Under-the-Tongue Allergy Drops Help Food-allergic Patients Enjoy Thanksgiving
Industry: Healthcare
For the growing number of people with food allergies, Thanksgiving can be challenging. Oral allergy drops can help by retraining the immune system to tolerate more foods.
Mesa, Arizona (PRUnderground) November 13th, 2015
Food allergies can drain the fun out of Thanksgiving. One bite of the wrong food item can stir up allergy symptoms including hives, stomach distress, or even anaphylaxis. Until the past few years, the only answer for food allergy sufferers was simply to steer clear of trigger foods, but the Family Allergy Clinic in Arizona is changing that with a treatment known as sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) that has been shown to help change the underlying food allergy.
The Family Allergy Clinic’s food drops are dosed under the tongue where they dissolve into the bloodstream. The drops contain extracts of trigger foods. As the body is repeatedly exposed to these extracts, it can develop an immunity to foods that once caused health-compromising symptoms.
SLIT has been used for decades as a safer, more convenient alternative to allergy shots for treating pollen allergies. In recent years, research has shown that this treatment can also be effective in reducing food allergies. High-profile studies include those at Duke University that showed SLIT to be effective in reducing children’s sensitivity to peanut allergens.
Stuart H. Agren, M.D., medical director of the Family Allergy Clinic near Phoenix, says the drops are a much-needed therapy for a growing number of food-allergy sufferers.
“In the past 15 years, food allergies have increased by about 50 percent,” said Dr. Agren. “It is very exciting to offer help instead of just telling patients to stop eating certain foods.”
The most common food allergens-eggs, wheat, and milk-can be very hard to avoid because they are present in so many foods. Eliminating them can also deprive patients of important vitamins and minerals that are hard to get in other ways.
Dr. Agren described one of his recent success stories with the drops:
“I have been treating a child with multiple food allergies-a phenomenon that is becoming more and more common,” said Dr. Agren. “If this child steered clear of these foods, he was left with very few eating options. If he ate them, he would have horrible stomach distress and vomiting.”
After several weeks on the food drops, the patient was able to eat previously-taboo foods without fear of the gastrointestinal problems that had followed him through much of his childhood. He was also able to achieve a healthy weight for the first time.
The Family Allergy Clinic drops can treat for nearly 60 different food allergies including eggs, wheat, dairy, soy, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. They are available by prescription and can be dosed at home with just a few drops under the tongue each day.
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.)
