Do you suffer from itchy, watery eyes, congestion, runny nose, sneezing and wheezing that are not well-controlled with over-the-counter medications? If so, you may be a good candidate for immunotherapy. A new form of immunotherapy that’s gaining popularity is allergy drops.
Allergies Are an Immune System Response
To understand how immunotherapy works, it’s important to know what causes allergies.
Allergies are the immune system’s response to normally-harmless foreign substances it deems a threat, like pollen from Bush’s Pasture Park. When the body is exposed to one of these substances, known as an allergen, it overreacts by releasing antibodies called Immunoglobulin E (IgE). IgE tells the cells to release histamine, which increases mucus production and causes inflammation. In short, it is this chemical that’s responsible for your allergy symptoms.
How Allergy Drops Work
Immunotherapy is a treatment option that works by introducing small amounts of allergen extracts into the body so that the immune system can build up a tolerance.
The first step before starting immunotherapy is to get an allergy test, which will reveal exactly what you’re allergic to.
The triggering allergens are then prepared in a droplet or tablet form. These drops are tablets are placed under the tongue until they dissolve. The first dose must be administered in an allergy clinic so that your response can be monitored, then the following doses can be taken at home.
How often you take the drops depends on what you’re allergic to and how your body responds. You may take the drops just a few times a week or as often as every day. If you have seasonal allergies, you only need to take the drops in the weeks leading up to and during allergy season, but if you have year-round allergies, treatment is year-round as well.
This is continued for three to five years or until you no longer experience allergy symptoms.
Allergy Drops Are Safe and Effective
According to a review of published studies on allergy drops, this form of allergy treatment is highly safe and effective. A study from 2017 found that with allergy drops, there is a very low risk of severe reaction compared to allergy shots. For more information about allergy drops or to schedule an appointment with an allergy expert, call Willamette Ear, Nose, Throat & Facial Plastic Surgery today.
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