We EAT our Allergies! Food Oral Immunotherapy (FOIT)

Have you heard of Food Oral Immunotherapy (FOIT)?  It is desensitizing a patient to a food to which they were formerly allergic, typically anaphylaxis.  Anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening allergy with symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, swelling of the throat or tongue, flushing, hives, dizziness, and loss of consciousness.

The goal of FOIT is for a patient to survive accidental exposure and lessen the life-threatening reaction.  In some cases, patients can resume eating the food without concern, but this is neither the primary goal nor the common outcome.

FOIT is designed to start eating allergenic food at a level below the allergic threshold and increase the dose and exposure regularly and often.

The most common food allergies are peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, milk, shellfish, fish, egg and sesame.  Most of these can be tough to avoid and as an Allergist-Immunologist, I hear about accidental ingestion frequently.

If you have this issue, you should have an anaphylaxis action plan (essentially what you should do if you develop anaphylaxis), 2 epinephrine auto-injectors, and a medical alert bracelet that gives the phone number of a call center that can speak for you when you cannot.

If you would like to be tested for your allergies or believe you might be a good candidate for food oral immunotherapy, Dr. Cheng, Dr. Wendt and their staff at Relieve Allergy, Asthma & Hives would love to help.  Dr. Wendt recently wrote a book, “What’s eating our kids:  A parent’s guide to food allergy, intolerance and toxicity,” which is available for purchase.

Relieve Allergy Asthma & Hives is located near Kierland Commons, Scottsdale Quarter, DC Ranch and Grayhawk at 21803 N. Scottsdale Road Ste. 200, on the corners of Deer Valley and Scottsdale Roads, and has convenient evening and early morning hours to accommodate your schedule.

Dr. Wendt is also available for telemedicine appointments as appropriate. Insurance plans accepted. Call 480-500-1902 today to schedule an appointment now and begin your allergy testing and treatment with Dr. Wendt at Relieve Allergy, Asthma & Hives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Learn more about Dr. Wendt and Relieve Allergy Asthma & Hives at www.relieveallergyaz.com and FOLLOW US on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Linked In.

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