Guest guest Posted July 21, 2000 Report Share Posted July 21, 2000 JE, I have been getting weekly allergy shots for more than six years now. I had very severe allergies and choose to live with a cat, so I do everything humanly possible to straddle that line between physical health and emotional satisfaction. When I started the injections in 1994, I had no signs of cea. I do believe that if my allergies weren't under control (and they truly are) my cea would be worse. I certainly don't believe the immunotherapy would be contraindicated for ceans, but if anyone else has experience or opinions to the contrary, I'd be interested to hear them. Good Luck, Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 21, 2000 Report Share Posted July 21, 2000 I started going to an allergist because I thought an allergy might be aggravating this condition. I was tested for all sorts of things and told that yes, I am allergic to certain things and the doctor started me on shots. However, I have been assured by the allergist that rosacea is in no way an allergic response to anything eaten or airborne. From all the postings I've read, that statement seems to be contrary to peoples'individual experiences. My question is this: Will getting the shots improve the overall health of the immune system so that I can better fight off things that trigger a response in my skin or is it just a painful waste of time? I have been doing the shots for a year and am told I need to do it for 2 more years to have an effect. I don't have severe nasal allergies, only at certain times of the year. Am I barking up the wrong tree? Does anyone have experience with the shots? Thanks! JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 21, 2000 Report Share Posted July 21, 2000 On Fri, 21 Jul 2000 20:54:38 -0000 " J Eisner " writes: > My question is this: > > Will getting the shots improve the overall health of the immune > system so that I can better fight off things that trigger a response > in my skin or is it just a painful waste of time? I also received allergy shots. I had them for about 2 years and they didn't help my allergies at all. I have read several times that they help about 70% of the people who get them, unfortunately I must be part of the other 30%. I do still have a print out about allergy shots from a medical textbook. It says that " clinical effects, like the immunologic responses, are specific for the injected allergens only " , so I guess it would only help the immune system have less of a reaction to the specific allergans injected. It probably wouldn't help the immune system overall. The textbook also said " A beneficial response may or may not persist after treatment is stopped. " Pretty discouraging, but I do know two people who say getting the shots was beneficial for them. Also, I've read that people with autoimmune disorders need to avoid allergy shots because they do stimulate the immune system. I hope the allergy shots are beneficial for you. It's so frusterating to invest time and money in treatments that don't work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 22, 2000 Report Share Posted July 22, 2000 Hi, I had bad sinus allergies as a child. In my mid twenties I went to an allergist and went on shots for almost a year without results. But I did learn about what I was allergic to and to avoid exposure as much as possible. And your bedroom is very important. Vacuuming often and an air filter machine can help when you sleep.I started using bee pollen after the shots did not work. The raw bee pollen granules and about a tablespoonful daily. Well I did not see results for months, but about a year later my allergies were about 60% better. And now my allergies are manageable and my sense of smell has improved. Take care, Mark rdeyoung2@... wrote: > On Fri, 21 Jul 2000 20:54:38 -0000 " J Eisner " > writes: > > My question is this: > > > > Will getting the shots improve the overall health of the immune > > system so that I can better fight off things that trigger a response > > in my skin or is it just a painful waste of time? > > I also received allergy shots. I had them for about 2 years and they > didn't help my allergies at all. I have read several times that they > help about 70% of the people who get them, unfortunately I must be part > of the other 30%. I do still have a print out about allergy shots from a > medical textbook. It says that " clinical effects, like the immunologic > responses, are specific for the injected allergens only " , so I guess it > would only help the immune system have less of a reaction to the specific > allergans injected. It probably wouldn't help the immune system overall. > The textbook also said " A beneficial response may or may not persist > after treatment is stopped. " Pretty discouraging, but I do know two > people who say getting the shots was beneficial for them. > Also, I've read that people with autoimmune disorders need to avoid > allergy shots because they do stimulate the immune system. > I hope the allergy shots are beneficial for you. It's so frusterating to > invest time and money in treatments that don't work! > > -------------------------------------------------------- > Please read the list highlights thoroughly before posting to the whole group. see http://rosacea.ii.net/toc.html > > When replying, please delete all text at the end of your email that isn't necessary for your message. > > To leave the list send an email to rosacea-support-unsubscribeegroups Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 22, 2000 Report Share Posted July 22, 2000 Hi, Here's my take on the allergies/rosacea connection. I don't think that allergies necessarily " cause " rosacea. Although, if you spend enough time reading posts in this forum, you'll find that most people here (including myself) have a history of allergies. Instead, I think that when we rosaceans have an allergic reaction to something, because our bodies' response mechanism is somewhat compromised, we get a flare up of our rosacea. Here's a personal example. I've always suspected that I had some food allergies. After eating certain food, I might sneeze or feel stuffed up, but I didn't really worry about it. Now, if I eat a banana, within a few minutes, my nose will strat tingling, and I may have a few hive like bumps pop up on my nose. One more quick example. If I'm in an old building with air conditioning, not only will my eyes feel scratchy, but the skin on my face starts tingling. I'm sure it's an allergic reaction to all the mold,dust and whatever else is in those old A/C ducts. In my pre-rosacean days, I would have just had itchy eyes. Now however, I can feel it (and sometimes see it) on my face. When I was first diagnosed with rosacea,I did what many people have done, I eliminated a lot of stuff from my diet and ate very simply. In addition to helping my rosacea, I found that my nose was no longer as stuffed up as it normally was. So, back to your original question. I tried allergy shots when I was a kid, and they never worked for me. I guess it's worth a try, but I would suggest trying to modify your diet also. It's worked for me, and others in this support group. Good Luck! -Max Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 22, 2000 Report Share Posted July 22, 2000 <I don't have severe nasal allergies, only at certain times of the year. Am I barking up the wrong tree? Does anyone have experience with the shots?> I have a couple of friends who had the opposite affect from the shots. It permanently " locked in " their allergies instead of curing them. My own Doctor told me that this is a very real risk to allergy shots and suggested I try the Homeopathic approach instead. I heeded his advice and now I am over almost all food allergies and am working on the environmental allergies. I am glad I chose the natural approach. M Meadows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 23, 2000 Report Share Posted July 23, 2000 I believe 'allergy shots' is desensitisation therapy against a particular allergen. This is a procedure used by Immunology specialists to overload the immune system with a specific allergen in the hope that the immune system will in fact become desensitised to that specific allergen. This procedure can be slow, can have a low success rate and does trigger the allergic response with each 'shot', so that some people can not complete the treatment. However, it can be very effective for example the immunology specialist I worked with successfully desensitised himself and a number of other patients from hay fever allergies. He also attempted to desensitise another staff member from her particular allergies, which resulted in severe periodic migraines, but unfortunately she could not cope with the migraine attacks following each session and discontinued the treatment. Experienced specialist should only perform desensitisation, not all immunology specialists have experience with this technique and hence the success rate is even more variable. I don't believe that even successful desensitisation to the identified reactive allergen will cure rosacea. I believe that the immune system involvement is only one part of the whole rosacea picture. SydPath St s Hospital St Darlinghurst NSW 2010 Australia ph: 02 9361 2312 fax: 02 9361 2188 email: sydpath_qau@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 23, 2000 Report Share Posted July 23, 2000 Hi Lilian, I went to one the best allergist doctors in the area about 20 years ago. He explained the situation completely to all his patients before any tests or shots. I had very bad sinus allergies. The allergy shots started with a very small amount of the tested allergen. They are gradually increased in amount to stimulate a resistance to the allergen as a desensitization therapy. I was on shots for about ten months with no results so I discontinued. I remedied my sinus problems naturally. And since I completely remedied my skin problems, I can say there is no relationship between rosacea and allergies except they can becomes worse with rosacea flare ups because the immune system is now over worked in two areas. Over 70% of the immune system is located in and around the digestive system. When digestion is poor a cycle of an inability to assimilate the needed nutrients occurs and undigested food allows bacteria and candidia to multiply. The balance is broken and the immune system becomes over worked. Intolerance's and allergens can become worse. Improving digestion and supplying the proper nutrients has helped my health in all areas and I believe this is the answer many illnesses. Take care, Mark Lilian Milis wrote: > I believe 'allergy shots' is desensitisation therapy against a particular > allergen. This is a procedure used by Immunology specialists to overload > the immune system with a specific allergen in the hope that the immune > system will in fact become desensitised to that specific allergen. This > procedure can be slow, can have a low success rate and does trigger the > allergic response with each 'shot', so that some people can not complete > the treatment. However, it can be very effective for example the immunology > specialist I worked with successfully desensitised himself and a number of > other patients from hay fever allergies. He also attempted to desensitise > another staff member from her particular allergies, which resulted in > severe periodic migraines, but unfortunately she could not cope with the > migraine attacks following each session and discontinued the treatment. > Experienced specialist should only perform desensitisation, not all > immunology specialists have experience with this technique and hence the > success rate is even more variable. > I don't believe that even successful desensitisation to the identified > reactive allergen will cure rosacea. I believe that the immune system > involvement is only one part of the whole rosacea picture. > > SydPath > St s Hospital > St > Darlinghurst NSW 2010 > Australia > ph: 02 9361 2312 > fax: 02 9361 2188 > email: sydpath_qau@... > > -------------------------------------------------------- > Please read the list highlights thoroughly before posting to the whole group. see http://rosacea.ii.net/toc.html > > When replying, please delete all text at the end of your email that isn't necessary for your message. > > To leave the list send an email to rosacea-support-unsubscribeegroups Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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