SUBLINGUAL IMMUNOTHERAPY TREATMENT IS SIMILAR TO INJECTION THERAPY, WITH A FEW UNIQUE ADDITIONS.

Testing & Evaluation
Our first step is to confirm which allergies are present and how severe they are. Patient history plays a large role here. Skin testing is used to confirm suspected allergies. We often use intradermal skin tests to help the physician assess how severe the allergy may be. In vitro (blood) testing may be used to identify food and inhalant allergies.

Environmental Control
Once allergies are confirmed, we help patients find ways to avoid allergens by suggesting changes in diet and lifestyle when possible.

Pharmacology
To help reduce symptoms, you might be prescribed medications, such as non-sedating antihistamines and nose sprays. As treatment continues, most patients find their need for medication decreases.

Immunotherapy
Allergy drops, customized for the patient's specific allergies, helps alter the disease state so that eventually, allergic reactions are no longer a problem. With allergy drops, patients are able to be treated at home. Your physician will monitor your progress throughout your care. Several antigens may be in one vial. Possible treatment regimens include:

• Preseasonal treatment.
  This is a quick build up of antigen weeks prior to an "allergy season." Treatment continues during the season using a maintenance dose. Common treatments are for spring grasses, trees and ragweed.

• Threshold dosing.
  Allergies to dust, molds and foods require an ongoing build up of antigen, followed by a maintenance or threshold dose schedule.

• Anaphylaxis Treatment.
  This is, of course a very careful and slow treatment guided by in vitro specific IgE levels (blood testing) or intradermal skin testing. Doses are increased only when we see sensitivity to the allergen decrease. To ensure your safety, the first dose is given in our office.

• Infants and children. Allergy drops have proven especially helpful for children with eczema and recurrent ear infections, which often have underlying allergic causes. Research shows that many children with untreated eczema and allergies often develop asthma and other chronic conditions later in life, so treating them early can have lifelong benefits.

• Severe asthmatics. Research studies show positive outcomes when sublingual was used to treat asthma, and a number of additional studies are currently underway. SLIT can provide desensitization for triggers and thus moderate the need for asthma medication. And because of its safety profile, even severe asthmatics can be given a chance to reduce their symptoms.

• Patients with chronic conditions including sinusitis. Recent research has validated the longstanding view that chronic sinus conditions and allergies are connected. Treating the underlying allergic disease with SLIT has shown favorable results in patients with chronic sinus conditions.

• Patients with food and mold allergies. Other than avoidance and symptom relief, there has been little to offer patients suffering from these allergies. Clinical evidence shows a great deal of promise in treating food and mold allergies through sublingual immunotherapy, which even the most sensitive patients can tolerate. Additional research is currently underway to corroborate clinical findings in the U.S., and a number of European studies indicate its effectiveness.

• Highly sensitive patients. SLIT may be the ideal solution for patients who are "needle averse," unwilling or unable to undergo injection therapy. This includes patients who have experienced systemic reactions to injection therapy, who dread shots, who cannot travel and especially those who are young.

• Patients with multiple allergies including dust, pollens, animals and chemicals have shown marked improvements after following a regular SLIT treatment regimen.