Adventures of an Allergist Mommy

A new treatment option for peanut allergy is currently being studied in Chicago! This treatment modality is commonly referred to as the "peanut patch", and aims to induce tolerance to peanut protein by delivering small amounts of peanut allergen to the immune system through the skin. This is similar in concept to oral and sublingual immunotherapy for foods. However, in the case of the patch, the mode of delivery is hoped to result in fewer reactions during treatment, as the allergen will not be ingested. It is certainly an interesting development, which may hold promise in the treatment of food allergy. This study is recruiting children as young as age 6 years, so it may be an option for those children who are not old enough to qualify for the Food Allergy Herbal Formula study. Please read the memorandum below for further details: -------------------------------------------------------------------- ...I would like to share with you the exciting new peanut allerg...

For nearly a century, doctors have known that the best way to control environmental allergy symptoms is by retraining your immune system to tolerate substances that you are currently over-reacting to. This is known as “immunotherapy”.   Until recently, immunotherapy required multiple small injections over a period of time (subcutaneous immunotherapy). Although allergy injection treatment is very safe and effective, weekly trips to the doctor for shots are not always convenient for today’s busy families. This means that many patients are not able to take advantage of allergen immunotherapy’s numerous health benefits, such as decreased need for medications, improved hay fever and asthma control, prevention of asthma in high-risk children, and a better night’s sleep. Sublingual immunotherapy, or allergy drops, can offer the benefits of immunotherapy to a wider array of patients. These drops are made from the same FDA-approved allergen extracts used in allergy injection treatme...