Stop the Worry

Modena Allergy + Asthma in San Diego Can Help

Roughly 8 percent of U.S. children have food allergies, and this number continues to rise every year. For these children and their parents, social settings like eating out and birthday parties can cause strong feelings of fear and worry.

The treatment of food allergy has historically been strict food avoidance with early rescue medication availability (i.e., injectable epinephrine) to treat anaphylaxis reactions.

Food reactions can be severe, life-threatening, and can occur with eating a single bite of food. Meanwhile, food avoidance is difficult for many families.

At Modena Allergy & Asthma, Food Immunotherapy is a proven safe, increasingly utilized therapy that improves prognosis by raising the threshold for anaphylaxis. By administering the food in very small but slowly increasing doses, it can prevent or lessen the severity of food reactions caused by accidental exposures. In some patients, it can even lead to "free eating" of the food and something known as "sustained unresponsiveness". Most importantly, it has been proven to strongly improve quality of life and help people "get their life back."

In summary, Food IT aims to build tolerance or increase the "threshold" to a reaction, while reducing the severity of allergic reactions, and improving prognosis and quality of life for children and their parents.

What is Food Immunotherapy?

Food Immunotherapy aims to reduce an individual's sensitivity to a food (also called "desensitization") by the slow introduction of the food in very small amounts on a daily basis, typically over many months to years.

One type of IT is called "oral immunotherapy" or OIT, where increasing amounts of the food is ingested every day.

Another version of food IT is called sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), which involves dropping food extract under the tongue and holding it for 2 minutes. SLIT is very safe with very little risk of anaphylaxis but will not typically achieve the status of "free eating" or "sustained unresponsiveness."

Through the gradual introduction of controlled amounts of the allergen, Food Immunotherapy builds tolerance and reduces the severity of allergic responses over time. In doing so, food IT may improve food reaction thresholds and thereby reduce fear and anxiety associated with food allergies, empowering patients to lead a more unrestricted and fulfilling lifestyle.

With increasing recognition among allergists and patients, Food Immunotherapy is revolutionizing the management of food allergies and improving the quality of life for many.

Procedure

Free Consultation: with our Food Immunotherapy providers
Challenge: Determine exactly what foods your child is allergic to through testing and open food challenges.
Personalize: Choose and help create a personalized desensitization regimen modeled after one or more of the pathways used in the most stringent clinical trials.
Treat: Start your desensitization therapy over a period of 1 to 4 years, protecting your child from accidental exposures and improving their quality of life.
Challenge Again: Proven success! Protect your child from accidental exposures or develop food freedom.

Benefits of Food Immunotherapy

May reduce fear and anxiety surrounding food allergies
Improves disease knowledge and understanding
Enhances quality of life
Increases tolerance of specific foods to reduce risk of allergic reactions
May lead a more unrestricted lifestyle
Improves overall disease long-term prognosis for many
May result in "free eating" and "sustained unresponsiveness"

San Diego food immunotherapy model family speaking with doctor

Why Modena Allergy + Asthma?

Personalized for Patients of Any Age

High success rate using scientifically proven and published studies.
Freedom to choose from one or more regimens, all of which are based on stringent clinical trials. No fringe, expensive, or wasteful therapies.
< 1% adverse reaction rate.
24/7 on-call service.
Reasonable prices and financial assistance for qualifying patients and families. Our goal is that no child is left behind.
Simple, straightforward methods with proven success.

The providers at the Modena Food Allergy Center are committed to providing scientifically proven, safe, affordable, honest treatments grounded in scientific research with realistic expectations. We deliver the highest level of personalized medical care with close supervision and 24/7 call availability.

We do not advocate unproven, overpromising therapies that are not well-studied and not accepted by the greater society of allergy physicians. We do not deliver Food Immunotherapy when it's not necessary (e.g., treatment of false positive skin tests). We do not overcharge for our services or perform unnecessary testing if such testing is not informative or predictive of outcomes or prognosis.

We strongly caution against any food immunotherapy programs using unproven therapies that are not well-studied and not accepted by the greater allergy society of physicians. Food immunotherapy has been studied over the past 10-15 years, with many studies demonstrating the benefits and limitations.

Call For A Free Consultation

Do's And Don'ts

Don't: Waste time and money desensitizing to foods that are not legitimate allergens (this will be determined by the provider based on both testing and a thorough health history of symptoms/reactions)

Don't: Believe every allergy test. A single positive skin or blood test does not equal a true allergy. Falsely positive tests are not uncommon. Both skin and blood testing are used adjunct to a history of allergic reaction, if indicated. An in-office oral “food challenge” is a proven safe and structured way to determine whether or not you or your child is truly allergic.

Don't: Do overly expensive, unproven, or fringe therapies. With our Food Immunotherapy program, we share with you the proven evidence, and then you choose from a number of possible treatment regimens developed by leading research centers.

Do: Your research. Join support groups, Facebook pages, and other knowledgeable groups. Learn about what has been shown by the growing number of clinical research papers and books on food IT.

Do: Take your time. Undergoing Food Immunotherapy is a major commitment, and “jumping right in” without understanding the process is not productive. We may need to have 2 or more pre-visits prior to starting the program for educational purposes.

Do: Consult with your family and pediatrician.

Food Immunotherapy Candidates

Food immunotherapy (IT) is suitable for individuals with anaphylactic food allergies, such as those with anaphylactic reactions to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, or soy.

Eligibility for OIT is assessed on a case-by-case basis, considering factors like blood test results (i.e., specific IgE testing), the patient’s age, reaction severity, and the ability to adhere to the protocols.

Food Allergy Immunotherapy

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Food immunotherapy (oral immunotherapy and sublingual immunotherapy) common?

Food immunotherapy is increasingly recognized as an effective treatment for food allergies, and its popularity is growing among allergists and patients alike.

Is Food Immunotherapy safe?

Food immunotherapy is safe when administered under the supervision of a qualified allergist or trained nurse practitioner. Systemic and anaphylactic allergic reactions may occur, but they are uncommon and typically easily treated at home without going to the ED. Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) is a less aggressive form of food immunotherapy than Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) and carries less risk of allergic reactions. It is uncommon that a child will have an anaphylactic reaction caused by food immunotherapy.

Does Food Immunotherapy cure food allergies?

Some patients will develop the ability to eat freely and demonstrate "sustained unresponsiveness" to foods they were previously allergic to. In others, it may only increase the reaction threshold (the amount of allergen that a patient can consume with no allergic reaction) and reduce the severity of reactions.

How much does Food immunotherapy cost?

The cost of food immunotherapy can vary depending on individual factors and treatment duration. During your consultation, we will provide detailed information about the treatment costs.

Will my insurance cover Oral Immunotherapy?

In general, commercial and government insurance providers do not cover the costs of food immunotherapy.

Take Control

Schedule a consultation today

You don’t have to let allergies, asthma or immune system issues dictate your life. With the specialists at Modena Allergy + Asthma by your side, you can get back to living your best life.

9850 Genesee Ave Suite 710, La Jolla, CA 92037

Food Immunotherapy / Oral Immunotherapy At Modena Allergy + Asthma in San Diego, CA