[
May/June 2004 ]
A Novel
Approach to Treating Allergies and Asthma
by Mark Swircenski
Allergies are frustrating. Your doctor
calls them asthma, rhinitis, sinusitis, dermatitis, eczema, bronchitis,
conjunctivitis, and who knows how to pronounce the rest of them. All you
know is that you have hives, itchy skin, hay fever, constant ear infections,
sinus infections, sinus headaches, and the list goes on.
What Causes Allergies?
Allergies are an abnormal reaction by the immune system to normally
occurring substances in the environment. On exposure to the offending
substance, the unruly immune system produces chemicals that makes one
sick and causes the various symptoms that we have come to know as allergies.
Common allergens include pollens, dust, dust mites, mold and foods.
How Are Allergies Treated?
The first step of any treatment program is avoidance of allergens; however,
this is not always possible or practical. The next step may be medication,
such as antihistamines, decongestants or steroids. Unfortunately, medications
only treat symptoms and do not change the way your immune system reacts
to allergy- causing substances. Medications may be appropriate for someone
who only experiences symptoms for a short time each year.
The only treatment that tames the unruly immune system and desensitizes
the body so it doesn’t overreact every time it encounters a pollen
granule is immunotherapy. The first step is skin testing to find out
how allergic one is, so that the proper allergy serum can be made. That
is followed by administering gradually increasing amounts of an antigen
serum (which is an all-natural extract of the dusts, molds and pollens
that cause allergies.) That amount is slowly increased until the immune
system accepts the material in these smaller doses without negative
reactions. The desensitization improves health and well-being and frees
the immune system to protect the body elsewhere.
Do You Have
Allergies?
The following allergy questionnaire lists symptoms and other factors
most commonly found in people who have some form of allergy. By
answering this questionnaire, your score will help to determine
if you have allergies.
If your total score is less than 8 points, it is not likely that
you have allergies. Scoring between 9-12 points indicated that
allergy is a possibility. A score between 13 and 30 points means
that allergy is probable, while scoring over 30 points would suggest
that allergy is very likely.
- Do you have fatigue?
(3 points)
- Do you have frequent
headaches? (2 points)
- Do you have sneezing,
post nasal drainage or itching of the nose? (4 points)
- Do you have frequent
colds? (2 points)
- Do you experience
dizziness? (4 points)
- Do you get sinus
infections every year? (1 point)
- Do your eyes itch,
water, get red or swell? (4 points)
- Do you have recurrent
ear infections? (2 points)
- Do you have asthma,
wheezing, tightness in the chest or chronic cough? (4 points)
- Do you have eczema,
skin rashes, itching or hives? (3 points)
- Do you have indigestion,
bloating, diarrhea or constipation? (1 point)
- Do your symptoms
worsen during the spring or fall? (4 points)
- Do your symptoms
change when you go indoors or outdoors? (3 points)
- Are your symptoms
worse after going to bed or in the morning? (2 points)
- Do you awaken in
the middle of the night with congestion? (2 points)
- Are your symptoms
worse when you come into contact with dust? (4 points)
- Are your symptoms
worse around animals? (2 points)
- Do you have blood
relatives with allergies? (2 points)
- Do you have recurrent
yeast infections, jock itch, Athlete’s foot or fungus
under your toenails? (2 points)
- Do you develop
symptoms after eating or drinking certain foods? (2 points)
- Do you sometimes
feel stimulated, hyperactive or fatigued after meals? (2 points)
- Do you have dark
circles under your eyes? (2 points)
- Do you have a crease
across the bridge of your nose? (2 points)
- Do you have frequent
nasal congestion or runny nose? (4 points)
Total Score:_______
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In the United States, an estimated three million people are in immunotherapy.
Almost all of these patients are seen by allergists and are treated
with allergy shots. The process of weekly allergy shots can be costly,
time consuming and painful. Those days are gone!!
In other parts of the world, physicians are using sublingual immunotherapy
or, the more easily said, allergy drops. The concept is similar to conventional
allergy shots, but instead of injecting the allergy serum, patients
administer the serum as drops under the tongue. This treatment is safe,
simple and effective. About 80 - 85% of our patients experience significant
relief of symptoms within three months.
Facts About Sublingual Immunotherapy
- Research has made it clear: No-Shots
therapy (sublingual immunotherapy) is safe and highly effective.
- It is endorsed by the World Health
Organization as a viable, safe alternative to allergy shots.
- The Journal of Allergy and Clinical
Immunology identified sublingual immunotherapy as efficacious, particularly
for certain populations (young children, severely reactive).
- “Thus far studies have found
that drops were as effective as shots and, not surprisingly, well
accepted by patients and were safer. (Scientific American, “Drink
your shots,” April 2002.
- “Conclusion: Our study demonstrates
that sublingual immunotherapy is effective in children and maintains
clinical efficacy for 4 to 5 years after discontinuation.” Long-lasting
Effect of Sublingual Immunotherapy in Children with Asthma Due to
House Dust Mites: A 10-year Prospective Study, Clinical &
Experimental Allergy, February 2003.
- Over 100 studies from around the
world confirm the safety and efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy
(SLIT) for allergies. For a detailed listing of studies published
in the medical literature regarding SLIT, go to www.allergychoices.com
and click on supporting evidence.
If you have allergy and asthma problems, you might well consider this
very effective method of desensitization – the No-Shots method
of sublingual immunotherapy.
Mark Swircenski PA-C
is a Physician Assistant at Alaska Family Wellness Center and is trained
in sublingual immunotherapy. He may be reached at 561-9444 or by email
at MarkSwircenski@hotmail.com
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