Allergies are the root cause of:
- • 80 percent of sinus infections – which affects 10 percent of the population
- • 70 percent of asthma – which affects 5-10 percent of the population
- • 80 percent of skin conditions (eczema, urticaria, hives) – which affects 2-5 percent of the population
Southwestern Colorado Ear, Nose & Throat Associates can identify and treat the cause of allergies – not just the symptoms- through allergy drops taken under the tongue (also known as sublingual immunotherapy or SLIT).
Treatment
- • Currently, the only treatment known to change underlying allergic disease is immunotherapy.
- • Through immunotherapy, patients receive small amounts of the substance that causes their allergies, helping to build tolerance to the substance.
- • The traditional approach to immunotherapy has been by administering the allergens via subcutaneous injection or “allergy shots”.
- • Allergy drops work like allergy shots using the same physician-prescribed and FDA approved antigens, but the route of administration is delivered under the tongue.
SLIT
- • Sublingual administration is an off-label use of an FDA-approved product.
- • Off-label use is both legal and highly common—especially for complex treatments.
- • Most physicians prescribe “off-label” use of a myriad of drugs today, for example, the use of blood pressure medications for migraines, aspirin for heart conditions, or the use of arthritis drugs for the treatment of shingles.
- • Allergy drops work by delivering a small dose of what a patient is allergic to, desensitizing the body until they have built a tolerance to their specific allergens.
- • Allergy drops are especially helpful for children and patients with multiple allergies including dust, pollens, and animals.
Advantages of SLIT
Research shows that frequency of drops helps patients feel better faster. Taking their allergy drops three times a day keeps the immune system stimulated and helps patients become tolerant to what causes their allergies.
The advantages of allergy drops include a lower cost than allergy shots, fewer clinic visits, convenience of administration (at home or wherever you need to be), typically fewer medications required, and less time lost from work and school.
The World Health Organization has endorsed sublingual immunotherapy as a viable alternative to injection therapy. Additionally, the well-respected Cochrane Collaboration, the world’s most-trusted international organization dedicated to reviewing healthcare treatments, recently concluded allergy drop immunotherapy significantly reduced allergy symptoms and use of allergy medications.
The safety profile for sublingual immunotherapy is superior to injection based on research studies and patient treatment experience. Systemic reactions occur 3 times less with sublingual, and within our practice protocol, there has never been an anaphylactic reaction (life threatening) recorded over 37 years of SLIT experience.