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Addressing allergy symptoms through safe, effective treatments
What Are Allergies?
Allergy Starts with the Immune System
Your first line of defense against disease is the immune system. Your body is well equipped to detect bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbial invaders. When these external agents invade, your immune system jumps into action, ready to destroy and vanquish. That’s a really good thing unless the external agent is just a harmless protein.
In simple terms, allergy is the result of your body’s immune system fighting germs that aren’t there. It’s like when you spot a friend at a distance across the mall and rush over to say “Hello” only to find out that it isn’t your friend at all. Allergy is a case of mistaken identity.
“Doctors use the term hypersensitivity to refer to allergies because your immune system is overly sensitive to substances such as pollens, animal dander and other types of allergens that offer no real threat to your health. With hypersensitivity, your immune system acts sort of like an alarm system that summons a SWAT team regardless of whether a cat burglar or just a cat is intruding on your property.”
William E. Berger, MD, MBA
An allergic reaction occurs when your body misidentifies a harmless protein; it overreacts to allergens that pose no real threat. On the first exposure, the misidentification occurs, and the immune system creates a special antibody (this is called immunoglobulin E or IgE) designed to fight that substance if it ever sees it again. In a way, it is kind of like how a vaccination works, but instead of being prepared to fight a harmful germ, it is prepared to fight a protein that poses no danger.
The next time you encounter the protein (whether you breathe it, eat it, or it touches your skin), your immune system jumps into action. It produces substances like histamines, leukotrienes, and cytokines. These are the substances that cause you to have sneezing, wheezing, nasal congestion, rashes, coughing, itchy or watery eyes, or a runny nose. That’s why the symptoms of allergy can be so similar to the symptoms of a cold.
Your immune system can mistake any protein. The most common indoor allergens come from dust mites, pets, and molds. Outdoor allergens can be the pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds as well as molds and large animals such as horses and sheep. Contact allergens can range from metals to the common ingredients in personal care items. Peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish are also common sources of proteins that cause food allergies.
About Allergy Drops
Allergy drops, or sublingual immunotherapy, are a safe, proven method to treat the root cause of allergies. They are a needle-free alternative to allergy shots, also known as subcutaneous immunotherapy.
Much like allergy shots, allergy drops introduce a small dose of the allergen a person is allergic to, with those doses gradually increasing over time. Studies have shown that a compliant treatment plan can successfully improve a patient’s quality of life, with short-term results attainable within months and long-term results attainable after three or more years of treatment.
Allergy drops are administered orally, under the tongue. Why under the tongue? It’s the part of the mouth that has the highest number of specialized dendritic cells that serve a vital role in our immune system by processing antigens that trigger our immune responses.
About Allergy Allay DropsTM
Allergy Allay DropsTM are uniquely compounded sublingual immunotherapy product, available by prescription for individual use only. They are a needle-free alternative to allergy shots.
The treatment plan for every Allergy Allay DropsTM patient is customized to reflect the specific results of their on-site allergy test, with doses beginning at their weakest dilution and volume and slowly building up as they grow more tolerant over time. Based on the symptoms a patient is experiencing and their individual test results, the drops may be formulated to treat a range of environmental allergens. Those include tree, grass, and weed pollens; molds; pet dander, and more.
By following your Allergy Allay DropsTM dosage plan and the clinical guidance in the materials given to you, you can best promote a safe and effective treatment that improves your long-term quality of life.
Note: The FDA has not reviewed or approved this product or any related statements about it. Contraindications include fever greater than 100°F; sinus infection; difficulty breathing; asthma symptoms; pregnancy; taking antibiotics or beta-blockers; 48 hours before/after vaccination or other injection. Contraindications can include uncontrolled asthma or advanced COPD, pregnancy, the concomitant use of beta-blockers, immune disorders, or eosinophilic esophagitis. Fever, sinus infections, upper respiratory infections, active infection, especially if quiring antibiotics, respiratory symptoms, and 48 hours before and after another vaccine and injection are reasons to potentially temporarily hold IT doses. Report adverse reactions, mild or severe, to your provider. Risks may increase when the dosage schedule is not followed as directed.
Side effects of mild allergic reactions include itching in the mouth or throat, tingling of the lips or tongue, sensation of fullness, or mild swelling of the lips and anterior tongue. Symptoms can be treated with the liquid diphenhydramine (Benadryl® or generic equivalent). Severe reactions are less likely – seek immediate medical attention for shortness of breath or wheezing; swelling and tightness of the throat; significant swelling of the tongue, airway blockage; difficulty breathing or swallowing. Allergy Allay DropsTM are a product of AlleReach Pharmacy Services, LLC.
Allergy Testing & Treatment FAQs
With our allergy testing and proven treatment plans, you can feel better year-round or during the seasonal changes. Learn more about allergy testing with these helpful FAQs. Serving Houston, Texas.
