SUBLINGUAL IMMUNOTHERAPY

Treating Allergies Where They Begin. The most common and known treatment of allergies is injections. Over the past eight years we have found, however, that sublingual immunotherapy is actually more effective in a majority of cases. Sublingual Immunotherapy treatment involves placing several drops of a neutralizing dose solution under the tongue of the patient to block an allergic reaction caused by that particular substance. This method of treatment can be taken home and is much more convenient than seeking out the services of a physician for weekly injections. In addition, this is a particularly successful method for children who may be afraid of injections. We believe that sublingual immunotherapy is successful because it is a precise form of homeopathy, in that "like cures like." Specifically, a homeopath will actually look for what will provoke the problem when attempting to make a diagnosis. This treatment involves a weak dilution that tells the immune system not to react. With regard to sublingual immunotherapy, dilutions are given to patients to block various pollens, molds, chemicals and foods to tell the immune system not to react. The emphasis is on treating the cause of the allergy, not the symptom. This is frequently more effective than treating recurrent ear infections or other chronic maladies with multiple courses of antibiotics. In addition, it will obviously prevent potential side effects from medications that are designed to hide symptoms rather than ours, which is designed to aid the body's natural reactions.

An eight year-old boy with a history of severe behavioral problems, abdominal pain, and headaches in the spring and fall seasons visited our office in August 1994. He had no typical allergy symptoms and tested negative for pollen, dust mite, and food allergies by a conventional allergist. Utilizing the Provocation/Neutralization technique, the boy tested positive to all 23 grasses, trees, and dust products, as well as 11 foods. Then he began immunotherapy treatment. Two months after the initial testing, he had no complaints of headaches and abdominal pain and showed no evidence of aggression, anger or depression.