'Real Game Changer For A Lot Of Patients': New High-Tech Option For People Who Suffer From Severe Allergies
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There is a new option for people who suffer from severe allergies and it doesn't involve medications. Most people think of allergies related to pollen during the spring and fall, but many people have allergies to indoor things like mold or dust.
Most depend on medications, but they don't always work, and now scientists have come up with a high-tech option.
Melody Stazzone is among the millions who suffer with year-round allergies, and after she exhausted nearly every over-the-counter prescription allergy medication, doctors suggested a minimally invasive cryotherapy called Clarifix.
"I think this has been a real game changer for a lot of patients," Dr. Gregory Levitin, of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary at Mount Sinai, said.
The procedure targets and freezes the nerves in the nose, so they no longer tell the nose to drip, run and swell.
"I consider this a non-surgical alternative," Levitin said. "We give local anesthesia, we can then apply the Clarifix device nose. Patients shouldn't feel any pain and it's very effective in almost every patient we treat."
Doctors say the treatment is ideal for allergy sufferers who experience year-round symptoms like Stazzone.
"I have complete clarity now," she said.
Stazzone is now able to enjoy being outside just a few months after the treatment.
Stazzone says she no longer takes daily medication and finally feels like she has her life back.
A topical numbing medication is used before the procedure. The most common side effects associated with the treatment is temporary congestion or pain.
