Sublingual Immunotherapy Drops
Numerous studies suggest that asthma is becoming more common. This is probably also the case for other allergies, including hay fever, food allergy and food intolerance (non-allergic food-related symptoms), for reasons that are controversial.
Treatment is also controversial. For the past 60 years, conventional allergists have used subQ immunotherapy (”shots”) to address various inhalants. Shots do not normally treat food allergy, just inhalants like pollens and mold.
Shots are reasonably effective, but have several disadvantages, the two most important being discomfort and potential adverse reactions. This has led doctors to seek alternative means of treating allergy, and one development which originated in the US but has had much greater popularity in Europe until now is Sublingual Immunotherapy (”SLIT” or “drops”).
SLIT “drops” have three main advantages over shots: they are painless (mere drops under the tongue), include both foods and inhalants and have proven far safer than shots, over millions of patient doses and several decades
SLIT is effective because the membranes under the tongue handle foreign material (antigens) differently from the rest of the body. Elsewhere, an antigen stimulates antibodies, which produce allergic symptoms. Under the tongue, the same antigen stimulates T-suppressor cells, which suppress allergic symptoms.
In this way, existing allergies gradually get down-regulated, until they cease to cause trouble. The T-suppressor cells learn to shut them off, over time. This process takes between three months and 1 to 5 years to be successful (depending on the patient), but it works in 75 to 90% of patients, according to published clinical trials.
To create the drops, we draw blood and test for specific antigens we suspect may be causing symptoms. Antibodies to those antigens are measured, and specific ones which test positive are put into the drops in doses proportionate to their strength in the blood.
The drops come in easy to use dispenser bottles, one drop under the tongue three times a day. We do the first drops in the office, to be sure no reactions occur, and from then you do it at home. The bottles last three months, and increase in dosage strength until full strength is obtained.
From there, it’s just a matter of remembering to use the droppers, as the effect of the drops is cumulative over time.
Easy, painless and effective.