Serving Palm Harbor
Allergy & Asthma Care for Palm Harbor
For the kid who cannot finish the mile, the teenager whose inhaler is not enough, and the adult who has had “sinus trouble” since moving to Florida.
The kid who runs out of air
Palm Harbor is built around fields, courts, trails and water. Which means the first person to notice a child’s asthma is often a coach, not a doctor — and the first explanation offered is usually that the child is out of shape.
Exercise-induced asthma is one of the asthma types Sher Allergy Specialists identifies and treats, alongside allergic asthma, cough variant asthma, eosinophilic asthma and occupational asthma. Asthma makes it hard for air to move in and out of the lungs and can begin at any age. There is no cure yet, but the goal of therapy is to control the disease and prevent its progression — and we treat the underlying airway inflammation, not only the symptoms.
Breathing trouble, a persistent cough, or an inability to keep up physically are all listed reasons to consult a pediatric allergist. So is a cough that shows up with no viral illness to explain it.
What testing adds that an inhaler does not
A rescue inhaler answers a moment. It does not tell you how obstructed the airway actually is, whether it is inflamed, or what is setting it off. Three tests, all available in this office, answer those questions in one afternoon:
- Spirometry — measures how much air the lungs hold and how fast it moves, compared against values predicted as normal for a person of that age, size and sex. It can be repeated after medication to measure the effect and to track progress over time.
- FeNO — a simple breath test that measures the amount of lung inflammation, which distinguishes an actively inflamed airway from one that is quiet.
- Allergy skin testing — essentially painless, administered quickly, and usually completed during the initial visit, identifying the pollens, molds and animal allergens actually driving the asthma. At Sher Allergy Specialists, your allergy skin tests are personally measured and read by a physician or physician assistant, with physician oversight and interpretation, rather than simply recorded by a technician or medical assistant for later review.
Pediatric allergy is a distinct expertise
Sher Allergy Specialists’ Allergists are trained and board certified in Pediatrics as well as Allergy and Immunology. Their pediatric and adolescent medicine training at Duke, Harvard and the University of Texas preceded pediatric and adult allergy, asthma and immunology training at the University of Michigan and the University of South Florida. They get kids, from infancy through the teenage years, and they are equally comfortable partnering with the parent in the room.
Self-image, diet, school performance, sleep and social development are all being formed during these years. Allergic disease touches every one of them, which is why a pediatric allergist’s perspective can change how a child feels, functions and flourishes rather than simply lowering a symptom score.
A child and family can grow up with us and continue to be managed within the practice as they transition into adulthood — the same office, the same records, no starting over at eighteen.
Making one trip down US-19 count
Palm Harbor is at the north end of the county, so we build the visit to be worth the drive. Come down US-19 or take Alternate 19 through Palm Harbor and Dunedin — it becomes Seminole Boulevard and ends at our door at 11200 Seminole Blvd, Suite 310. Curlew Road and Tampa Road both feed either route.
The initial evaluation is structured to be a productive launch into allergy action steps: we listen to the allergy story, review the medical history, examine, and strive to perform allergy testing and interpretation on the same day. You should leave with a diagnosis and treatment steps, not an appointment to come back and hear them.
For follow-up visits that do not require testing, telemedicine appointments are available and flexible — telehealth is a covered benefit under most insurance plans. That combination, one thorough trip plus video follow-ups, is what makes specialty care practical from this end of Pinellas County.
Questions from Palm Harbor parents
My child only wheezes during sports. Is that really asthma?
It can be. Exercise-induced asthma is one of the asthma types we identify and treat, and exercise intolerance or a persistent cough is a listed reason to see a pediatric allergist. Spirometry and inflammation testing tell us whether the airway is genuinely involved rather than leaving it to guesswork on the sideline.
Is my child too young for testing?
No. Allergy and immune testing can be accurately performed even in the first months of life. Children are not too young to benefit from an allergy consultation, and the right time to come is when you are concerned that allergy or immune issues may be behind recurring symptoms.
Will skin testing scare my child?
Less than parents expect. The testing is essentially painless, is administered quickly, and patients remain comfortable during it — and we are happy to demonstrate the testing on the parent first so a nervous child can watch it happen to someone else.
Can the same practice see me as well as my kids?
Yes. This is a pediatric and adult practice. Families commonly discover a parent has the same untreated environmental allergy the child came in for.
What should we bring to the first visit?
Insurance cards, photo ID, and a list of all prescriptions and over-the-counter medications. Certain medications interfere with skin testing, so ask our team for the Allergy Testing Dos and Don’ts when you schedule — it prevents a wasted trip.
Let us find out why the air runs out
Call our friendly Sher Allergy team at 727-397-8557 and schedule your evaluation. One trip down Alternate 19, and a real answer at the end of it.
Largo Professional Center
11200 Seminole Blvd #310
Largo, FL 33778
Monday 8:00 - 5:00
Tuesday 9:00 - 6:00
Wednesday 8:00 - 5:00
Thursday 8:00 - 5:00
Friday 8:00 - 12:00