All-Natural Allergy Prevention Treatment Options – Find out What Works and Why
- Posted on: Apr 19 2018
Spring is here and the weather is beautiful, but you’re stuck inside because your allergies make you miserable. Medications don’t seem to work very well and they have side effects.
Many people want an all natural allergy prevention treatment but not sure what works best or why.
Honey
Many patients will turn to local raw honey. The concept is that since bees collect pollen the honey will be filled with pollen as well. So eating a tablespoon once a day will block your allergies. Although it is possible to get some relief from this approach the truth is that it isn’t really effective. Unfortunately, the honey mainly contains flower pollen which isn’t very allergenic and is likely not what causes your symptoms. It may contain very small amounts of the other pollens such as trees, weeds, grasses, and molds, but the amount isn’t enough to make your body develop the antibodies. Medical studies have shown no benefit to raw honey over placebo.
OTC allergy drops
More recently, people are turning to allergy drop therapy. Some forms of allergy drops can be purchased at your local grocery store. The concept is simple. Just put a few drops under your tongue once a day. Those drops stimulate your body to make antibodies to block the allergies from happening. The critical issue really is what should be in those drops to make them really work? The drawback to Over The Counter (OTC) Allergy Drops hangs on the quantity, quality, and type of allergens included. The amount of the allergen is not determined with a repeatable or rigorous approach. It can be very variable from one OTC drop to another and can even vary from lot to lot sold. The quality of the allergen included is also poor. It is simply processed whole allergen rather than the concentrated part of what makes that allergen produce symptoms. Lastly, the type of allergens included are just a broad range of allergens but are not at all specific to the patient’s actual allergy sensitivity. The allergen you you are allergic to need may not even be included in the drops and many that you may not need may be present.
Allergy drops from the doctor’s office
Many patients will want to have a more effective therapy and will seek the care of their doctor to have testing and medical allergy drops. The science is indisputable that when allergy drops are based on accurate skin testing and well formulated they are equally as effective as allergy shots without all the hassles of shots. Many doctors or allergy clinics around central Texas are now offering allergy drops. Unfortunately, there may be a great variability in the quality of the drop. They may say it’s a “secret formula” but in all actuality, it’s just too weak. There are guidelines based on rigorous scientific studies to determine what is the appropriate strengths of the allergens to include in the allergy drops. The drops should contain 3 of the allergens that the patient tested positive for in each category of allergen. For example, a typical allergy drop available from our office might include: Cedar, 3 Trees, 3 Weeds, 3 Grasses, 3 Molds, dog, cat, cockroach, and dust mite mix. Each is highly concentrated medical grade allergens based on accurate skin testing so they can quickly begin to stimulate the body to have antibodies to block your allergies.
If you have bad allergies, well-formulated allergy drops, based on accurate skin testing in our office, can put you on the road to an allergy-free life.
Schedule A Consultation
If you suffer from allergies and have wondered if allergy drops could work for you come see Dr. Slaughter to discuss this helpful therapy. Call (512) 601-0303 to schedule a consultation with Sinus & Snoring Specialists in Austin, TX.
Posted in: Allergies, Allergy Drops
