Just as I speculated in my book, researchers are beginning to verify that oral immunotherapy treatments don't actually work very well, after all. How could they, when other research shows that antibodies to those proteins continue to be produced by the body, even though clinical symptoms seem to fade away. Recent research shows that with dairy sensitivity for example, the suppression of those symptoms is apparently only temporary, and most patients either continue to react, or resume reacting, as time passes.
Milk Allergy Therapy Needs More ResearchThe study included 32 children with milk allergies who were followed for three to five years after they completed the therapy. By the end of the original treatment, all but three of the children showed some improvement and were able to consume at least some milk.
Eight children remained symptom-free over the long term, 12 had frequent allergy symptoms when they drank milk and seven eventually stopped consuming milk or were limited to very small amounts. Six children suffered serious allergic reactions, the study authors said.
The trouble with medicine is that the focus is almost always on a "quick fix", rather than on a lasting solution. As a result, most therapies are approved without even considering long-term studies. That approach works pretty well for patching up a broken arm, but not so much for resolving complex issues such as food sensitivity problems.
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