Family Allergy Clinic Announces Relief For Increasingly Common Reflux-like Disease
Industry: Healthcare
Until recently, an increasingly common disease called eosinophilic esophagitis was passed off as reflux. However, new studies show that the condition - which leads to pai
Mesa, Arizona (PRUnderground) January 28th, 2015
People with eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) experience difficulty swallowing, stomach pain, persistent heartburn, and vomiting. Until recently, most doctors passed the condition off as reflux but have since discovered that it is an allergic reaction that causes chronic inflammation of the esophagus. And while many doctors simply treat the symptoms of EE with a combination of acid blockers and steroids, the Family Allergy Clinic has gone straight to the source, treating the underlying allergy for long-term relief.
Stuart Agren, M.D., medical director of the Arizona-based Family Allergy Clinic, uses sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) to treat EE. SLIT works much like allergy shots, starting with a serum containing extracts of common allergens. However, rather than being injected into the skin, the serum is taken as drops under the tongue that absorb into the bloodstream through special cells in the mouth. The serum works to desensitize the body to common allergens so that it will stop overreacting to them in ways that lead to harmful conditions such as EE.
The Family Allergy Clinic not only treats for environmental allergies like pollen and pet dander but also for food allergies which play a prominent role in the development of EE. The serum has helped many patients with EE regain the health that has eluded them.
“EE is especially hard on kids,” said Dr. Agren. “Many pediatric EE patients are frequent vomiters and are significantly underweight. Once they start on the allergy serum, the inflammation begins to die down, allowing them to eat and swallow normally and maintain a healthy weight.”
If not addressed, EE can cause scar tissue to develop, leading to a narrowing of the esophagus. That, in turn, can lead to food becoming stuck (impaction) during the swallowing process. Heartburn and pain in the chest and upper abdomen can also significantly affect quality of life for sufferers of untreated EE. Children experiencing the pain of EE often stop eating , leading to feeding problems and malnourishment.
Though the disease was scarcely recognized 20 years ago, EE is now a rapidly rising cause of gastrointestinal illness, largely paralleling the increase in allergies and asthma. It affects about 150,000 people nationwide.
About Family Allergy Clinic
Doctors at this Arizona allergist clinic offer sublingual immunotherapy (under-the-tongue allergy drops) for pollen and pet allergies as well as for food allergies (including milk wheat, gluten, nut, and fruit). The treatment is effective for kids with allergies, asthma, hay fever, eczema, sinus infections, and more.
(These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.)
