Allergy shots & rosacea

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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!

[Guest guest]

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!

>

> --------------------------------------------------------

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>

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[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

<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

[Guest guest]

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@...

[Guest guest]

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