Ask Your Allergy Doctor in Ventura CA about Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy can help patients with hay fever or bee sting allergies.

Are you tired of trying—and often failing—to manage your allergies with medication or by avoiding your allergic triggers? You can ask your allergy doctor in Ventura CA About the possibility of using immunotherapy instead.

What is Immunotherapy?

When you have an allergic reaction, what’s happening is your immune system is mistaking a harmless substance like pollen or dust for a threat. The subsequent immune response is the source of your allergy symptoms. Immunotherapy, or allergy shots, is a treatment that helps condition your immune system so that it no longer views allergens as a threat. In many cases, the treatment can greatly reduce sensitivity to the allergen to the point where you may no longer experience troubling symptoms.

What Kinds of Allergies Can Be Treated?

Immunotherapy is not effective on all kinds of allergies. For example, it is not effective on food allergies. However, here at Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology Medical Center our allergy doctors in Ventura CA frequently provide immunotherapy for treatment of:

• Hay Fever
• Allergic Asthma
• Bee Sting Allergies

How Long Does Treatment Take?

Immunotherapy requires a big commitment. You will receive an initial course of allergy shots over 6 to 9 months. Shots may be given once or twice per week, with each shot having a slightly higher dose of the allergen, until the target level is reached. Then, you will receive shots once or twice per month for 3 to 5 years in order to develop a tolerance to the allergen. Most patients begin to see a benefit after one year of treatment, but in order for the effects to last the entire course of treatment must be finished.

Who Should Consider Immunotherapy?

If you are successfully managing your allergies with medication, you probably do not need to consider immunotherapy. However, if your allergies are especially severe or if you are unhappy with the side effects of your medication, immunotherapy might be the answer to your problems. Individuals who have already experienced one life-threatening reaction to a bee sting should definitely consider immunotherapy, since this treatment has been proven to reduce the risk of another severe reaction to less than 5 percent.

How Do I Choose a Doctor?

When choosing an allergy doctor in Ventura CA to provide immunotherapy, it is very important to find a board-certified specialist with specific experience in this treatment. At Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology Medical Group, we have over 35 years of experience in immunotherapy, and you can rely on our doctors to properly tailor the treatment to your unique needs. This includes providing the proper dosages at the right frequency, and also helping to manage current allergy symptoms while the treatment is in progress.