Allergy Prevention

At Hillbrook Family Medicine, our board certified physician and her staff offer expertise in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of asthma, allergies and immunodeficient conditions.

We focus on prevention and reducing vulnerability to disease or illness with a full approach to controlling allergies and strengthening the immune system, from nutrition to education to medications. We treat children and adults.

Nearly 60 million Americans suffer from allergies yet fewer than three percent of allergic individuals are currently undergoing immunotherapy. Injection immunotherapy is an effective treatment, yet many allergy sufferers are not willing or able to consider this treatment. For this reason, we use allergy drops or sublingual immunotherapy. This treatment method uses the same antigens found in allergy shots but without the associated discomfort.

There are many benefits to consider with allergy drop treatment including reduced time spent in our office, the convenience of taking immunotherapy at home or on the go, the potential to treat a broad array of allergic patients and conditions, and the reduced need for allergy medications.

How do allergy drops work?

Allergy drops work similar to allergy shots by delivering a slowly increasing dose of physician-prescribed antigen that builds the body’s tolerance to the allergens that cause your allergy symptoms. The differences is that the drops are placed under the tongue and affect the immune system through very specialized cells found there. Research shows these cells are a friendlier and more effective route for long-term tolerance, making this treatment ideal for people who can’t tolerate or don’t respond to allergy shots. Treatment for most patients lasts between three to five years, depending upon severity of allergies and patient compliance.

What are the advantages of allergy drops?

There are many advantages to allergy drops including:

Lower cost, fewer office visits. Allergy drops are more affordable and require few office visits after your initial testing – typically only a few clinic visits the first year, and once or twice a year thereafter until visits are no longer needed depending upon the severity of your allergies.

More convenient, fewer medications. You can take allergy drops at home or wherever you need to be, making it much easier to stay with treatment. Most patients find they need less medication to control symptoms after beginning allergy drops.

More healthy days. The end benefit is simply feeling better. Patients typically report fewer clinic visits and hospitalizations for allergy-related issues, and less time lost from work and school, taking drops consistently.

Who can benefit from allergy drops?

Although most people who suffer from allergies and related illnesses can benefit from allergy drops, they are especially helpful for people who can’t tolerate or don’t respond to allergy shots, including:

• Infants and children
• Severe asthmatics
• Highly sensitive patients
• Patients with chronic conditions including sinusitis
• Patients with food/mold allergies
• Patients with multiple allergies including dust, pollens, animals and chemicals.