Working Wonders in Managing &Treating Allergies with Immunotherapy Treatment

For allergy sufferers, life is very difficult as they have to be careful that they do not come in contact, eat, or inhale anything that could aggravate their condition. When traveling to a new city or country, they have to be extra careful, because they may not get the appropriate medication treatment in a worst case scenario. For this reason, they may need to carry their allergy medication with them. Long-Term Treatment Some of the most common forms of allergens which affect millions of people in Europe and around the world are pollen, dust mites, animal dander, mould spores, different kinds of foods and the venom of spiders, bees and/or wasps. This could be particularly dangerous for the patient if they are traveling to a new city or country and may not get the appropriate anti-allergen therapy. This is where allergy shots or allergen immunotherapy would play a vital role; it is also used as a long-term treatment for people suffering from symptoms of asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and insect or tick bites. It works by reducing the sensitivity to specific allergens, and can even bring long-term relief of these symptoms even when the treatment is stopped. Varying Results While allergen immunotherapy has been shown to be effective for children over 5 years of age and adults, there are certain factors that need to be considered before administering these shots. These shots work just like a vaccine because the body responds to the injected allergen by developing some form of tolerance or immunity. The patient may receive increasing amounts of the injections 1-2 times a week depending on individual tolerance to the allergen, for about 3-6 months depending on the severity of the case. However; once the effective dose is reached, then the patient may only require maintenance doses once every 2-4 weeks. Again dosages and time periods vary from patient to patient and depend on individual tolerances and reactions to the allergens. Relapse Allergen immunotherapy shows varying results with patients; this may be due to the severity of the condition and the treatment length. For some individuals, the symptoms just disappear, while others using the same treatment parameters may relapse after stopping allergen immunotherapy treatment. They will have to revisit their treating immunologist to find out why the treatment is not working and restart the program. Allergy sufferers undergoing immunotherapy treatment may experience different kinds of reactions to the shots, ranging from no side effects at all to symptoms of nausea, dizziness, tightness of the chest, and throat swelling. Immunotherapy may not be the cure-all it seems to be for all allergy sufferers, but it is a long-term treatment, expensive, and when it works, it is nothing short of miraculous.