Allergy Relief
In a holistic care plan, we address nutrient deficiencies, the gut microbiome, and boost detox pathways to give you relief from allergies. This process takes a few months and in some cases there is a desire for sooner relief from allergies. If this is you, read on to learn more about how Low Dose Allergen therapy can be beneficial.
What is Low Dose Allergen (LDA) therapy?
LDA is an extremely low dose allergy treatment using broad-based mixtures of allergens activated by the enzyme beta glucuronidase.
LDA is helpful to those with inhalant allergies, food allergies and sensitivities, chemical sensitivities and autoimmune disease. Some of these conditions included:
- Seasonal allergies
- Chronic sinusitis
- Asthma
- Chronic ear infections
- Eczema
- Migraines
- Brain fog
- Crohn’s Disease
- Chronic Fatigue
Instead of desensitizing or suppressing the immune system, LDA retrains it. It uses low, homeopathic doses of allergens to retrain the immune system to tolerate exposures to food, inhalant, and chemical substances. It does this by proliferating the normal regulation of T regulatory cells. T regulatory cells act as traffic cops of the immune system.
LDA involves adding hundreds of allergens (but at much lower doses, 1:1,000,000 than a regular allergy shot), to an enzyme (Beta-glucoronidase) to proliferate the T regulatory cells into the dermal layer of the skin. This triggers the immune system to increase regulation to hundreds of allergens vs desensitizing a few. This allows the natural regulation of the immune system to take over and stop allergy symptoms before they start.
LDA is given at such low doses that instead of picking and choosing what allergens need to be treated, the formula is broken down into 3 categories. Each category can be given at the same time, which if given together can regulate the immune system to over 600 different allergens at the same time.
- Foods – over 200 different foods
- Inhalants – over 200 inhalant allergies (Indoor, Outdoor, Mold, Animals, etc)
- Chemicals – over 200 chemicals (Perfumes, solvents, cleaning supplies, etc)
The treatment would occur in your doctor’s office. The same allergens can also be taken sublingually (orally) for similar benefit, however it works better as an injection, which is given intradermally, right under the skin, in the forearm.
When Should I Not Have LDA?
- During the first 3 days of any infection, including colds
- Within 2 weeks of getting or planning to get pregnant
- Following recent immunization
- WIthin 5 days of dental work or 2 weeks of planned dental work other than cleanings
How do I prepare for LDA?
- A special diet is recommended for the day before, day of, and day after the shot (the three critical days). Patients must avoid alcohol for 10 days after LDA.
- Those with yeast or candida infections would complete prep first with an anti-fungal.
- Those with a history of asthma, hives, anaphylaxis, autoimmune disease may also be advised to use prednisone prep.
- Certain medications would need to be stopped including: NSAIDs, anti-histamines, proton-pump inhibitors. Talk to your doctor about alternatives for the three critical days.
- More information on patient prep: http://drshrader.com/OfficeForms/LDADec2022PatientBookletComplete.pdf
What can I expect after a shot?
The most common side effect is a welt at the site of the injection. Do not use a bandaid on this to avoid contamination. It is a sign that you will have a good immune response to the allergens, and the treatment is working. It is temporary and typically goes away in 1-3 days. LDA is very safe and has been clinically proven to not cause anaphylactic reactions or deaths.
After the first injection, most feel better for 2-5 weeks. You must wait for at least 7-8 weeks to get the next shot. It may take as many as 6 injections to achieve sustained relief of symptoms. Once you feel well for a full 2 months between injections, the interval between injections will increase out to one annual shot.
Where can I learn more about LDA?
LDA was developed during the 1960s and 70s by Dr. Leonard McEwen in the UK. About 150 physicians employ LDA in the USA. Dr. Soni received her training from Dr. Schrader via the American Academy of Environmental Medicine. For more information view: http://drshrader.com/
Our goal is to help you enjoy the natural outdoors, and tolerate a variety of foods again. Call our office for next steps if LDA therapy is of interest to you.