellowjackets, and honeybees, as well as red and black fire ants.

Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the bronchial tubes in the lungs. As the bronchial tubes allow air to flow in and out of the lungs, asthma can make it difficult to breathe and cause additional symptoms, such as coughing and wheezing.

A food allergy requires the help and intervention of an allergist. Those with a food allergy often must carry epipens with them so that they can self-administer the drug when needed.

Sinusitis is an infection in the sinuses, resulting in congestion, cough, thick discharge, and pressure in the head and face. It typically occurs when something stops mucus from draining from the sinuses.

COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, is a chronic inflammatory lung disorder. It is not a single disorder but a collection of lung diseases that obstruct the flow of air to the lungs and create breathing problems.

Eosinophilic esophagitis, or EoE, is an immune and allergy disorder of the esophagus. In EoE, the patient experiences inflammation in the esophagus that interferes with their ability to ingest and digest food.

Allergies are the world’s most common chronic condition and can cause reactions that range widely from mildly uncomfortable to life-threatening.

Allergic rhinitis is the diagnosis given to a collection of respiratory symptoms that result from exposure to an allergen. Though most commonly triggered by triggers such as dander or pollen, allergic rhinitis can, in some cases, result from food allergies.

Latex allergies involve an immune response from the body that is triggered by exposure to materials and objects that include latex.