Low Dose Immunotherapy

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Low Dose Immunotherapy

_http://www.food-allergy.org/epd.html_

(http://www.food-allergy.org/epd.html)

 

Low dose immunotherapy is a method of treating food and environmental

allergies. The original form of low dose immunotherapy, enzyme potentiated

desensitization (EPD), was developed in England in the 1960’s. While trying

to

eliminate nasal polyps by injecting them with the enzyme hyaluronidase, Dr.

S. Popper serendipitously discovered that patients’ pollen allergies were

eliminated, although their nasal polyps remained. Further research showed

that an enzyme which was a contaminant the hyaluronidase,

beta-glucuronidase, plus extremely low doses of allergens, was responsible for

the

desensitization. After Dr. Popper’s untimely death, Dr. Leonard McEwen

developed

injections of very low doses of allergens combined with the enzyme

beta-glucuronidase (an enzyme normally present in the human body) and called

the shots

EPD.

EPD was administered in the United States for several years under an

Investigational Review Board (IRB) study. The IRB study showed that EPD was

extremely safe (safer than **conventional** allergy shots) and effective for

nearly 80% of the people treated for most allergic conditions. When the IRB

expired, application needed to be made with the FDA for Investigational New

Drug (IND) status for EPD. The IND application was not submitted soon

enough, so in 2001 the FDA **shut down** EPD. Difficulties plagued the

initiation of an IND trial, so an American-made injection was developed and was

called Low Dose Allergens (LDA). In addition to the common allergens in EPD,

LDA contains uniquely American antigens which are not present in EPD such

as cottonwood, sage, mountain juniper, some New World evergreens, American

perfumes, **new** foods such as avocado, etc. In my own personal experience,

LDA has been more effective than EPD, especially for chemical

sensitivities such as to perfume, possibly because it is designed to **fit**

the

allergic exposures Americans experience rather than the exposures that the

British experience.

Low dose immunotherapy (both EPD and LDA) is effective for inhalant

allergies, food allergies and intolerances, and chemical sensitivities. Because

all of the patient*s problems are being treated at once, a great improvement

in general health should occur. Some of the conditions that have been

successfully treated with low dose immunotherapy include hay fever, asthma,

urticaria (hives), eczema, angioedema, anaphylaxis, food allergies,

preservative allergies, chemical sensitivities, ADHD (attention deficit

hyperactivity

disorder), autism, Tourette’s syndrome, irritable bowel disorders, Crohn’

s disease, ulcerative colitis, migraine and other headaches, rheumatoid

arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and systemic lupus erythmatosis.{1}

Because low dose immunotherapy **exploits** a natural phenomenon, it can

be diverted by high-dose exposures to allergens at the time of the

injection, medications, etc. Therefore, patients must exercise strict control

of

their environmental and dietary exposures to allergens as well as avoiding

many medications at the time of their treatments. For this reason, low dose

immunotherapy has the reputation of being somewhat of an ordeal to go

through. Indeed, it does involve much participation on the part of the patient.

If

simple dietary manipulation is sufficient to restore your health, you may

not want to take low dose immunotherapy. However, since my food allergies

progressed to the point that diet was no longer sufficient help, I opted for

low dose immunotherapy, which I find much less inconvenient than continual

poor health.

Low dose immunotherapy injections are usually taken at two month intervals

initially. As the patient progresses, the interval between injections is

gradually extended until they are taken at yearly intervals after several

years. Some patients may even be able to stop treatment for extended periods

of time without their allergy symptoms returning. Other patients have taken

injections 1 to 4 times a year for up to 20 years. Most patients can

either go a long time between injections or stop entirely after about 16 to 18

injections.{2} For severe food allergies, 6 to 12 doses or 1 to 2 years of

treatment may be necessary before good results are achieved. However, the

patient should notice some improvement within the first three doses.{3} If no

improvement is noted, factors which may be interfering should be

considered. The most common problem when low dose immunotherapy does not work is

intestinal dysbiosis.{4} (For more about this problem, _click here)_

(http://www.food-allergy.org/root3.html) . Low dose immunotherapy helps 70-80%

of the

people treated, although some patients may go through a period of feeling

worse before they feel better in the course of their treatment. About 60%

of patients have a good response to the first injection.{5}

If you elect to receive LDA treatment, your doctor should give you a copy

of the Patient Instruction Booklet, commonly called the **pink book,**

which explains all the **rules** about what must be avoided and done at the

time of your injections. Because the low dose immunotherapy diet is quite

limited and the organizational effort of preparing for your first shot may seem

overwhelming, you may also wish to get a copy of _The Low Dose

Immunotherapy Handbook _ (http://www.food-allergy.org/ldihbook.html) to help

you.

In my opinion, low dose immunotherapy comes closer to a **cure** for food

allergies than any other treatment, and for some people really is the

cure. However, for those of us with severe food allergies and especially with

dysbiosis, the road to health may not always be smooth and dysbiosis and

other interfering factors may be challenging to correct. For more about my and

my son*s experiences with low dose immunotherapy, __

(http://www.food-allergy.org/story.html)

Footnotes:

1. Shrader, W. A. Jr., M.D. Enzyme Potentiated Desensitzation: American

EPD Society Patient Instruction Booklet, American EPD Society, 141 Paseo de

Peralta, Suite A, Santa Fe, MN 87501, 1997, p. 3.

2. Ibid, p. 2.

3. Ibid, p. 5.

4. Ibid, p. 7.

5. Ibid, p. 5-6.

 

The information on this page is abridged from

_The Low Dose Immunotherapy Handbook_

(http://www.food-allergy.org/ldihbook.html) ($9.95, eBook $6) © 2003 and_

The Ultimate Food Allergy Cookbook and Survival Guide_

(http://www.food-allergy.org/ufabook.html) ($24.95, eBook $13) © 2007

 

For more information about these books, click on the book's title above.