Allergy Shots - What Age?

I started weekly allergy shots at 5 and continued until 12 or so. I did outgrow some of my inhaled and food allergies, but have also discovered some new ones since moving from IL to AZ. I'm currently on a program called Allergy Easy, which are drops you take under your tongue on a daily schedule. They work the same as shots, by desensitizing the body with progressively increasing doses of the allergens that you react to, but are so much easier. No needles, no having to run to weekly appointments, you get the bottles of drops and the schedule and follow it at home. I started mine shortly before my wedding and continued on my honeymoon with no trouble at all. This program has helped immensely with my allergies and I recommend it to everyone, especially children. Talk to your doctor about Allergy Easy drops and if they haven't heard of it, I would find a doctor that has. I get mine from my GP, who is a DO, not a specific allergist. Good luck!

My kids' experiences aren't as pertinent here as my own, I think.
I didn't start getting shots until I was an adult.
I had a similar set of allergies.
I think the shots helped.
I continued getting them for more than 20 years.
Finally stopped in my 40s or 50s.
These days I am (for the most part) free of allergic symptoms.
Haven't needed meds for asthma for many years.
I still take OTC meds for (what I call) itchy-drippy-sniffy,
which occurs from time to time.

I don't think the shots will fix it all.
However, since you appear to be pretty knowledgeable,
I presume you know how to allergy-proof your child's environment
as much as possible; also to attempt to avoid his specific allergens
in his daily life.

Please make sure he doesn't let his allergic symptoms
keep him from playing boisterously.
It's really easy for allergic kids to become couch potatoes,
which, imo, compounds the original problem.

If there are any Yoga for Kids classes in your area,
I highly recommend trying that with him.
The lessons in how to breathe deeply and fully
are extremely helpful.

Also, in order to get him through the first few sets of shots,
let him know that after the first few weeks,
they will be less frequent.
And that his projection of how much a shot may hurt
is almost always more upsetting than how much a shot actually hurts.
Sometimes, if the nurse is very good,
one does not feel the shot AT ALL.

Please give him a hug for me.
Thank you.

Hi N.---Would you be interested to know that shots do not really get to the basic reason for a body having allergies? They too, work by mitigating symptoms by desensitizing the immune system. I don't think it's any different than taking prescriptions or otc meds. What you really want to do is to balance the immune system and the first place to start doing that is through diet. The diet MUST consist primarily of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes/beans, nuts and seeds. Minimize animal protein and ELIMINATE dairy. It is highly allergenic. Please visit www.pcrm.org and type diary in the search box. Also visit www.thechinastudy.com.

Please understand that I am not suggesting that your son's diet is bad. But it may not be what it needs to be in order to keep that immune system balanced and not worried about things that shouldn't bother it. So, as important is an optimal diet, avoiding negative ingredients is important as well. Avoid HFCS, MSG, artificial colors, sweeteners and flavors and preservatives...basically anything you can't pronounce. I know that our gov't, through the pharmaceutical and agribusiness controlled FDA, tells us that all of these are 'generally recognized as safe', but what they don't know is what the combination of them might do in a vulnerable body. I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to take that chance.

Eating enough fruits and veg is hard to do, especially if you have health issues like severe allergies. The recommended amount is to eat 7-13 servings every day, and more with health issues. I have learned some great strategies to help get more fruits and veggies into the diet, and I would be happy to help you with that. Feel free to contact me and we can talk options.

BTW, I used to live in New Lenox. Moved back to Detroit area 5 yrs ago after nearly 10 years in IL. My 2 big kids graduated from Central. Also, a good friend of mine will be giving a health talk on nutrition and how it impacts our health in Tinley Park next week. Send me your personal email and I will send you the flyer if you are interested. I have great information to show how an improved diet WILL make a difference in your son's allergies. Anyway, these talks led me on my nutrition improvement journey and I am so thankful I was introduced to them. Made a difference in my kids allergies. Good luck and I hope we get the chance to 'meet'.
Take care...D. ###-###-####

My oldest started shots at 3. He was similar to your son with allergies to alot of trees, grasses, mold, etc. They helped him pretty quick (within a couple of months I think). We had to stop about 2 years into it because of other issues. I would do them again.