Anyone get allergy shots/immunotherapy?

[Xad]

Anyone here get allergy shots for their allergies? I think its called immunotherapy and also hypersensitisation.

If so can you please post some info about your experience with this treatment? As in how you started it, who gives the shots, where you get it from (Gp or hospital), how much you pay if anything, how its affected your allergies etc etc.

I suffer from many allergies so pretty much have allergic traits all year round and only recently i read about allergy shots.

Any info would be appreciated.

[Roach-Rampino]

You have my sincere sympathy, for as a boy I suffered from quite a few allergies, fortunately I seem to have grown out of them as I have got older.

There was a hayfever based discussion on here last year

http://www.digital-forums.com/showth...hlight=KENALOG

A few of us mentioned the Kenalog steroid jab, which may be the one you are thinking about. It is a heavy dose of steroids and for the doctor to have to warn you of the side effects of the jab before administering it, gives you a fair indication of it's potential to cause harm. This said, it really did work for me but I didn't want to use it as a long term solution.

The nurse at the GP's would give it to me, it was the price of a normal prescription. The GP writes the prescription, you go and get it from the chemist and then make an appointment for the nurse to jab it in your bum cheek (intromuscular).

Something I have been wondering recently is if hypnotherapy works on allergy sufferers?

[jonathant]

I've had the kenalog injection in the past and it is really good at stopping hayfever. However you feel a bit ill for about a week after it, the nurse at the doctors surgery usually gives the injection.

[wtaylor]

I had a really bad hayfever uptill a couple of years ago and had a jab off the nurse in the local GP, not sure if it was the kenalog injection because he never gave me any warning and I felt fine afterwards, well apart from the embarrasment of the nurse wobbling my arse cheek and telling me to relax
Since then I have been able to skip gayley through any fields I wish with no probs

[Xad]

I've read a little about kenalog and it seems theres a lot of side affects to it. I think its different to the thing i was looking at though - would i be correct in saying kenalog is different to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyposensitization (immunotherapy/hyposensitisation).

Immunotherapy, the one i was researching on, seems to use minute amounts of commercial allergen extracts, which are slowly increased so that the body adapts. I don't think it requires any kind of corticosteroids to be injected into the body.

Anyone know about this kind of allergy shots? Also, i read a little about this method being being improved - instead of allergy injections, people can put a pill under the tongue, i don't know whether it was still be developed though.

[Roach-Rampino]

On the advice of a friend, I am currently taking bee pollen everyday in an attempt to build a resistance for my hayfever. I just sprinkle about a teaspoonful on my cereal (with soya milk of course) and it doesn't really taste of anything. As time goes by I am increasing the amount until I am taking the advised dosage (advised dosage is one tablespoonful).

What is it that you are allergic too?

[Xad]

I'm allergic to dust mites, pollen, cat/dog fur, and probably other things. I remember being test for 6 things, can't remember what the others were.

Is the bee pollen working for you? I just copied this extract from answers.com:

Pollen is sold as a nutritional supplement, marketed as "bee pollen" (even though it is of course from flowers). There is doubt amongst conventional practitioners that taking pollen has any biological effect, although may possibly cause allergic reactions in sensitive people.

I think one of the main possible side affects of the immunotherapy i'm talking about (allergen extract shots), is that its possible that it could cause asthma - and thats the last thing i need.

I'm also have bad reactions to hot/humid places at times (prickly heat), like for exapmle in a hot room . I itch like crazy, pills i take hardly ever work so i always have to avoid hot places as when this reaction sets off, its such a crazy and unfomfortable itch all around the body - way more intense than the normal itching.

[cassy34]

MY wife and Daughter have just started having NAET treatments for allergies. It's a combination of Kineseology and Accupressure to re-program the brain into accepting the allergen to be non threatening.

I should point out that I thought this was a complete pile of bollocks until I experienced it myself (I'm acting as a surrogate for my daughter as she's only 18 months old).

Anyway, this should provide a complete cure to any allergies you have. If you want any more info, pm me.

[Xad]

MY wife and Daughter have just started having NAET treatments for allergies. It's a combination of Kineseology and Accupressure to re-program the brain into accepting the allergen to be non threatening.

I should point out that I thought this was a complete pile of bollocks until I experienced it myself (I'm acting as a surrogate for my daughter as she's only 18 months old).

Anyway, this should provide a complete cure to any allergies you have. If you want any more info, pm me.

Wow, i haven't heard of this treatment before. Hope you can help me with these questions:

1. What allergies do/did you have?
2. Has it cured you of your allergies?
3. How many times did you have to receive the treatment before your allergies got cleared up (if they're cured)?
4. Where do i get this treatment from? Do i go to some kind of specialist, or should i ask my Dr. about it?
5. How much does this treatment cost?
6. Any other info...


Thanks

[scooobydont]

I have a serious nut allergy. Been in hospital a few times with it. Anaphalactic shock (spelt wrong probaby,lol). Been to the local GP everytime it has happened and been told to carry a piriton tablet.

Every time I end up in hospital they tell me to get an adrenelin pen, but the GP at the local doesn't think my condition is serious enough!!

Can't eat half the things that I want too!!!

[cassy34]

1. What allergies do/did you have?

I don't know what allergies I have myself as I haven't been tested. I am acting as a surrogate for my daughter. She has a milk allergy (probably lactose). The testing method involved kineseology. Basically I was lying on a couch with my right arm by my side palm facing upwards. The therapist then asked me to raise my left arm with my palm facing outwards and my thumb pointing to my feet. She then asked me to resist her trying to push my arm down. This was repeated about a dozen times so I knew how much she was going to push and how much I needed to resist. Then the testing began.

The intital testing stage is looking for problems with basic elements. Things like calcium, iron, Vitamin B, Vitamin A, sugars, milk mix, egg mix. There are 10 things that are tested for and need to be cured before any specific allergies can be treated.

The testing involved my wife grabbing my daugter by skin to skin contact and then holding on to my leg, also skin to skin. The therapist placed a glass vial containing something (we weren't told what was in them until the testing was finished) in my right hand and then pushed on my left arm and I resisted, no problems. This carried on for about 6 others. With the next one, a soon as she put the vial in my hand I felt very different. When I raised my left arm in the air it felt like more of an effort and sure enough she pushed it straight down, I really couldn't do much about it. It was a very strange experience. The remaining things were fine so it wasn't that I was getting tired or anything like that. We found out the one that had proved positive was sugars. She then tested a few other common allergies of which wheat, gluten and grains all gave positive results.

2. Has it cured you of your allergies?

We went for the first session to clear the allergies on Saturday. She tested again for sugars with the same result. The treatment was done with accupressure down my back with me breathing in and out and panting as requested whilst I was holding the allergen and my wife holding on to me and my daughter. Very straight forward, no pain, no discomfort. I was then tested again and all was fine, I could resist the push without a problem. My daughter and I were then left in the room for 20 mins. I had to keep a skin to skin contact with her whilst still holding the allergen (not easy!). After that, we could go home. The stipulation being that my daughter could not be within 15 feet of the allergen that had just been treated for the next 6 hours ( the bad news is it's 25 hours for adults). Fortunately we knew that and had arranged to be the last appointment so we could put her to bed as soon as we got home. She had her first drink of milk on Sunday and so far no rash has appeared, but it is still early

3. How many times did you have to receive the treatment before your allergies got cleared up (if they're cured)?

We'll know next Saturday if the treatment was successful. The therapist did say that most people were clearing first time, so fingers crossed. My wife has 4 of the initial 10 to clear, my daughter only had one so hopefully that's sorted and we can move onto more specific things. The initial 10 have to be cleared in a specific order and timeframe (1 per week) and there's not a lot of flexibility (1 day either side)

4. Where do i get this treatment from? Do i go to some kind of specialist, or should i ask my Dr. about it?

I think the website www.naet.com has a list of practitioners in the country or you could pm your location and I'll ask our therapist.

5. How much does this treatment cost?

At our therapist, the initial testing was £65 as that takes the most time. Each subsequent session costs £35

6. Any other info...

Hopefully that covers most of it. The therapist we use is Micki Rose, www.purehealthclinic.com. She told me that she's had some amazing results with this. Her background is very scientific, she has a degeree in Biochemistry and is a nutritional advisor (Think Gillian McKeith but with proper qualifications). She was telling me of a teenager with asperger's that is being treated. Her mother says that she's a different person now, much calmer and balanced. On www.naet.com there are lots of case studies and testimonials. Lots of nut allergies being sorted (could be of interest to scoobydont)

I'll keep you posted as to how things are going and if you need any other info, I'll be happy to answer or ask Micki if I can't.

[Xad]

Many thanks for all the info, keep us updated on how it goes.

The thing with me is that i find it difficult to avoid allergens since i'm allergic to a lot of stuff, i.e dust, pollen, pets etc - so i probably can't fulfil that 25 hour period unless i'm in some kind of very clean dust free room.

I have to say though, the whole process sounds somewhat sus to me and i'm skeptical. I wish i could find some unbiased reviews and research which wasn't on sites that were actually providing naet services (but instead were independent of any promotion) - but i couldn't find any.

Look forward to hearing more about this.

[Xad]

cassy34,
hows the treatment going? Some time's passed, so i was wondering if we could get an update on the effectiveness of the treatment - thanks

[cassy34]

OK, here's the update.

The treatment on my daughter has finished. As well as testing positive to sugars, she also tested positive to a combination of milk and wheat. We have been giving her milk and wheat for about 3 weeks now and all is well. No rash has appeared and she has stopped scratching herself (something she has done pretty much from birth). We're delighted with the results.

We have been given instruction on how to self-treat at home (something which can be done once the fundamental problems have been cleared).

It's something I'd definitely recommend considering.

In total it has cost £165 for the treatment for my daughter. My wife's treatment is still ongoing.

[Xad]

Very good to hear. What allergies does your wife have? Keep us updated on how her treatment goes if possible.

[cassy34]

So far she has been treated for Calcium and Minerals. These are part of the basic 10 groups. On her next appointment, she will be checked to make sure that she has cleared minerals. When she has cleared all 10 groups, she will be tested again for common allergies like pollen, dust, fabrics, alcohol (she has a problem with cheap wine ), that will be a fairly extensive list including things she suspects may be a problem. I'm not sure how things like dust and pollen can be treated, it may involve wearing a mask for 25 hours. For the minerals, she had to wear gloves for the period.

The therapist has bought a new device that she can use for testing. It's basically a rubber bulb that you squeeze with a dial that gives a reading. If you're in contact with an allergen, then you can't squeeze as hard (it was about 40 percent lower in my wife's case). This makes the testing process a lot quicker, so more can be done in the time available. I'm not sure when the next session is but I'll keep you updated.

[Xad]

So far she has been treated for Calcium and Minerals. These are part of the basic 10 groups. On her next appointment, she will be checked to make sure that she has cleared minerals. When she has cleared all 10 groups, she will be tested again for common allergies like pollen, dust, fabrics, alcohol (she has a problem with cheap wine ), that will be a fairly extensive list including things she suspects may be a problem. I'm not sure how things like dust and pollen can be treated, it may involve wearing a mask for 25 hours. For the minerals, she had to wear gloves for the period.

The therapist has bought a new device that she can use for testing. It's basically a rubber bulb that you squeeze with a dial that gives a reading. If you're in contact with an allergen, then you can't squeeze as hard (it was about 40 percent lower in my wife's case). This makes the testing process a lot quicker, so more can be done in the time available. I'm not sure when the next session is but I'll keep you updated.

Hello again

It's been a while now so i was curious as to how the treatments been going. Has it been effective and stuff? Update please

Thanks

[cassy34]

Xad, sorry for the lack of updates.

My wife has finished the treatment now. She has cleared all of the basic groups and can now treat herself at home for any specific allergies. Unfortunately, for some reason, she hasn't done this. I'm trying to get her to treat for wine (this always sets her nose streaming). I'll nag her to do it in the next couple of weeks and let you know how it goes.

My daughter is now completely fine. We can give her bread and milk in any quantity or derivative without it causing her any problems. No more rashes, no more scratching.

As for cost, it was around £250 for my wife and £200 for my daughter.

[Xad]

Xad, sorry for the lack of updates.

My wife has finished the treatment now. She has cleared all of the basic groups and can now treat herself at home for any specific allergies. Unfortunately, for some reason, she hasn't done this. I'm trying to get her to treat for wine (this always sets her nose streaming). I'll nag her to do it in the next couple of weeks and let you know how it goes.

My daughter is now completely fine. We can give her bread and milk in any quantity or derivative without it causing her any problems. No more rashes, no more scratching.

As for cost, it was around £250 for my wife and £200 for my daughter.

Was your wife allergic to anything else, for example dust mites (my biggest enermy), or was it just wine? Has she noticed any difference in her own health in terms of allergies?

[Xad]

Hi, any possibility of an update. Now that its been a while, have your family members shown improvements? Are they cured?