The Ultimate Guide to Allergy Immunotherapy
If you suffer from allergies, you may think you’re destined to deal with your symptoms for the rest of your life. But with allergy immunotherapy, you have the chance to live allergy-free.
Through immunotherapy, your body can build a tolerance to allergy triggers. And it could even eliminate the need for daily medications. Imagine a life free from allergy symptoms!
Allergy Immunotherapy Explained
Allergens are harmless particles that cause your immune system to overreact. It’s this overreaction that leaves you with uncomfortable allergy symptoms like sneezing, a stuffy nose, or even hives.
Allergy immunotherapy is an allergy treatment method that stops this immune response by introducing your body to your allergy triggers in small doses, slowly increasing that dosage over time. This gradual increase gives your body time to adjust and build a tolerance to the allergen.
During immunotherapy, the amount of allergen your body is exposed to is so small, it doesn’t make the immune system respond. This process helps your immune system learn that the allergen isn’t harmful. Over time and through consistent immunotherapy, your body learns that allergens aren’t a real threat. With this desensitization of the immune system, your allergy symptoms decrease and, eventually, go away.
How Effective Is Allergy Immunotherapy?
Research shows immunotherapy can be beneficial for seasonal allergies, allergic rhinitis, environmental allergies, pet allergies, and more. With sublingual immunotherapy through Wyndly, you can effectively reduce symptoms from a variety of allergies including:
Immunotherapy is the only clinically-proven and research-backed allergy treatment that can provide long-lasting allergy relief.
Step One: Allergy Test
Before you begin immunotherapy, you must have a comprehensive allergy test to identify your specific triggers. At Wyndly, we offer an at-home allergy test kit. This simple blood test requires one finger prick. After you complete the test, return it in the provided packaging.
Once your results are in, our doctors create a personalized treatment plan for you. Depending on your allergies, your allergist may recommend immunotherapy that targets your specific allergens. Immunotherapy can help treat a variety of allergens, including dust mites, grass pollen, and more.
Step Two: Start Immunotherapy
Allergy immunotherapy targets specific allergens and works to build up your immune system’s resistance to them. Within a few months of immunotherapy, many patients start to see a decrease in symptoms. As you near treatment plan completion, you may not experience any allergy symptoms at all!
Types of Immunotherapy
There are two basic types of allergy immunotherapy. Allergy shots and allergy drops.
Allergy Shots
At the beginning of allergy shot treatment, or subcutaneous immunotherapy, you receive injections once or twice a week at your allergy doctor’s office. This phase can last six months to a year. Throughout this period, the shots increase in dosage to help your immune system get used to the allergens, and allergy symptoms decrease.
After the buildup phase, the patient enters the maintenance phase when they receive the same dose with each treatment. During this phase, the time between injections is spread out to every two to three weeks for three to five years.
During subcutaneous immunotherapy, your allergist monitors to ensure that you don’t have an adverse reaction to the allergy shot. Although rare, an increased dose can cause a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Therefore, allergists require each patient to stay in the office for 30 minutes after receiving the shot to monitor for any adverse reactions.
Allergy Drops
Allergy drops, also known as sublingual immunotherapy, follow the same principles as allergy shots. They gradually increase the amount of allergens the immune system is exposed to in an attempt to increase its tolerance.
Unlike allergy shots, allergy drops are safe to use at home and don’t require weekly appointments. Allergy drops also have a significantly reduced risk of causing a severe reaction and do not require post-dosage monitoring.
Get Started with Immunotherapy Today
At Wyndly, our allergy doctors will create your personalized treatment plan to help you live allergy-free! Book your initial consultation now and get an at-home allergy test kit delivered to your door for free! Schedule today and find out how you can have a future free from allergy symptoms!
