For Dr. Gail Cookingham, medicine is a family affair.
“I grew up in a medical family,” Cookingham said. “My father is an allergist ? his first office was in the basement of our house. His next one was in bicycle distance. We would ride to the office, and play and help out.”
Cookingham and her brother and sister, Dr. Cory Jr. and Dr. Cynthia, followed in the footsteps of their father, Dr. Cory Cookingham, Sr., into the allergy field.
“I’ve always been interested in food allergies,” Gail said.
She joins her father and brother-in-law, Dr. Duane Harrison, at Clarkston Allergy and Asthma Clinic, 5885 S. Main Street, Suite 1.
“My presence will allow us to extend our hours and be open on Saturdays,” Gail said.
The practice emphasizes prevention and avoidance when treating allergies, she said.
“Identify what is causing allergic reactions and avoid it,” she said. “Avoidance is the most cost effective treatment.”
Allergens are identified through detailed personal and dietary history, and skin testing. Those that can’t be avoided, such as outdoor pollen, are treated with allergy shots, then long-term medication if needed.
“We never maximize medication,” she said.
Patients include those with seasonal allergies, asthma, eczema, gluten sensitivity and hives.
“There have been a lot of referrals for hives. They are a difficult condition to manage,” she said.
Food allergies and other immune disorders seem to be increasing, she said.
“There seems to be much more peanut allergies than 30 years ago,” she said.
She lives in Flint with her husband, Dr. Joel Beene, also an allergist at Cookingham Allergy and Asthma. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from Michigan State University, MBA from Madonna University, and medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine. She completed internal medicine residency at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, and allergy and immunology fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Michigan and Detroit Medical Center.
She is certified by American Board of Allergy and Immunology, American Board of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. She serves as secretary of the Michigan Allergy and Asthma Society, and delegate to Michigan State Medical Society.