Allergy Immunotherapy
Medicine treats allergy symptoms as they happen, but it doesn’t change how your body reacts to triggers. Immunotherapy gradually builds up tolerance to the substances that trigger your allergies, including pollen, dust mites, mold, and animal dander. Southwest Asthma & Allergy Associates (SWAAA) offers this treatment for both children and adults once testing identifies your relevant triggers.
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When Is Allergy Immunotherapy Recommended?
If testing confirms your allergies and symptoms continue to affect you, the treatment may be worth trying. This is often the case even when you’ve tried to avoid triggers or taken medicine that’s not working. Allergists may recommend this treatment for patients with hay fever or year-round allergies whose symptoms remain difficult to control despite appropriate treatment.
Individuals who react to pollen, dust mites, mold, or pet dander are good candidates. Others turn to this treatment because their symptoms interfere with work, school, or daily life. Some patients find that their medicine no longer works as well as it used to. Others just want a longer-term fix instead of daily pills or sprays. But not everyone with allergies needs this treatment right away. The right choice depends on your test results, symptom history, and overall health.
How Allergy Immunotherapy Works
Repeated exposure to chosen triggers can slowly retrain how your immune system responds to them. Over time, immunotherapy may reduce your body’s sensitivity to specific allergens, including certain grass pollens and ragweed.
Identifying Your Allergens
We start by testing you and taking a close look at your symptoms. This helps us pinpoint exactly what’s triggering your reactions. Then, our allergists build a treatment plan around your specific sensitivities.
Gradual Allergen Exposure
Once we know your triggers, we give you small, safe doses of them under supervision. We raise these doses step by step, so your body can build tolerance with time. This slow, careful approach is the essence of how the treatment works.
Changes in Allergy Response
Many patients report that they become less sensitive to their triggers as treatment progresses. Symptoms may become less frequent or milder, and some patients may eventually need less additional medication. Results vary from person to person and this treatment does not cure all allergies.
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Allergy Immunotherapy Process We Follow
Our process follows simple steps, starting with a full check-up and ending with ongoing care. Each step builds on the one before it, so nothing gets missed along the way.
Medical History and Allergy Evaluation
We look at your current symptoms and when they occur. This includes seasonal trends, triggers indoors and outdoors, and any allergy treatment you’ve had previously. We also inquire about your medical history and tests you have had in the past to plan your treatment accordingly.
Allergy Testing
Testing can help us determine what triggers might be causing your symptoms. You might have a blood test or a skin test. Then we interpret the findings according to your medical history and symptoms.
Building Your Treatment Plan
Once your triggers are identified, our allergists decide if immunotherapy is a good fit. They consider your age, health, and what you expect from treatment. From there, we build a plan made just for your specific needs.
Allergy Shots
We give allergy shots as an injection, raising your dose slowly based on your plan. After each injection, you will remain under observation for a period determined by your treatment plan and the practice’s safety protocols. Allergy shots are one of the main treatments we offer here at our clinic.
Sublingual Immunotherapy
Sublingual therapy is administered under the tongue rather than by injection. This can be an alternative for some specific allergens including grass pollens, ragweed and dust mites. Whether this fits you depends on your specific trigger and your overall health profile.
Watching Your Progress
Our physicians monitor your symptoms and response. They look for any reaction and change your plan whenever it is necessary. Regular check-ins help keep your treatment plan on track.
What Allergies Can Allergy Shots Treat?
We suggest this treatment for certain allergies, not for every type of allergy out there.
Pollen Allergies
Allergy shots may help with reactions to tree pollen, grass pollen, and weed pollen. These triggers often cause the seasonal symptoms that show up around the same time every year.
Dust Mite Allergies
Dust mites often cause indoor symptoms that stick around all year long, not just seasonally. We may suggest treatment once testing shows dust mites are a trigger for you.
Mold Allergies
Both indoor and outdoor mold can trigger allergy symptoms, often tied to seasonal shifts in weather. Once testing shows mold is a trigger, we may add it to your treatment plan.
Pet Allergies
Reactions to cats and dogs are common reasons patients come to us for treatment. We also treat other pet-related triggers, along with dust, mold, and pollen, when they apply.
What to Expect During Treatment
Allergy shot treatment moves through phases, and each one has its own pace.
Build-Up Phase
During this early phase, your doses go up slowly through regular visits to our office. Each visit includes a watch period for reactions, timed to fit your needs and how you respond.
Maintenance Phase
As you progress, you may need fewer injections since you have established the correct dosage. We still monitor you closely during this phase and stick to your treatment plan.
How Long Treatment Takes
Allergy immunotherapy takes time and patience; better results usually don’t show up right away. Results vary from patient to patient, so we may suggest ongoing care for lasting relief.
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Why Patients Choose Our Allergy Immunotherapy Services
Southwest Asthma & Allergy Associates has been caring for patients for over 40 years in Houston. We build custom treatment plans for both kids and adults, based on close, careful evaluation. This includes allergy shots and under-the-tongue treatment, all guided by thorough allergy testing.
With multiple offices around Houston, it’s easy to fit care into your busy week. We take most major plans, including Medicaid, CHIP, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare too. Coverage can vary by plan and by location, so check with your insurer to confirm your benefits. If you lack coverage, our SWAAA Round-Up payment plan can help make care more affordable for you.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Timelines vary based on your specific plan, but this treatment is often a long-term step. Most patients move through a build-up phase, then settle into a longer steady phase. Our doctors can walk you through what to expect based on your goals.
Allergy shots are generally safe when given under medical supervision, though as with any treatment, there’s some risk of a reaction. That’s why every shot is followed by a monitoring period as part of our standard safety routine. We’ll walk you through your personal risk based on your health history.
Yes, allergy shots can work well for some kids, depending on their age and health. We check each child carefully on their own before we suggest any treatment plan.
Schedule Your Visit Today!
If allergies keep disrupting your daily life despite pills or avoiding triggers, this allergy immunotherapy may help. Southwest Asthma & Allergy Associates offers testing and custom treatment plans for both kids and adults across our clinics. Book your first visit with us today.
