Good Neighbor Podcast: Colorado Springs
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Colorado Springs. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Tony Hills helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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Good Neighbor Podcast: Colorado Springs
EP #98: Finding Relief: A Conversation with Dr. William Storms of Aspire Allergy and Sinus
What makes Dr. William Storms with Aspire Allergy and Sinus a good neighbor?
Struggling with seasonal sniffles, persistent coughs, or sinus problems that just won't quit? Dr. William Storms brings decades of specialized expertise to this eye-opening conversation about allergy management that goes far beyond over-the-counter solutions.
As the founder of what's now Aspire Allergy and Sinus (previously the William Storms Allergy Clinic), Dr. Storms shares why most people wait too long before seeking specialized allergy care. He reveals how allergies silently impact your cognitive function, work performance, and even your children's grades. The consequences of untreated allergies – from chronic sinus infections to asthma development – make early intervention crucial.
Most surprising is Dr. Storms' perspective on common pharmacy medications: "Do you want to take those all your life? There are better ways." He outlines three innovative treatment approaches that build immunity against allergens rather than merely masking symptoms. These solutions include traditional allergy shots, convenient at-home sublingual drops, and a groundbreaking three-injection protocol called exact immunoplasty that delivers meaningful results with minimal time commitment.
The conversation takes a personal turn when Dr. Storms shares how the Vietnam-era doctor draft unexpectedly brought him to Colorado, where he's been treating patients ever since. His journey from Wisconsin to establishing multiple clinics across Colorado's Front Range illustrates how sometimes life's unexpected turns lead to fulfilling opportunities.
Don't miss Dr. Storms' practical advice for determining when it's time to see a specialist and what to expect during allergy testing (hint: it's much less intimidating than most people fear). If allergies or asthma affect your quality of life or a loved one's, this episode provides a roadmap to lasting relief. Discover more about Aspire Allergy and Sinus by visiting their website or calling 719-955-6000 to schedule an appointment at one of their multiple Colorado locations.
To learn more about Aspire Allergy and Sinus go to:
https://www.aspireallergy.com/
Aspire Allergy and Sinus
719-955-6000
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Tony Hills.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a great allergy and asthma doctor? One might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing our good neighbor, dr William Storms, with Aspire Allergy and Sinus. Dr Storms, how's it going?
Speaker 3:Pretty good, tony. William Storms with Aspire Allergy and Sinus. Dr Storms, how's it going? Pretty good, tony. Thanks for having me. As you mentioned, I'm with Aspire Allergy and Sinus, previously known as the William Storms Allergy Clinic. That's me. You know. We have clinics in Pueblo, three clinics in Colorado Springs, castle Rock, pueblo. Three clinics in Colorado Springs, castle Rock, centennial, lakewood.
Speaker 2:Basically it's allergy and sinus, but we also treat a lot of asthma, skin allergies, food allergies, all those types of things. Okay, awesome, how can an allergy?
Speaker 3:specialist help me Well. First, seasonal allergies are the most common. So that would be your spring and summer allergies sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, coughing, post nasal drip and in order to treat those you really need to know what you have. In other words, is it trees is? Is it grass? Is this your cat or dog? Because then you can treat what you're allergic to. So in order to do that, we do allergy skin tests that tells us what you're allergic to. Then we can treat you. A lot of people go to the drug store, pharmacy, grocery store, they get some zyrtec or they they get Allegra and they get a nose spray and they take that. But do you want to take those all your life? There are better ways to handle that.
Speaker 2:Okay, what should I see? An allergist for allergies and asthma.
Speaker 3:Well, the first thing is to decide how much trouble you're having, and let's just talk about seasonal allergies first. That's easy. If you have symptoms and you need medicine more than a total of six to eight weeks per year, that's the time to start thinking. The reason for that is number one. These seasonal allergies can affect your total lifestyle activities of daily living. In other words, you can be drowsy because you don't sleep well at night maybe a snore. You roll around next day. You're kind of tired. Cognitive thinking is potentially messed up. You know tax season comes around now. We want to do the right thing on our taxes. You got to do the numbers and if you're not thinking properly it doesn't work. It affects school performance. Kids with seasonal allergies don't do as well. They get poor grades. So you don't wait until you're having a lot of trouble. You catch it early. Come in, see us. Let's figure out what it is, give you a treatment plan.
Speaker 2:Okay, tell me about allergy skin testing.
Speaker 3:Yes, that's the way we determine what you're allergic to, and there's no reason again to wait until you have a lot of trouble. In fact, the longer you wait, the harder it may be to treat. Skin testing is done with little scratches on your back and then a few tests on the arm. People think, oh, I'm scared of those skin tests. Well, you don't have to be scared of skin tests. We have kids that are three years old, fighters or eight years old. Come in, they do fine, so I wouldn't worry about skin tests. If you're concerned about that, just go ahead and get it done okay, so how can I listen to benefit about allergy?
Speaker 3:Well, the allergy shots are the best way to treat these allergies because they build up immunity against your allergies. What we do is give an injection of the thing you're allergic to after we find out what you're allergic to, and that builds immunity so your allergies go away. So you don't need the pills and the nose spray. You don't get all the secondary issues with allergies, like sinus disease, ear infections, post-nasal drip, chronic cough, asthma. Not only do we have shots, we also have allergy drops. So it's the same type of treatment, but it's drops under the tongue. You do it at home, you don't have to come to the office. But it's drops under the tongue, you do it at home, you don't have to come to the office. There's a third thing called exact immunoplasty, where we inject the allergens into a lymph node in the leg and that's just three injections one month apart each, rather than the weekly allergy shots or the daily drops. But they're very effective, build up immunity, so your allergies are much better okay, all right.
Speaker 2:Dr storms when you're not treating your patients and you're done with work. What do you like to do for fun?
Speaker 3:well, I've been around a few years and back in the day I played a lot of racket sports, played a lot of tennis, did a lot of running, did a lot of skiing. As I get a little older, now I'm basically doing fly fishing and golf and just general hiking around the area, which is wonderful. That's why we moved here because of the Colorado lifestyle.
Speaker 2:Okay, awesome, let's switch gears. Can you describe a hardship or life challenge you overcame, how it made you stronger and what comes to mind?
Speaker 3:Well, you know, I've been very lucky in life. I haven't had what I call extreme hardships. For instance, I went to medical school, did my internship, then I got a fellowship internal medicine, got board certified in internal medicine. Then I got a fellowship in allergy and got board certified in allergy. And that was a few years ago. So it turns out that I was in the doctor draft at the end of Vietnam. So I was in Wisconsin. I thought I'd live there all my life and I get drafted, sent to Fort Carson Well, I didn't know anything about Fort Carson. Sent to Fort Carson Well, I didn't know anything about Fort Carson, never been here. And they set me up as head of the allergy clinic fine with me. Then I meet some people in town and next thing, you know, I have an offer for a job and I've been here ever since. So for me it's just a matter of I got lucky doors open and I went in.
Speaker 2:I got lucky doors opened and I went in. Okay, that's awesome.
Speaker 3:Dr Storms, please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about Aspire, Allergy and sinus. Well, don't wait until you're having a lot of troubles, because allergists can help you quite a bit if you catch it early. And that could be for your seasonal allergies, for your allergy sinus issues, especially for asthma. If you have asthma, you got to jump on that early because allergies are a major factor in asthma. Unless you figure them out, you're going to have more and more asthma. And it's a simple procedure, Doesn't take very long. We do the allergy skin test, get you on a good treatment plan and you're on your way.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. How can our listeners learn more about Aspire, allergy and Sinus?
Speaker 3:Well, the website Aspire Allergy and Sinus that's the easiest way you can actually get an appointment there or phone number, or 719-955-6000. And I have another doctor that works with me. I have five nurse practitioners and PAs and, as I mentioned, we're covering the entire front range Colorado Springs, pueblo, castle Rock, centennial and Lakewood.
Speaker 2:Wow Well, Dr Storms, I really appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business much success moving forward.
Speaker 3:Appreciate it, Tony. Thanks for the discussion.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPColoradoSpringscom. That's GNPColoradoSpringscom, or call 719-679-4720.