Allergy Shots Falls Church VA
At least 10 percent of Americans suffer from ongoing symptoms of allergies. For many people the symptoms can accumulate to six to eight weeks (or more) of discomfort every year. Medication is not always effective, and there are often unpleasant side effects. Couple in the lost time from work or school and the inability to enjoy daily activities, most allergy sufferers will look for a long term solution. Allergy shots from an allergist, like an allergist in Washington, DC from Black & Kletz Allergy, may be an ideal option.
Allergy shots are made from natural allergens. What you are injected with will be solely dependent on the results of your skin tests, or other allergy tests. The solution is custom made an allergist and could be altered as time goes by. Allergy shots in Falls Church VA are usually injected into the upper arm. The objective of the treatment is to encourage the body to produce new antibodies which block the symptoms of the allergies. In other words, similar to common vaccines, the allergy shots a clinic provides will promote the body to build a resistance to the allergens.
The results are not immediate. Rather, the treatment can take between six and nine months before a patient will notice a difference. After this period of time, the injections may need to be continued for another one to five years depending on the circumstances. In general, a patient will have to undergo a skin test, and perhaps other tests, before allergy shots can be administered.
Who May Be an Candidate for Allergy Shots
Not everyone will be an ideal candidate for allergy shots. Before you decide this treatment is for you, you should meet some of the following requirements:
- You are unable to control your symptoms with allergy medications
- You experience undesirable side effects from the medications
- You don’t want to continue taking medications
- You have allergies to things that cannot be avoided; such as dust mites
- You have severe reactions to stinging insects
- You are losing a lot of money from having to take time off work because of allergies
- You want a long term solution
Sometimes allergy shots will be recommended to people who have asthma as they can reduce the need for asthmatic medications and improve breathing capacity. Certain skin conditions can also be treated with allergy shots allergists have to offer. People with food allergies and allergies that are life threatening may not be good candidates for the treatment. If you would like to learn more about allergy shots, please call a clinic to schedule a consultation and a skin test.