New Tampa residents who enjoy the botanical beauty and seafood bounty associated with the region may find that allergies and related health problems can also be a part of living our sub-tropical lifestyle.
Fortunately, when allergic reactions become more than an inconvenient nuisance, medical help is available at Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Associates of Tampa Bay, which has an office in the University Community Medical Center on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., just north of E. Fletcher Ave.
Dr. Richard Lockey, M.D., is the founder and president of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Associates of Tampa Bay. He earned his M.D. degree in 1965 from the Temple University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. After serving as a physician in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, he joined the faculty of the University of South Florida College of Medicine (now Morsani College of Medicine) in 1973 as an assistant professor of medicine and founded Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Associates of Tampa Bay. Now, he is the director of USF’s allergy and immunology division, chief of the allergy and immunology section at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital and his practice now has four locations — New Tampa, South Tampa, Citrus Park and Brooksville — staffed by five physicians.
Dr. Lockey also has served as a president of the World Allergy Organization and is a past president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
He says some of the most common allergies come from exposure to substances like pollen or ragweed and foods such as shellfish, eggs, wheat, milk and peanuts. He also cites insect bites, chemicals and medicines as causing allergic reactions and adds that the way doctors treat allergies and related conditions like asthma has changed considerably since he began practicing medicine.
“When I started, we would hospitalize asthmatics all the time on an inpatient basis,” says Dr. Lockey. “What’s changed exponentially are the methods and means by which we can treat and care for patients with allergic diseases, particularly asthma.”
He notes that means asthma patients can continue to live their lives with minimal disruption.
“If appropriate care is available and given, we virtually can keep asthmatics functioning on a normal basis, almost without exception,” he says.
Dr. Lockey credits research that has yielded greater understanding of the disease and new safe, effective medications to treat asthma, for changing a diagnosis of it from potentially life-threatening to manageable for people like Leslie Barton.
Barton has been a patient at Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Associates for 10 years. She suffers from asthma and credits Dr. Lockey and his team for helping her maintain her independence while dealing with the disease’s debilitating effects.
“It really changes your life when you can’t breathe,” she says. “They work very closely with you on a one-on-one basis and have kept me out of the hospital.”
Dr. Lockey says asthma can occur as a result of allergies, nasal polyps, exertion or be related to other respiratory diseases.
Once the doctors at Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Associates of Tampa Bay determine why a patient has asthma, they determine the severity of the illness and conduct a complete physical examination to check for related conditions that can make the condition worse. And, while the physicians are specialists, Dr. Lockey it all gets back to the basic principles of the medical arts.
“You have to be a good internist — or a good practitioner — first, to take care of a patient with asthma,” he says. “If you treat the patient who has chronic sinusitis and you treat their chronic sinusitis, their asthma gets better; if you treat their GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), their asthma can get better; and if you treat their asthma, their GERD gets better. You have to be a physician that knows about the patient as a whole.”
A Team Of Allergy Specialists
Speaking of good practitioners, in addition to Dr. Lockey, there are four other physicians on the staff of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Associates of Tampa Bay. They are all Board-certified allergy, asthma and immunology specialists and members of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), with each of them contributing a unique perspective derived from their different medical advocacy and research interests.
The range of substances that can cause an allergic reaction is wide, and Dr. Roger Fox, M.D., who earned his medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, in 1975, has written and lectured extensively on the topics of environmental, chemical, food and drug allergies.
Dr. Dennis Ledford, M.D., received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis in 1976 and has served as president of AAAAI. His research and published writings focus on immunology and autoimmune disorders, and he has been active in promoting education and awareness of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
In addition to being a medical doctor, Dr. Mark Glaum, M.D., is also a Doctor of Philosophy. In 1999, he earned his medical degree at Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA and went on to earn his Ph.D. dgree in immunology from there in 2001. His areas of interest include how the body responds to substances that cause allergic reactions and advancing diagnostic techniques such as rhinoscopies (examining nasal passages with specialized instruments).
The congestion and related problems caused by allergies can require the expertise of an ear, nose and throat specialist (otolaryngologist) and at Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Associates of Tampa Bay, that is Dr. Seong Cho, M.D. He received his medical degree from Kyung Hee University School of Medicine in Seoul, Korea, in 1989, and began his medical career there as an otolaryngologist.
This range of expertise means the doctors and staff at Allergy, Asthma & Immunology of Tampa Bay treat and manage many health conditions besides asthma. These include rhinitis (inflammation and swelling of the mucous membrane of the nose, often referred to as hay fever), cough, laryngitis, headaches and immune disorders. Allergic reactions and immune responses resulting in rashes and dermatitis also can be treated there, says Dr. Lockey.
“We are allergists and immunologists. We are trained to take care of a variety of different dermatologic diseases, including hives, eczema, and others. It’s part of our training,” he says.
Patients are provided a wide range of diagnostic and treatment services such as rhinoscopies (examination of the nasal passages using a speculum or similar instrument), patch tests, hearing tests and, of course, allergy injections.
All of the doctors at Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Associates of Tampa Bay also teach at USF’s Morsani College of Medicine. This academic side has promoted a working relationship with USF Health’s Asthma, Allergy & Immunology Clinical Research Unit, of which Dr. Lockey is the associate director.
According to USF Health’s Michelle Twitmyer, the unit’s clinical research coordinator, the benefits available to study participants are considerable.
“Some clinical trials are using medications that are not yet available on the market for the doctors to prescribe, so there might be people who are interested in seeing if this new medication is available,” Twitmyer says. “During the trial, they have the potential of getting that treatment for a year or even two years before it becomes available on the market.”
Twitmyer also says one of the unit’s current projects is researching a treatment for peanut allergies.
While the doctors and staff at Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Associates have considerable clinical and research experience, as well as access to the latest in treatments and technology, Dr. Lockey expresses a basic principle that guides his team in its work.
“We practice the most cost-effective and honest medicine,” he says. “We treat patients like they’re our family members. That’s what all medicine should be about.”
You can learn more about Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Associates of Tampa Bay by visiting AllergyTampa.com or by calling 971-9743. The New Tampa office is located at 13801 BBD Blvd., Suite 502.
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