Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment used to relieve allergy symptoms of hay fever or allergic asthma by administering injections of substances such as pollens, mold spores, dust mites, animal dander or insects to which an individual has been found to be allergic to by skin testing. These injections seem to “turn off” the abnormal immune reaction that we call an “allergy.” In reality, immunotherapy has been available to patients for close to 100 years and the technique has been significantly improved over time. Patients have noted a high degree of success in terms of either eliminating or greatly reducing their rhinitis symptoms as well as allergic asthma symptoms, too.

When an allergic person is exposed to an allergic substance (such as cat dander), he or she may develop symptoms of sneezing, running nose, nasal congestion, watery eyes, chest tightness, or wheezing.

Various cells that line the nose and the airways actually release chemicals (called “mediators”) that cause these symptoms. An inflammatory reaction accompanies this process and leads to persistent symptoms.

Immunotherapy interferes with the actions of these cells to diminish the effects of the chemical mediators that cause allergic symptoms.