Texas Family Healthcare is proud to offer a wide array of health and wellness services to our patients, including multiple allergy treatment options, Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement, and Low-T Therapy. TFHC also offers many different types of preventative care such as physicals, including yearly, back to school, and sports physicals. TFHC houses complete imaging services, including X-Ray, EKG, and sonogram, all on site in our Medical City office. For the convenience of our patients, TFHC features a Patient Portal, a secure online site that stores your medical information, giving you access anywhere and anytime.
Click on one of the services below to learn more.
An allergy is an overreaction of the immune system to an inappropriate stimulus, such as dust, pollen, grass, pet dander, mold, etc. The immune system believes it is being invaded by a parasite rather than a harmless allergen in the environment, and therefore it rallies its defenses to fight off the enemy.
The list of symptoms caused by allergies is longer than you might think. Primary signs of allergies include:
There are many items in the environment that could cause your allergies. They fall into four general categories:
Contrary to popular belief, it's not animal fur that causes allergies; it's a protein in their saliva. When animals lick themselves, the protein attaches to the fur and that's when it becomes the problem. Then animals shed and their fur sticks in carpeting, upholstery, etc. where it can stay for months.
The same protein found in saliva is also present in animals' urine. Therefore, gerbils, hamsters and other small caged animals could cause problems for allergy-prone individuals.
Pets aren't the only problem. Cockroaches, common to tropical areas, also contribute large allergen particles to the space around us. Proteins in their saliva and feces become airborne easily and circulate through the air without your knowledge.
Simply put, mold is bad. So bad that exposure sometimes seriously affects non-allergic people. Mold reproduces when airborne spores land on wet surfaces, so any room with moisture is vulnerable; especially those that don't dry thoroughly (like bathrooms counters, showers and bathtubs, and refrigerator drip trays). Also, plumbing leaks could cause major problems to your home and your health if they're not fixed immediately.
These microscopic creatures can create big allergy problems. As they float through the air or reproduce in carpeting, upholstery and bedding, the protein in their droppings pollute the environment and cause perennial problems for a many allergy sufferers. Vacuuming, dusting with a damp cloth, and washing sheets regularly can help but, unfortunately, dust mites are hard to completely avoid.
Have you ever rolled in the grass and then started itching? It's allergies. The worst offenders are Bermuda, Johnson, Kentucky bluegrass, Orchard, Sweet vernal, and Timothy grasses. When lawn mowers cut them, the pollen starts flying. Keep in mind that pollen can stow away on your clothes and on your pets, so vacuum and shower frequently.
Tree pollen is another big troublemaker, and these varieties are especially to blame: sycamore, hickory, walnut, pecan, poplar, cottonwood, box elder, red maple, silver maple, willow, ash, date palm and Phoenix palm trees. Some people have cross-reactions to alder, beech, birch, oak, juniper, and cedar families as well. Removing these trees from your garden may be of little help to allergies; tree pollen can travel up to 50 miles on a strong wind.
Weeds are not only the bane of existence to gardeners, but also allergy sufferers, as they are regular pollen factories. Ragweed is the worst offender, as one plant can release 1 million grains of pollen each day. Other troublemakers are sagebrush, redroot, pigweed, lamb's quarters, Russian thistle (tumbleweed) and English plantain.
There are three options for battling allergies:
This is always the first course of action...avoid things that make you allergic. This approach is not always practical or desirable. For instance, you may be able to remove offending plants from your home but pollen can travel up to 50 miles, so you are always vulnerable to trees, flowers and weeds from your neighborhood and city. Animals that cause allergies may be taken away but their dander can remain in a home for up to six months; if you visit a home with pets, their hair stays when they're not present.
Additionally, even thorough efforts to clear your home of allergens can fall short against relentless household dust, cockroaches or hidden mold. Therefore, avoidance is a major challenge and it can significantly impact your quality of life (especially if you like the animals, trees and flowers that cause your allergies).
Immunotherapy is a natural allergy remedy. It's a process that desensitizes your body to allergens by introducing them to your body, via serum, in small doses. As treatment progresses, the amount of these allergens (also known as antigens) in the serum increases so your immune system learns to tolerate and then ignore them, making you a much happier person during allergy season!
There are two types of immunotherapy: shots and sublingual (under the tongue) drops. Both are effective.
Allergy Drops have been popular throughout the world for over 60 years. In the comfort of your home, you simply place a few drops of serum (the same serum used in allergy shots) under your tongue every day. You only need to visit your healthcare provider every 12 weeks for a refill and a quick follow-up. By your first follow-up, you'll likely notice a marked improvement. Within a few months you should realize a significant reduction in the need for allergy medications. And, in four years, if you are like most patients you will experience complete remission of your environmental allergies.
Allergy shots have been used successfully to treat allergies in the U.S. for decades. Healthcare providers administer the shots in their offices on a regular basis, often weekly or bi-weekly. Health insurance policies usually cover some many of the out-of-pocket costs associated with allergy shots.
The goal of virtually all prescription and over-the-counter allergy medications is to stop allergy symptoms temporarily. They do nothing to relieve the CAUSE of your allergies, which is why your misery returns every time you encounter allergens your body doesn't like.
Bio-identical hormones are an exact replica of the hormones that are naturally produced by the body. The difference between bio-identical hormones and synthetic hormones is that, although both are created in labs, synthetic hormones are not identical to the hormones naturally created in your body and bio-identical hormones match your body's hormones molecule by molecule.
The only way to know if you need bio-identical hormone replacement therapy is through specific laboratory testing. There are specific lab panels available to determine if your hormones are imbalanced.
Signs and symptoms of imbalance may include, but are not limited to fatigue, depression, hair loss, weight gain, muscle atrophy, low energy levels, insomnia, mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats, and anxiety. In many cases, hormone imbalances can occur with expected changes in the lifespan, such as menopause and andropause.
Following lab testing, your physician will review your results to determine if BHRT is necessary for you. In some cases, BHRT may not be necessary; however lifestyle and environmental factors may change this need over time, so routine testing, along with a preventive health lifestyle is recommended to keep hormones balanced and maintain optimal health.
Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy has numerous benefits for women, including:
Women with current or past history of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, blood clots to the legs or lungs, stroke or liver disease should usually not take hormone therapy. Women taking hormone therapy should not smoke.
Low testosterone treatment is the practice of diagnosing a person with low levels of testosterone and treating with injections, gels, patches, surgically implanted pellets or through oral applications.
To determine testosterone levels, a simple blood test will be performed. If your total or free testosterones are not within the normal range, you may be a candidate for treatment. Determining whether a patient is the right candidate for testosterone therapy is evaluated on a case by case basis by the medical professionals in conference with the patient.
Benefits of testosterone replacement therapy vary based upon the pre-therapy symptoms and other factors, but can include:
Only your physician can fully answer this question; however, in general testosterone replacement therapy is not recommended and/or is prohibited for patients with:
An exclusive program catering to the needs of busy professionals with an emphasis on time, management, and convenience. We offer concierge services including online patient portals and virtual visits, as well as a private lounge with beverage service, Wi-Fi access, and comfortable seating. Additional services provided in office are: in house labs, x-ray and radiology services, urgent care, gynecology, dermatology, basic podiatry services, immunizations, executive physicals, life coaching, weight loss, low T therapy, bio identical hormone replacement therapy, and much more... We are truly a one stop shop for all of your medical needs!
It's simple to join! With as few as ten employees from the same company, your office can enroll.
Contact us today 972-566-7970.
7777 Forest Lane, Suite A-222, Dallas, TX 75230
