Dr.
Gadi Avshalomov
The 1, 2, 3 approach to
battling allergies
By Thomas Tracy
B
rooklyn now has a
home base in the ongo-
ing war against every-
thing from pollen and dust
mites to fatal reactions to
peanuts, thanks to Dr. Gadi
Avshalomov.
The board-certified spe-
cialist in adult and pediatric
allergies, asthma and clini-
cal immunology opened his
new Center for Allergy and
Immunology at 2084 East
67th Street at Avenue U just
last year.
“It has always been our plan
to have a full-service center for
those who suffer allergy and
immunology conditions,” Dr.
Avshalomov explained. “The
center is really going to help
a community that lacks these
important services. I don’t
know of any real center in
Dr. Gadi
Avshalomov
2084 East 67th Street
at Avenue U
718-444-8014
SPECIALIZES IN:
Adult and Children Allergies,
Asthma and Immunology
HOURS:
Mondays 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.;
Tuesdays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and
Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
INSURANCE:
Most private insurances
Public Transportation:
The 3 and 41 buses to Avenue U.
PARKING:
Parking lot outside of office.
Handicap accessible
Appointments preferred,
walk-ins accepted.
6 WHO’S WHO 2010
6
Dr. Avshalomov gives Ricardo a breathing test.
Brooklyn that dedicates itself
wholly to allergy sufferers and
asthmatics.”
The new center couldn’t
have come at a more pivotal
time. Brooklyn, as well as the
rest of the world, is in the mid-
dle of an “allergy and asthma
epidemic,” Dr. Avshalomov
explained. With each passing
day, more and more people
are diagnosed with allergies
or have heard of someone
who could have a fatal reac-
tion to something as common
as a peanut.
Dr. Avshalomov says that,
according to recent studies,
20 percent of an urban popu-
lation such as New York City
suffers from regular allergies.
Upwards of four percent of
the population have allergic
reactions to the proteins in
peanuts and tree nuts.
“Allergies like this are
becoming a bigger and big-
ger problem in urban com-
munities,” he said. “People
are developing allergies to
relatively banal products that
anyone can find in their home
or workplace.”
Dr. Avshalomov blames
what he calls the hygiene
hypothesis for the epidemic.
Basically, 21st century
residents are living in ultra-
sterile homes. This lifestyle
reduces the frequency of
infectious illness. They can
go their entire lives without
being exposed to the germs
and proteins they could have
an allergic reaction to. As a
result, the immune system
finds other things to develop,
such as allergies. When they
are finally exposed, the reac-
tions are far greater, he said.
Today these allergic curs-
es can be thwarted at Dr.
Avshalomov’s Center and his
three-step approach to bat-
tling most allergies.
First, the patient comes in
for an appointment where
their symptoms are scruti-
nized and analyzed with the
utmost care and attention.
Since he started practicing
in 2000, Dr. Avshalomov has
seen it all, from runny noses
to rash-raw skin. Patients
have come to him with ecze-
ma and dermatitis, sinus and
pulmonary problems all the
way to having their throats
2010 • WHO’S WHO IN BROOKLYN MEDICINE
ALLERGIST
swollen closed.
Through a battery of tests,
Dr. Avshalomov begins to root
out suspects – the allergens
that are causing the uncom-
fortable physical reactions
that patients are suffering
from.
He notes that most patients
suffer from environmental
allergies – dust mites, cats
and dogs, pollen or seasonal
changes.
Many also suffer from
“benign neglect,” he said.
“Many times the symp-
toms start out small, so they
don’t seek an allergist’s help,”
he said. “They fall into a trap
that only leads to more severe
symptoms. They then try to
treat the problem with over-
the-counter drugs. But after
they try about 10 to 20 differ-
ent pills and all the sprays,
they’re still suffering because
those medications are noth-
ing more than Band-Aids. The
only effective treatment is an
allergy shot.”
Once the tests are complet-
ed, Dr. Avshalomov goes to his
new state-of-the-art lab in the
center and arrests these aller-
gic reactions with custom-
made sera and allergy shots.
For patients with severe
food allergies, Dr. Avshalomov
carefully takes them through
every step of the process. He
also develops an action plan
with them so both the patient
and their families know how
to respond when an emergen-
cy reaction – which could be
quite dangerous – takes hold.
He also has a special respi-
ratory lab where patients walk
on treadmills and are put
through a variety of exercise
techniques so Dr. Avshalomov
can accurately pinpoint just
how activity and stress trigger
their asthma.
“These techniques have
been around, but most
patients don’t have access
to them. That’s the void we
would like to fill. That is the
service we would like to pro-
vide our community.