55% of Americans suffer from allergies. For some that means a trip twice a week to their doctor for allergy shots, but that may soon change. There's a new way doctors are treating allergies - with allergy drops.
This is great news for anyone who has to go through that process.
Dr. Tracy Orton uses them in his practice as an ENT physician with MMPC in Holland. "They can take the bottle home with them after the first drop in our office. They can give themselves one or two drops every day at home, so they don't have to come to our office and they don't have to spend the half-hour here after the shot."
And Dr. Orton says there's another benefit too. "You actually get up to maintenance faster with the drops. You can get there in three months."
The allergy drops are made out of the same serum as the shots which Dr. Orton says may someday replace shots. "It will become the standard of care for anyone who wants allergy treatment."
The drops are still awaiting full FDA approval which is expected this fall. Until then the drops are not covered by insurance. You can check with your doctor to see if they offer them as an alternative to the shots.
Another nice thing is that if you've got a vacation planned or you're a college student, you don't have to get to that appointment twice a week. You just pick up your bottle of drops and you're good for a month.
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