Homeopathic Sublingual Immunotherapy treatment works by delivering a small dose of allergen. Over time it builds the body's tolerance. Allergens are things like pollen and animal dander that can trigger allergic reactions in some people. Immunotherapy reduces your allergy symptoms by changing the way your immune system responds to these allergens.

 

The homeopathic sublingual immunotherapy drops are placed under the tongue. Research shows that specialized cells under the tongue offer an effective route for long-term desensitization. Most patients take allergy drops two to three times a day for three to five years or pre-seasonally, 30-60 days prior to pollen season.

The primary benefit to using homeopathic sublingual immunotherapy is the ability to treat more patients, including children, asthmatics and others who aren't able to tolerate injections.

 

Homeopathic sublingual immunotherapy requires fewer Health Care Practitioners' visits than allergy shots. Most patients receiving homeopathic sublingual immunotherapy need only a few visits to the Health Care Practitioner in the first year.

 

The end benefit is feeling better! When taking immunotherapy properly, patients report fewer absences from work and school.

Immunotherapy has been used around the world for many years and has been found to be safe and effective. Low dosing levels and the ease of treatment mean it is safe enough to effectively treat people suffering from chronic conditions that previously made them unable to receive allergy treatments via injection.

 

In fact, the World Health Organization has endorsed homeopathic sublingual immunotherapy as a viable alternative to injection therapy.

 

The safety profile for homeopathic sublingual immunotherapy has shown to be superior to injection based on clinical research studies and through documented patient treatment experience.

Immunotherapy requires some dedication. If you begin allergen immunotherapy treatment, it is important to continue your treatment as directed. Most patients can discontinue treatment in three to five years, if taken year round. The decision to stop immunotherapy should be discussed with your Health Care Practitioner.

An allergy is the immune system's excessive sensitivity and over-response to a harmless foreign substance in the body, such as plant pollen, a certain food, a drug or any one of many other substances. Whatever the foreign substance, or "allergen," the immune system responds as if to a real threat by triggering what is called an immune response, which in these cases is known as an allergic reaction.

In an allergic reaction, the immune system responds to the allergen by producing a highly specific antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE). While everyone has IgE antibodies, a person who is allergic has an overabundance of them. When the IgE antibodies attack the allergens, they trigger mast cells, or defensive white blood cells, to release histamine and other chemicals that produce the allergic symptoms of inflammation: swelling, mucous production, itching, rash, hives or other symptoms, depending on the type and location of the allergy.

For most people, allergy symptoms are mild or moderate, but for some hyper-allergic people, an allergic reaction can be life-threatening. Anaphylaxis is a runaway allergic reaction that involves the whole body. Anaphylaxis can cause extreme swelling in the lungs and airways that can make breathing or swallowing difficult, as well as severe abdominal pain, cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, and mental confusion or dizziness. Anaphylaxis is a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment.

As many as 60 million Americans have allergies.

 

The tendency to develop allergies is genetic, though the specific type of allergy does not appear to be inherited. If one or more of your parents has an allergy, you have a high risk of developing an allergy too. The genetic tendency to produce IgE and allergic reactions in response to ordinary substances is called atopy.

 

Also, medical experts say that exposure to potential allergens when the body's defenses are weak, such as after a viral infection or during pregnancy, may contribute to the development of allergies to those substances.

Allergens are found in indoor and outdoor environments, and may come from plants, food, pets or even household products. Common allergens include:
Pollen: Pollen from grass, weeds and/or trees produces hay fever, a common seasonal epidemic.

Dust mites: Dust mites are microscopic organisms that live in dust and in the fibers of upholstered furniture, rugs, pillows and mattresses. They are especially prevalent in warm, humid areas.

Mold: These are microscopic fungi that produce airborne spores that enter the body when we breathe. Indoor mold is found in damp areas, such as basements, bathrooms or rooms that have leaks or have been flooded. Mold can also be found outdoors in grass, leaf piles and mulch, or around mushrooms.
Animal dander and proteins: The most common animal allergen is animal dander, which is particles of proteins secreted by glands in the animal's skin, then shed into the air. Proteins from an animal's saliva, feces, urine or feathers also can trigger allergic reactions for some people.

Food components: Common food allergens in Western cultures include shellfish, peanuts and tree nuts. In addition to those, people are sometimes allergic to milk, eggs, soy and wheat.

Allergies can be confirmed and identified by skin or blood tests, but they make themselves known by their symptoms. For example, while the symptoms of allergic rhinitis may resemble a cold, you may begin to suspect an allergy if symptoms last longer than a week or two and then tend to recur.

 

The first step in diagnosis is a medical history to identify a family history of allergies or circumstances that might be exposing the patient to likely allergens. The patient will be asked about the timing of allergic reactions and how long they have been recurring.

For food allergies, elimination diets can be used to systematically eliminate suspected allergens to see if the reactions disappear. To confirm a diagnosis, a Health Care Practitioner may order lab tests or perform tests in the office.

Lab tests a Health Care Practitioner may order during diagnosis may include:
Allergen skin test: In this test, the Health Care Practitioner introduces tiny amounts of an allergen under the patient's skin with a pin-prick. In an allergic patient, the allergen will produce a swollen itchy patch surrounded by an area of redness. Usually, this office procedure can test for several allergens at the same time.

 

Radioallergosorbent blood test (RAST): This blood test determines the presence of IgE antibodies in the blood. High levels of these antibodies point to particular allergies. The RAST blood test is not considered as accurate as the allergen skin test.