Allergy immunotherapy treats allergies by desensitizing the body to allergens through injections or oral treatments, addressing the root cause rather than just symptoms like traditional medications.
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Originally posted on: https://getcurex.com/blog-posts/allergy-immunotherapy
Allergy immunotherapy treats the root cause of seasonal allergies by reducing the body’s reactivity to allergens.
Immunotherapy introduces small amounts of allergens to the system, allowing the body to build a tolerance to pollen, ragweed, pet dander and more.
Find out how to treat your allergies using immunotherapy, the different types of immunotherapy and how immunotherapy differs from other types of allergy treatments.
What is allergy immunotherapy?
Allergy immunotherapy is the repeated introduction of medical-grade allergens into the system, building the body’s tolerance and decreasing its reactivity to allergens.
The goal is to provide long-term relief of symptoms and improve the quality of life during natural allergen exposure. Treatment is customized to each patient’s needs based on medical history, test results and lifestyle needs.
Two types of immunotherapy are available, including subcutaneous allergy injections and sublingual oral allergy therapy. Both address the symptoms of seasonal allergies and environmental allergies; yet, both are administered very differently.
Subcutaneous Immunotherapy
Possibly the most “well-known” type of immunotherapy is subcutaneous immunotherapy — otherwise known as allergy shots or allergy injections.
This type of allergen immunotherapy is offered at a doctor’s office, as injection allergy treatments aren’t available for at-home use.
Instead, you’ll need to head to a doctor’s office once a week to get your allergy shot. The good news is that many subcutaneous immunotherapy patients start to feel relief from allergy symptoms within 6 to 10 months of beginning treatment. This phase is called the “build-up phase,” as your body is starting to build up a tolerance for specific allergens.
Generally, patients will need to continue to visit their doctor for shots for up to three to five years. Even if symptoms have dissipated (or even disappeared), most medical professionals recommend continuing treatments to ensure symptoms don’t return.
Sublingual Oral Immunotherapy
In the U.S., sublingual oral immunotherapy isn’t a household phrase. Unlike allergy shots, oral allergy immunotherapy isn’t as popular (though this form of treatment has been popular throughout Europe for many years).
Sublingual oral immunotherapy is effective, convenient, affordable and accessible. Unlike subcutaneous immunotherapy, sublingual immunotherapy can be taken either at home or in a doctor’s office, as it’s administered underneath the tongue — and not by injection.
Immunotherapy Vs Other Allergy Medications
Immunotherapy works differently from other allergy medications.
The biggest difference between the two types of treatment is that allergy medications generally treat the symptoms of allergies, while immunotherapy treats the root cause of allergy symptoms.
While it doesn’t promise to banish allergy symptoms altogether, immunotherapy has proven effective in reducing symptoms in allergy sufferers by addressing the cause of allergic reactions.
The most common types of allergy medications include antihistamines, nasal steroids and saline sprays.
Antihistamines
Allergy medications such as antihistamines (e.g. Benadryl, Zyrtec, Claritin, etc.) treat the symptoms of allergic reactions — but don’t address the cause of allergy symptoms.
These drugs block histamines, a substance the body releases to protect itself from potentially harmful substances. In most cases, the body is doing exactly what it should! Antihistamines regulate pain management, mood and sleep cycles (amongst other bodily functions).
Yet, too much antihistamine release can also cause inflammation, itching, redness, swelling and other uncomfortable symptoms related to allergic reactions.
While antihistamines are relatively effective at reducing the symptoms of allergies, they themselves come with a long list of side effects, including drowsiness, dry mouth, increased heart rate and low blood pressure.
Plus, you need to continue to take antihistamines indefinitely (depending on the severity of your allergies).
Nasal Steroids
Another class of allergy medications, nasal steroids (e.g., Flonase, etc.), can provide short-term relief in symptoms by treating the body’s response to the allergic reaction.
Steroids are essentially chemically engineered adrenal hormones. Instead of blocking histamines, these medications simply reduce inflammation in the nasal passages.
Steroids are convenient (and in many cases don’t require a prescription). But just as with antihistamines, steroid effectiveness and side effects vary from patient to patient.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a prescription treatment — supervised by a clinician — that aims to avoid an immune response to allergens in the first place.
This type of prescription medication trains the immune system to respond to specific allergens as it would any other non-harmful airborne particle.
Thus, it improves symptoms by treating the source of the problem and can decrease the need for ongoing medication. In some cases, patients may no longer need ongoing medication at all (though results vary from person to person).
It has been used by physicians in the U.S. and Europe for more than 100 years and has helped millions of patients.
How does immunotherapy work?
Like many prescription treatments, allergy immunotherapy is a three-step process that includes diagnosis, prescription and treatment.
The biggest difference between subcutaneous and sublingual allergy therapy is the way the treatments are administered. Allergy shots are administered in person by a doctor, whereas some sublingual therapies may be administered at home.
Diagnosis
Before a medical professional can provide a treatment plan for patients, the exact allergies should be diagnosed. Many allergies share symptoms with other medical conditions, so it’s important to know which symptoms are caused by specific allergies before doctors can make a clear diagnosis.
Patients can get tested at a doctor’s office, allergist, or testing lab. At-home allergy testing is now also available through Curex.
Our at-home kit can test for up to 40 indoor and outdoor allergens and requires only a small finger prick and an online consultation to complete the analysis.
Simply follow the instructions included in the kit, mail your sample to the lab and chat with a clinician from your mobile device or laptop.
Regardless of whether you opt for an at-home testing kit or an in-person blood test or skin scratch test, a clinician will need to evaluate your medical history and symptoms before making a diagnosis.
Prescription
If you’re opting for allergy shots, you’ll need to make weekly appointments with a doctor or allergist for ongoing rounds of subcutaneous therapy.
Patients receiving at-home sublingual therapy will receive a customized prescription to target specific allergies each month. Oral immunotherapy needs to be administered every day (often in the morning after brushing). Through the Curex platform, you will receive prescriptions on a quarterly basis.
The first treatment is administered via a telehealth appointment so the clinician can offer instruction and answer any questions on how oral immunotherapy works. Clinicians may monitor patients throughout the first treatment to keep an eye out for any side effects.
Treatment
Immunotherapy is exposure therapy in which the patient is exposed to tiny medical-grade allergens over a long period of time. The immune system is thus trained not to overreact to the allergen.
Essentially, the patient gets inoculated, similar to a vaccination.
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