Immunotherapy is the use of an allergen in the body in order to desensitize the body to it. This usually means that the substance is injected to the body. There are new ways of utilizing immunotherapy. These have been developed because of the difficulty and inconvenience of the traditional shot therapy. This article will discuss these new immunotherapy methods for allergies.
Rush immunotherapy
This therapy is intended to build up resistance in the body as fast as possible. Therefore, you will receive injections every few hours instead of days. This is more risky than regular immunotherapy because there is an increased change of complications. This technique is used only in hospitals under medical care because eof this risk factor. Antihistamines and steroids are used to treat complications.
Oral immunotherapy
This therapy uses drops under the tongue to administer the dosage of substance that is used in the immunotherapy. One can also receive this therapy in the form of pills. This therapy has been found helpful in some people but it is not yet approved for use in the U.S.
Intranasal immunotherapy
This therapy is used as a nasal spray. It has been proved effective on allergies of birch tree, dust mites or grass. It is not as effective as regular immunological therapy only giving a mild resistance to the substance in question. This therapy is also not in use in the U.S.
Oral and intranasal immunotherapy methods are mostly used in Europe. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration remains skeptical of the benefits of these treatments. These new ways of receiving immunotherapy have their benefits in that they are less invasive and less dangerous than injections. Therefore, their use is easier for the patient than receiving injection. It also eliminates the need to fear needless. As far as rush therapy is concerned, its benefits lie in the fact that resistance can be build up in a relatively small amount of time, sometimes in only one day.
