Phoenix, Arizona (PRWEB) November 26, 2014

Thanksgiving is a treasured holiday for many foodies, but for those who suffer from food allergies, navigating the big meal can feel like crossing a minefield. One bite of the wrong thing can send a simple dinner into a tailspin. For the severely allergic, exposure to problematic foods can lead to a full-blown anaphylactic reaction. Other symptoms of food allergies can include eczema, hives, hay fever and gastrointestinal distress (gas, bloating, diarrhea, etc.) For those with Oral Allergy Syndrome, an allergy to certain fruits and vegetables, symptoms can include itching, tingling, and swelling of the mouth and throat.

Until recently, the only solution for food allergies was to simply avoid reaction-causing foods, but studies have shown that a treatment called sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) can help people safely tolerate many foods that were previously taboo.

SLIT starts with an allergy serum containing extracts of various food proteins. The serum is taken as under-the-tongue (sublingual) drops that absorb into the bloodstream through special cells in the mouth. Over time, the concentration of the serum is increased, teaching the immune system to gradually tolerate foods that once caused reactions. (A good analogy would be gradually increasing the size of your barbells until you can lift a weight that you couldn’t heft before.)

Stuart Agren, M.D. is the director of AllergyEasy which distributes sublingual immunotherapy allergy drops to physicians around the country. He has been prescribing the drops to his own patients since the mid-1980s for pollen allergies. Several years ago, guided by the use of SLIT for food allergies at several leading university health centers (including Duke: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3052379/), he began prescribing the serum for dozens of food allergies including eggs, milk, wheat, rice, fruits, vegetables, and some tree nuts.

Dr. Agren said that SLIT can be a life-altering therapy for people with food allergies.

“I get a lot of patients in-particularly kids-whose lives are ruled by multiple food allergies,” said Dr. Agren. “They are often underweight and suffer from persistent gut discomfort. Many have had repeated visits to the E.R. for close calls with anaphylaxis. SLIT helps turn eating back into a normal, pleasurable experience.”

The sublingual drops are safe enough to be taken at home, so they are easy stick with and don’t require a lot of time in driving back and forth to the doctor’s office.

Food allergies in America are rising rapidly. In the case of kids, food allergies have increased 50 percent since 1997 according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They now affect one in 13 kids-roughly two kids per school classroom.

Food allergies are especially frustrating at this time of year when school and work parties, family meals, and food-related gifts are pervasive. For more information on allergy drops, visit myallergyeasy.com.

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AllergyEasy

2033 E Warner Road, Suite 102

Tempe, AZ 85284

CONTACTS:

Phone: 480-827-0038, ext. 1 (Melissa)