There’s no question that allergies among Americans are on the rise. Roughly 30 percent of adults and 40 percent of children suffer in some fashion from allergies, ranging from run-of-the-mill to more severe reactions, including asthma. These reactions aren’t just a nuisance causing congestion or sneezing. In many cases, they are severe and can result in missed work or school days. In a recent study, Americans lost six million combined days of school or work due to allergies.

While traditional treatments such as medications, antihistamines and decongestants can be effective at treating those symptoms, they aren’t a cure. That’s where Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) comes in. This type of therapy is known as a disease modifier, meaning it can change allergic diseases over time, and therefore the reactions to them. With SLIT, symptoms will reduce and quality of life will improve, including long-term remission from allergies.

SLIT is an injection-free allergy immunotherapy easily managed from home. By decreasing sensitivity to allergic triggers, this method is convenient especially for those who don’t like shots. Where traditional therapies inject the allergy extract, these drops are placed under the tongue once daily. In doing so, the immune system is able to build up a natural tolerance to decrease reaction to the allergen. Over time, patients tend to experience a drastic decrease in reactions. That also means fewer trips to the doctor and more time enjoying life allergy-free.

These treatments are especially effective in treating allergic rhinitis and asthma in children and adults. Many of these allergies come from common allergens in nature such as animal dander, dust mites, and pollen from grass, trees and weeds. The treatment is even effective at treating peanut allergies.

To begin treatments, the board certified allergists of Allergy & Asthma Specialists must first determine what allergens trigger an individual’s symptoms. By using allergy skin testing—applying small samples of an allergen extract to the skin to determine the reaction—the experts can determine what to treat. A&AS has over 100 samples of extracts available to use for testing, and determine which allergens will be tested based on medical history, environmental survey and physical examination. This is a quick and easy way to uncover allergens, taking about 20 minutes in the office. From there, the allergist develops a personalized SLIT treatment to administer at home, with a visit to the office just once or twice a year.

The board certified allergists of A&AS have years of training and experience in developing effective and safe extract prescriptions based on each patient’s skin testing results and tolerance.

Schedule an appointment today online at www.AllergyandAsthmaWellness.com or by calling 1-800-86COUGH, ext 2.