While many people know about treatment for environmental allergies (pollen, dust, pet dander, etc.), fewer people are aware of new developments in food allergy treatment. It used to be that the standard advice for food allergy sufferers was to simply avoid problem foods, but thanks to a treatment known as sublingual immunotherapy, people with food allergies are able to eat more of the foods they love without fear of negative reactions.
The treatment works a lot like allergy shots, helping the body develop an immunity to allergens that once stirred up undesirable reactions. It starts with a saline serum containing extracts of allergy-causing food proteins. With shots, serum is injected into the body. With sublingual immunotherapy—or allergy drops— serum is dissolved under the tongue where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through oral cells.
While allergy shots work for pollen allergies, they have not been shown to be safe and effective for food allergies. Allergy drops, however, have! Allergy drops are safer and less age-restrictive than shots. They have even been shown to be safe for children under five. Since kids are especially predisposed to food allergies, this is welcome news, particularly for kids who have multiple food allergies. (Imagine navigating childhood without being able to eat such staples as milk, eggs, or wheat.) Sublingual immunotherapy has even been shown to be successful in clinical trials to desensitize people to peanut allergies—one of the most risk-laden forms of food allergy.
Food allergy can lead to a host of symptoms including severe anaphylactic reaction, gastrointestinal problems (nausea, gas, bloating, cramps), hay fever, eczema, and hives. Visit this page for details about allergy drops for food allergies.
