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Oral Immunotherapy Food Allergy

Allergy and Asthma Specialists of Greater Washington Our Services Food Allergy Immunotherapy

Allergy and Asthma Specialists of Greater Washington

Allergy and Asthma Specialists located in Winchester, VA & Chantilly, VA

Oral Immunotherapy

Frequently Asked Questions

What is OIT?

OIT stands for “Oral immunotherapy” or oral desensitization for food allergies. OIT is a medical treatment guided by a board-certified allergist with a payoff of lifetime freedom from food fear and stress.  The immune system is re-trained to tolerate food proteins/allergens through regular eating of small amounts of food.

OIT has been studied in clinical trials for well over a decade and traces back even to medieval times when kings would ingest tiny bits of arsenic to protect themselves from being poisoned. Allergy shots are a form of immunotherapy and desensitization called SCIT or subcutaneous immunotherapy. Allergy shots have been used for over 100 years (since 1911) with a strong track record of safely desensitizing people from environmental allergies.

OIT has an 85+% success rate in clinical trials. Patients must have a documented Ige-mediated food allergy. Two contraindications are a previous history of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) or uncontrolled asthma (asthma must be brought under control before OIT begins). The allergist must also be sure you can take the protocol as seriously as it needs. Please contact our office to find out more details regarding a specific protocol and insurance coverage. 84% of patients also have had insurance coverage for this treatment.

The key to understanding OIT is that there is low level of allergen an allergic person can safely eat without a reaction. It’s invisible to the body. Then it’s raised slightly, and the body still doesn’t react. The “threshold of tolerance” is gradually increased over time. The immune and digestive systems adapt, as they are meant to do.

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What is Oral Immunotherapy? 

Oral Immunotherapy is a medical treatment, carried out by a board of certified allergists, to help people with their food-related allergies. A patient, who experiences this therapy, could find results in a decrease or ELIMINATION of their allergy to food.

 The Treatment Process

The patient's first day of treatment consists of consuming a minimum amount of their specific allergen, spread throughout a day. Over the course of time, the doctor will increase the dosage which in return increases the patient's "threshold of tolerance." The patient's tolerance slowly will increase, until their immune system adapts to their allergy.

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