Immunotherapy for Allergies In Miami, Florida
Immunotherapy represents a preventive treatment option for allergic reactions to specific allergens.
Immunotherapy treatment involves exposing the body to the allergen to which the patient is allergic and, in a controlled manner, increasing the dosage. These incremental increases are what make immunotherapy for allergies effective, as the body has enough time to adapt and become less sensitive to the allergen over time.
Still, before starting immunotherapy treatment, proper allergy testing is required to determine which are the exact substances that trigger the allergy symptoms. Allergy specialists at the Miami Allergy & Immunology Center use a wide variety of tests that enable them to identify the specific substances that are causing the problem.
Immunotherapy for Allergies
Allergy shots, or subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT), are the most widespread and often most effective immunotherapy treatment for allergies. As a matter of fact, these are the only current treatment options that are capable of changing the immune system and making it possible to prevent the development of other new allergies (for example, asthma).
In other cases, immunologists may recommend SLIT, or sublingual immunotherapy. This is another treatment method that’s able to help with allergies without using injections. These oral or under-the-tongue methods usually come in the form of tablets (which are FDA-approved).
Allergy Shots
Allergy shots are a form of immunotherapy and consist of regular injections that patients are given over a specific time period. Immunotherapy allergy shots aim to eliminate or reduce allergy attacks, with each injection containing a minuscule amount of allergen that triggers an immune response in the patient. More specifically, these allergy shots contain the amount of allergen needed to stimulate the immune system and not more. This prevents the immune system from triggering a full-blown reaction.
The dosages in these immunotherapy shots will slowly increase over time (controlled by certified and trained allergy specialists) who aim to desensitize the body to these allergens. And over time, the patient’s immune system will build up a tolerance to these substances, which will lead to the allergy symptoms diminishing time.
Allergy shots can be an excellent treatment option when:
- Medications fail to control the symptoms, or the patient can’t avoid the allergens that are causing the problem.
- The allergy medications interact with other medicinal compounds the patient might be taking.
- Patients want to reduce long-term allergy medication use.
- In the case of insect sting allergies.
The shots are also a widespread way to control symptoms of seasonal allergies, indoor allergies, and insect stings that we’ve mentioned previously.
Clusters Allergy Shots
When patients start their immunotherapy sessions, there are usually two different phases. The first one is known as the “build-up phase,” where the patients are administered a low dose of the allergen that’s triggering the adverse reactions and then gradually reach phase two, or the “maintenance phase,” when the effective therapeutic dosage is reached, and the administration frequency can decrease.
Reaching the second phase usually takes three to six months, but if the patient opts for cluster immunotherapy or cluster allergy shots, the maintenance phase can be reached quicker.
Cluster allergy shots feature a faster build-up method but require a more serious time commitment from the patient with longer appointments with our allergy specialists. More precisely, a cluster immunotherapy session may last up to two hours twice a week during that four to six-week period.
The apparent benefit of cluster immunotherapy is the fact that patients can experience the benefits of immunotherapy sooner, and it might be a better option for those who cannot commit to coming into the center several times a week during the traditional build-up phase.
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The doctor was thorough, professional, personable and compassionate. The staff was courteous and efficient. I feel this practice is outstanding and would highly recommend to my friends and family.
The staff is an absolute “A Plus” extremely kind and professional which is a reflection of Dr. Bassem. Dr. B is an a pleasure to speak to and speaks to you in a soothing tone that is to comfort his patients! I highly recommend going… thankful for them!
The staff was extremely nice and helpful since I walked into the office. Doctor Bassem was super professional, took his time to listen to my concerns and explained to me what could be the possible reasons to my issues and gave me a detail guide of what procedures we were going to do.
I’m very happy with my experience and look forward to continue my treatment
Very quick visit. He was very thorough and able to figure out my issue. Short wait time and very nice environment all around.
Dr. Chahine and staff are all extremely professional and they actually care for their patients. He takes his time to evaluate the condition and then treat it. Also, he gets to know you as a person. I would recommend Dr. Chahine to everyone!
