A safe and effective treatment for allergies - easy to use allergy drops

A safe and effective treatment for allergies - easy to use allergy drops

Allergy sufferers rely on antihistamines, steroids and other heavy prescription medications to mask symptoms. Allergies can affect the immune system, energy levels, general well-being and even mood. Allergies can lead to chronic sinusitis, daily headaches, poor concentration, insomnia, eye pressure, etc. Allergy sufferers are often told to avoid the allergen or undergo weekly intramuscular injections to “desensitize” them. None of these options are feasible for most people. Avoidance is often impossible and very few allergy sufferers want to go to an allergist for an injection once a week for several years.

Many allergy sufferers who do not want to rely on weekly antigen injections and are not content with masking the allergy symptoms themselves with medication have opted for sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). SLIT is very popular and widespread in Europe. It is also emerging as an effective treatment strategy in the United States, with new research regularly being generated to support it. More than 300 scientific articles in professional journals prove that sublingual treatment is both safe and effective. The publication of the ARIA (Allergy Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma) guidelines by an international working group demonstrated that SLIT is a viable treatment approach. A Cochrane Review, the world's most trusted independent, evidence-based meta-analysis organization, published its analysis in 2003 and found SLIT to be both safe and effective.

SLIT or allergy drops can be formulated based on skin or blood tests. Once formulated, the drops are placed under the tongue where absorption is ideal. The drops then deliver a slowly increasing dose of the antigen prescribed by the doctor. An antigen is what the person is allergic to, such as: E.g., dust, ragweed, etc. The dose is calculated based on the degree of allergenicity either on the skin or in the blood test. The allergy drops are used in gradually increasing doses, which influence the immune system in such a way that tolerance to the antigen, the substance that triggers the allergy, develops. Over time, tolerance to the antigen results in allergy sufferers no longer showing signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction. You will be able to live an allergy-free life over time. This is one of the most satisfying things I see in my medical practice.

Allergy drops are painless and easy to use. There is no need to go to the allergist for painful weekly or monthly injections. Allergy drops are also less expensive than allergy shots. Treatment usually requires approximately 2 doctor visits per year to optimize the dose and reassess response. Over time, allergy drop users will find that they can breathe more easily and therefore will be able to stop taking the allergy medications that were causing them their own side effects.

There are two possible treatment regimens. The first is a “pre-season regimen,” where the drops are more concentrated. This is a rapid antigen buildup several weeks before an allergy season. The drops will continue at a lower concentration for the duration of the allergy season. The treatment is then ended. The second and more common approach is “more regular dosing” for patients with chronic allergies to things like mold, food, dust, etc. Treatment can last one to two years.

Advanced Medicine of New York is pleased to announce that it is now accepting new allergy patients. The approach will be comprehensive; including nutritional recommendations that reflect the patient's specific allergy, a focus on natural supplements that support the immune system and ward off an allergic reaction, medications and/or intravenous treatments as needed and with sublingual immunotherapy or allergy drops.

(Feel free to make an appointment with Medical Director Dr. Zina Kroner)

Inspired by Zina Kroner