Immunotherapy for Allergies: Training Your Kid's Immune System

Nearly a third of American kids have allergies, and many have more than one, according to data from the CDC. Allergies and their symptoms aren’t just annoying. For kids, allergies can interfere with lots of normal, day-to-day activities, including sleeping, eating, doing schoolwork, and just playing with friends. 

Some allergies can cause serious and even life-threatening complications. While mild to moderate allergies may be controlled with medication and avoidance techniques, kids with persistent, pervasive, or severe allergies often benefit from a cutting-edge treatment called immunotherapy. 

In this post, Jag Ambwani, MD, FAAP, Dolly Ubhrani, MD, April Mieswinkel, NP, Richard Lam, FNP, Gabrielle Yates, CPNP-PC, Audrey M. Merrill, MD, and the team at One World Pediatrics explain how immunotherapy treatment works and how to tell if it’s a good choice for your child’s allergies.

Allergies 101

Your immune system is designed to react when germs enter your body, sending out special chemicals to combat and destroy those germs before they cause an infection. In an allergic reaction, your immune system is reacting but instead of targeting “bad” germs, it targets other substances, like dust or mold spores that it recognizes as threats to your health.

Specifically, the immune system reacts with a series of maneuvers, sending out special germ-fighting agents that wind up causing allergic symptoms, like sneezing, wheezing, rashes, or breathing difficulties, instead. Allergic reactions can range from relatively mild to severe and life-threatening, particularly when an allergic reaction causes the airway to swell.

For some kids, especially those with occasional, mild symptoms, over-the-counter or prescription allergy medicines help control the abnormal immune response, relieving symptoms and preventing complications. While these products may provide temporary relief, they don’t correct the underlying abnormal response that causes symptoms in the first place. 

That’s where immunotherapy comes in.

How allergy immunotherapy works

Allergy immunotherapy is a preventive treatment that works by slowly exposing your child’s immune system to substances that trigger allergic reactions. That might sound counterintuitive, but the idea is that over time, the immune system begins to recognize substances as harmless, and over time, your child will build an immunity that prevents the allergic reaction from happening.

At our practice, we use a series of allergy shots to provide controlled exposure to your child’s triggers. Each shot includes a very tiny amount of the substance, gradually building your child’s tolerance over time.

By providing repeated exposure, immunotherapy effectively “trains” your child’s immune system to recognize the allergen as benign, short-circuiting the allergic response and symptoms. While immunotherapy isn’t a “cure” for allergies, by reducing your child’s sensitivity to the allergen, allergic reactions become far less frequent and far less severe.

Learn more about allergy immunotherapy

Immunotherapy can provide important relief for kids with severe allergies, allergies that don’t respond well to other treatments, and allergies that can’t be avoided, like an allergy to dust mites or pet dander. Each immunotherapy regimen is tailored to your child’s specific needs, evolving over time for the most effective results.

To learn more about immunotherapy and how it can help manage your child’s allergies, request an appointment online or over the phone with the team at One World Pediatrics in Longwood and Apopka, Florida, today.