Sick of Allergies? How Immunotherapy Can Give You Lasting Relief

If you or your child has allergies, you already know how you have to plan carefully around these sensitivities to avoid reactions that can range from hives to respiratory distress. Allergies can be everywhere: in the air in your house or outside your door, lurking in a beloved pet’s fur, or hidden away in the foods you eat.

At SLENT, with locations in Mandeville, Slidell, Covington, and Hammond, Louisiana, our team of otolaryngology specialists and allergists can help identify allergies and sensitivities, create a plan of treatment, and help prevent severe reactions in the future.

Sensitivities, allergies, and asthma

First, let’s examine the difference between allergies and sensitivities. Sensitivity or intolerance to an allergen usually means that exposure provokes a mild immune system response. This could be slight reddening of the skin, a faint rash, or stomach upset.  

A severe allergy can go beyond mild symptoms and cause severe digestive problems, extreme hives, and even anaphylaxis (respiratory distress because of swelling around the airway). Some of the most common causes of anaphylaxis include:

• Foods (notably peanuts and shellfish)
• Insect stings (usually from bees or wasps)
• Medications (typically antibiotics or imaging dyes)
• Latex (found in medical gloves, rubber balloons)

Around 80% of people with asthma also have allergies. Asthma causes your airways to swell, narrow, and fill with mucus. This makes it hard to breathe. Asthma alone doesn’t cause anaphylaxis, but it can significantly increase the chances of an anaphylactic event being more severe and even life-threatening.  

Asthma attacks are markedly worse in outdoor allergy season, when pollen and dust can make attacks closer together and more severe. Exposure to major food allergens, pet allergens, and indoor allergens, such as mold or dust mites, can worsen asthma attacks.

Treating allergies with immunotherapy

At SLENT, we’re able to treat allergies with allergy shots or sublingual immunotherapy. Both options help your body produce “blocking” antibodies that can prevent severe immune system reactions to allergens. This can both help reduce severe allergic reactions and help minimize asthmatic events triggered by an allergic reaction. 

As symptoms slowly become less frequent and severe, you can make plans for activities previously avoided, like trips to the park, picnics, or even the adoption of a hypoallergenic pet. Make sure you keep in close contact with your doctor and follow instructions carefully to avoid a severe allergic reaction or anaphylactic event.

Unlike over-the-counter allergy medications or steroid therapy, immunotherapy can give you or your child lasting relief. To learn more, schedule a consultation with the team at SLENT by calling the location closest to you or visiting our contact page for more options.