An All-natural Solution for Allergic Children

Children with allergies often end up on multiple medications in order to control symptoms and to help prevent complications often associated with underlying allergic disease. Although medications used today for treatment of allergies and asthma are safe for long term use, all medications have potential side effects. As an allergist seeing pediatric patients, we see parents who are concerned about their children using allergy and asthma medications indefinitely. Therefore, we offer an alternative to medications, specifically allergy shots, for some of these patients.

Allergy shots are a series of injections over time that desensitize the body to the allergens. The allergy shots consist of the purified allergen, ie. oak tree pollen or dog dander, contained in sterile solution that is given as an injection. It is the same thing our body is exposed to naturally in the environment, but in a purified form. When the body is exposed to the allergen by breathing it in through our nose, allergic symptoms, such as sneezing, itching, stuffy nose or wheezing result. However, when the same allergen is injected, our immune system responds completely differently. Instead of causing allergic symptoms, this form of exposure actually produces tolerance. Over time symptoms are significantly reduced, and in many cases enough to discontinue most, if not all, medications. So for patients looking for a more natural way to treat allergies, allergy immunotherapy is a great alternative.

In order for a child to be a candidate for allergy shots, they first have to have allergy documented either through an allergy skin test or an allergy blood test. Based on clinical history of allergy or asthma, the option of allergy immunotherapy may be offered. A major difference with administration of allergy shots in the pediatric population, is that the child needs to be developmentally ready to receive allergy shots. Allergy shots are safe when given in an appropriate setting (doctor’s office), but there is a risk of an allergic reaction. Therefore, the child must be able to clearly communicate symptoms to a provider should he or she have a reaction. For most children,this happens around 5 years of age.

The benefits of starting allergy shots in childhood include the following: a decrease in the need for chronic medications, prevention of recurrent ear or sinus infections, improvement in the patients quality of life and prevention of the progression to asthma. Allergy shots are not a temporary fix. Studies show that after completing a course of high dose immunotherapy (3-5 years) that the benefit gained should last for more than 30 years!! That's good news to parents looking for another option in the treatment of a child’s allergies or asthma!