The FDA has yet to approve oral immunotherapy for food allergies, but that isn’t stopping some allergy sufferers from doing it.
The treatment, known as oral immunotherapy, involves consuming tiny amounts of the trigger food, with gradual increases in dose. Over time, the immune system learns to react less vigorously to the allergen.
Because there’s not yet an FDA-approved version of this treatment, most medical providers don’t yet offer it.
Just four board-certified allergists offered oral immunotherapy for food allergies in 2010, but the number surpassed 100 by 2017, according to the website OIT 101.
