Sublingual Immunotherapy: Treating the Problem, Not Just The Symptom
Monday, August 2nd, 2010
When you or your child are diagnosed with an allergy, you probably walk our of the doctor’s office with a prescription for an allergy medication. When you have an allergy reaction, you’re instructed to take the medication to treat the reaction. What if instead of treating the reaction, we treat the source: the body’s reaction to the allergen. Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) revolves around the idea that the body be trained not to be allergic to specific foods or substances.
Allergies are common in the majority of people, so it’s no surprise when you learn that someone you know is allergic to a specific food or medication. Over the counter medications are typically administered to treat the condition and flair ups. Isn’t this, in a sense, accepting the allergy as a life-sentence?
The most common treatment for allergies is avoidance. If someone is allergic to Penicillin, then they tell their doctor, and that medication isn’t prescribed and no reaction is present. Easy enough, right? But how about similarly common instances where the allergen is pollen, dust, or animals? With things that occur naturally like dust and pollen, it is very difficult to avoid these as they’re literally everywhere.
Sublingual immunotherapy is a treatment option in which a solution of drops, or tablets are placed under the tongue and absorbed into the immune system. There is also an injection method, however since the treatment needs to be taken several times a week, the under-tongue route is often more convenient as a medical professional needs to be present for injections.
The purpose of the therapy is not to treat the allergy itself, moreso to desensitize the body against allergens. It has the same idea as a flu shot; injecting the body with the flu so that the immune system knows how to fight it off. In the case of allergies, adverse reactions decrease as the body is desensitized.
Sublingual immunotherapy can be compared to the psychological “Exposure Treatment”, in which people who have phobias are exposed to small doses of whatever they fear in hopes that their tolerance is built up.
While over the counter medications are fine with treating the reaction itself, allergy immunotherapy is the only way in which the underlying problem can be addressed. Why just treat the reaction when you can reduce or eliminate the problem all together? When you have a toothache, you can take an over the counter medication to eliminate the pain, but the best thing to do is to treat the problem, what’s causing the ache?
What does this mean for Autism?
Food allergies are something that are often mentioned with cases of Autism. Specifically gluten and casein, both of which we’ve discussed several times here at New Autism Cure. A healthy diet is suggested, vitamin supplements are suggested, both which focus on fixing the problem [with the gut symptoms], rather than just treating it. Immunotherapy takes the same approach. Rather than focusing on medications and the newest big thing, it’s important that Autism is something that needs to be treated. The symptoms need to be treated, and not just masked by a daily dose of whatever medication is being prescribed.





As humans, we are always putting things into our bodies to get some kind of reaction. Whether its caffeine for stimulation, liquids for hydration, or fiber for regularity, we’re constantly aiming to have our bodies in the best, most healthy state. Even when we’re not at our best, we put medications inside of us to alleviate symptoms and kill viruses. In order to heal, the body needs to return to a balanced state, replenishing things its missing, and taking away the overkill of some other things.

