Immunotherapy for allergies

Friends of ours tell us that they have started “allergen immunotherapy” for their young son and daughter, both of whom have severe seasonal allergies. I believe this type of therapy was also available when I was growing up, but I never learned much about it. Should I consider immunotherapy for my young children as well? Can you tell me more what the therapy entails, and what it does?

It’s not surprising that you heard about it in your younger years; to call allergen immunotherapy time-tested is an understatement. Commonly known as “allergy shots,” allergen immunotherapy predates Prohibition, and has been an effective treatment for patients living with severe allergies since Herbert Hoover sat in the White House.

Almost a century later, there is an ever-expanding array of once-a-day medication available to treat allergy symptoms. But immunotherapy remains the only treatment that can alter the natural course of an allergic disease like chronic rhinitis (hay fever) or allergic asthma, and permanently reduce the frequency and severity of allergy symptoms such as severe congestion, sinus pressure, grogginess and sleeplessness. Furthermore, ongoing research and refinement of immunotherapy guidelines have made immunotherapy treatments for outdoor and indoor allergies more effective than ever before. Perhaps this is why allergists and immunologists have noticed more and more Brooklynites, such as your friends, requesting allergen immunotherapy for their children.

Children can start immunotherapy as early as age five, and many children living in Brooklyn are just reaching that age. A full course of allergen immunotherapy takes time — usually three to five years, starting with weekly visits for injections for the first six months, and then monthly visits for the remainder. However the benefits of immunotherapy can last a lifetime, particularly for children living in New York City, where pollen, mold spores and dust mites can be found around every corner. In addition, the first FDA-approved oral, injection-free immunotherapy (specifically, for grass pollen allergies) became available in 2014. More are sure to come.

For those with milder allergy symptoms that occur seasonally, over-the-counter treatments and lifestyle adjustments may be all that is necessary. A common problem is that many of these patients do not even know that their springtime cold or upper respiratory infections have, in fact, been caused by a seasonal allergy.

A simple “scratch test,” performed by an immunologist, could probably have been used to identify that allergy in less than 30 minutes, and get the patient on the road to effective relief of symptoms. What matters most is getting started, and finding the right treatment for each individual patient. Many parents of pediatric patients who come to New York Methodist Hospital for allergen immunotherapy tell our doctors that they wish they had known that they were allergic to pollen when they, themselves, were younger. We tell them that there is no time like the present.

Relevant Directory Listings

See More

Extended Home Care

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal;" data-sheets-value="{" data-sheets-userformat="{">Extended Home Care is specially licensed to serve cognitively and neurologically impaired individuals across the age spectrum in all five boroughs. We offer in-home support to meet your family member's health, developmental and safety needs by providing Skilled Nursing, Home Health Aides, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Social Work.</span></p>

Westchester School for Special Children

<p><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #ffffff;">The </span><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #ffffff;">Westchester School</span><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #ffffff;"> is a New York State approved, non-public </span><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #ffffff;">school</span><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #ffffff;"> that provides educational and therapeutic services to students from New York City, </span><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #ffffff;">Westchester</span><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #ffffff;"> County, Long Island, and Connecticut.  </span><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #ffffff;"><span style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">The school views all children, regardless of functioning level or handicapping condition, as children with potential for growth and development. Historically, educational programming, particularly for the severely handicapped was primarily concerned for easing the burden of those who cared for these children. Changes in legal standards and socio-philosophical perspectives made this an excessively limited and limiting approach. The rational for program and selection of educational objectives is based upon the developmental needs of the individual child.</span></span></span></p>

Rock on Music School

<p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Since 2016, I have been providing interactive music sessions tailored to the individual (Ages 6 - Adult). Learn to play instruments, sing and express yourself in a fun, non-judgemental environment. In-Home lessions (Currently suspended due to Covid) and LIVE VIRTUAL MUSIC sessions are available and are approved by Self-Direction Providers. See and hear more on my website RockonMusicSchool.com.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">"Using music to build confidence and self-esteem is my greatest achievement.</span></span></p>