My most rewarding allergy cases over my 30+ years in private allergy practice were the most challenging ones—the people who came to me after exhausting countless doctors, medications and even surgeries. Most were visibly defeated when they walked through my door the first time—some even cynical. How could my program help when so many others had failed them? I didn’t take lightly that I was the recipient of their last flicker of hope. Here’s a closer look at four of the most severe—and fulfilling—cases I ever treated.
1. Gordon* (sinusitis)
When I met Gordon, he was on the verge of giving up a beloved hobby: quilting for charity. His mother had taught him to quilt as a boy, and after retiring as a computer specialist for the U.S. Navy, he began churning out quilts for those in need. Some went to the Marshall Islands, others to Ecuador, still others went to patients at the nearby burn center. But a few years into retirement, everything skidded to a halt.
Gordon had dealt with allergic rhinitis and sinus problems for decades. He snored and gasped for breath throughout the night. Sometimes, he went so long without drawing in air that his wife would have to wake him up to see if he was still alive. He tried battling his ongoing sinus infections with antibiotics, allergy shots and even a sinus surgery, but his symptoms were worsening by the month, and he felt so depleted, even quilting made him miserable.
Within a month of starting on the allergy drops, his symptoms began to dissipate. He reported feeling good for the first time in memory: “I feel almost like when I was in my 20s or 30s,” said Gordon. “I have so much energy.”
Gordon fired up his sewing machine and was able to continue brightening lives with his quilts. To date, he has stitched over 3,000 of them for needy people worldwide.
2. James (eczema)
At 6 months old, James developed eczema that spread across his entire body. His mother described him as “one big scab” because he would scratch himself until the rash cracked, bled and crusted over. She learned to wrap his arms and legs at night to keep him from disturbing the rash.
James’s doctors prescribed a total of 29 different medications and creams during his toddler years, but nothing brought relief. His mom noticed that the eczema was worse during pollen season and sought out allergy shots, only to be told he was too young.
At age 4, he started on AllergyEasy’s allergy drops for kids. Within several weeks, his rash had dissipated to a few hardly-noticeable patches.
3. Jane (severe food allergies)
Jane had struggled throughout her life with severe food allergy to wheat, milk, eggs and tomatoes. Eating was like crossing a minefield, as she tried to consume a balanced diet that did not contain those seemingly ever-present foods. When she did eat one of these trigger foods, her punishment was swift and severe: bloating, severe cramping and hives that would swell her eyes shut.
Jane had good success on the AllergyEasy drops for her pollen allergies and decided to start on the food allergy treatment drops as well. Within a few months, she started by adding milk back into her diet. “The abdominal cramping is gone. It’s fantastic,” said Jane.
After a lifetime of contending with intestinal discomfort and skin reactions, Jane was able to gradually incorporate the foods that had previously been taboo with eliminated or significantly decreased symptoms.
4. Clarissa (asthma)
Clarissa developed severe asthma at age 2, and her world became confined to her pediatrician’s office and home, where her mother delivered a continual diet of asthma medications through a nebulizer. Even playing with other kids became too much of a gamble. “She’d catch every cold and virus, and her asthma would go out of control,” said her mother.
“We felt afraid for her life.”
At age 4, she started on the AllergyEasy drops and was a “super-responder” with her asthma improving in the first couple of months. When spring rolled around, her mother braced for a regression, but her symptoms remained well-controlled.
“Spring is usually the worst season for us,” said her mother. “The nebulizer goes non-stop, but after starting on the serum, I can count on one hand the number of times I have had to use it.”
It was a great pay-off moment when her mother thanked me for giving Clarissa the chance to enjoy childhood. “I had no idea that something this simple could completely change my child’s life. For the first time, I’m learning how normal people live.”
When I started prescribing sublingual immunotherapy (under-the-tongue allergy drops) in 1985, I felt that this method filled a great void in the field of allergy treatment. These oral allergy drops were safer than shots, and they could be taken at home. The no-hassle administration allowed people to get the care they needed without interrupting their lives to drive to the doctor’s office multiple times per week for shots.
Using the “comprehensive serum mix,” we can bring even more to the table. Rather than just treating for a small selection of local allergens, we can treat for the major pollens of the world in a single mix, in addition to molds, dust and pet dander. With the addition of the food allergy treatment, we were able to expand the comprehensive serum concept to the most common food allergies, making us one of the few medical organizations in the country actively treating this fast-growing health issue.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to have spent my career helping people put their allergies behind them and regain their quality of life, and I am also grateful to help other physicians make AllergyEasy drops available to their patients through our turnkey allergy treatment program.
*Names changed to protect patient confidentiality
