Does Allergy Immunotherapy Work?

    It has been one year since I started allergy shots (immunotherapy) for severe cedar, grass, and mold spore allergies.  I began a regimen of two shots a week, one set for the tree/grass pollen and one for the mold spores.  If you're not familiar with how allergy shots work, each shot contains a very small amount of the specific substance that triggers your allergic reactions. The amount is large enough to trigger an immune system response but hopefully small enough that it shouldn't trigger a full-blown allergic reaction (not usually the case for me).
Over time (a long time), your doctor increases the dose of allergens in each of your allergy shots. This helps get your body used to the allergens (desensitization) and helps your immune system to build up a tolerance with the goal that your allergy symptoms begin to diminish.   The best treatment for allergies is avoidance of the trigger but obviously with outdoor allergies avoidance is not a possibility, therefore many people turn to immunotherapy.
   Throughout the last year I have had a lot of people ask me if the allergy shots work or more accurately when will they start working for me.  That question is a difficult one to answer, the facts are that immunotherapy works about 75-85% of the time.  Is it working for me...YES! But it has taken the full year of treatment to even begin to see any difference and it does (or did for me) get worse before it gets better.  I am very thankful to say that after one year of treatment I am beginning to see a change.  This is NOT a miracle treatment, it's not an overnight fix!  However, it is worth the difficulties that come along with it when you begin to be able to live a normal life once again.  I'll go into the details of my year of treatment in the next post but I would highly recommend allergy immunotherapy if you are currently fighting a daily battle, trying to control what seem to be uncontrollable allergies. 
   Allergy shots are not right in every situation but here are some indicators that they might be right for you:

Should I Have Allergy Shots?

Maybe-- If you are allergic to an unavoidable plant, animal, or insect.
Maybe-- If you have to take large amounts of medicine to control your allergies but still have symptoms.
Maybe-- If your allergies are seriously affecting your daily life.
Maybe-- If you have lost days to fatigue and infection.
Maybe-- If you are willing to make a commitment of 3 to 5 years of year-round injections.          

The last paragraph of info found at this site: 
http://www.ccent.com/allergy-treatment-fresno-visalia-california.htm