Pending Shortage of Allergists

Having trouble getting in to see your allergy specialist MD today? Well, it's going to be worse in the future. A growing shortage of allergists in the United States may soon impact the quality of patient care for asthma and other allergic diseases, according to a report published by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). This comes at a bad time, because just about everyone will tell you that allergy problems are increasing--not getting any easier.

“Without intervention, the number of allergy-immunology specialists is projected to decline by 7 percent while demand will increase by 35 percent over the next dozen years,” said ACAAI President Daniel Ein, M.D., clinical professor of medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine and chief of the division of allergy at GWU Medical Center, Washington, D.C.

“The decline in the number of qualified allergists-immunologists is primarily due to the decrease in Graduate Medical Education (GME) training programs because of limited federal funding. To cover attrition and keep up with the growing demand, training programs must increase their graduation rate by 120 allergy-immunology physicians each year,” Dr. Ein said.

Asthma and other allergic diseases have become more prevalent in the United States in recent years. They affect as many as 50 million people, or more than 20 percent of the population. The incidence of asthma alone has more than tripled over the past 25 years and currently affects more than 22 million Americans.

I'd like to recommend that if you are having trouble getting in to see your allergist MD, try an alternative approach such as a Naturopath. My local Chiropractor was able to recommend a supplement that was of great value for me at allergy season here in Sedona.

Dave