Do you have a child with a food allergy? If so, you may be wondering about oral immunotherapy, OIT. OIT is a therapy that can help children (and adults) to tolerate foods that they are allergic to. In this episode of the Food Allergy and Your Kiddo podcast, Dr. Alice Hoyt interviews her colleague and fellow OIT allergist Dr. Hugh Windom. They discuss all things OIT!
First things first: this episode has horrible sound quality, so Drs. Hoyt and Windom are planning to re-record soon. Be sure to submit your questions about OIT!
So what is OIT?
OIT is a treatment for IgE-mediated food allergies. OIT teaches the immune system to tolerate the allergen. The development of this tolerance happens over months to years.
Is OIT a cure for food allergies?
No. OIT does not erase the food allergy from the body. OIT teaches the body's immune tolerance to be stronger than the allergy.
Is OIT for food allergies of all types?
No. OIT is only for IgE-mediated food allergies.
Is OIT available in my area?
Check out this site to find an allergist offering OIT near you.
Tune in to this episode to learn MUCH more about food allergies and OIT!
Again, we are bummed about the sound quality, but the content is great. Hopefully it gets you thinking about questions we may not have answered! Send those questions our way!
Thanks for reading this post “The Allergists Talk Oral Immunotherapy – OIT – for Food Allergies.” Do you have any questions about food allergies? Reach out to me! And be sure to check out my other blog posts and podcast episodes about all things food allergy. Thanks for reading!
– Dr. Hoyt
P.S. Food allergy testing can be super confusing, so I've created this awesome ebook to clarify the facts from the fiction! Get your copy today!
Are you in need of an allergist in your area? Check out these allergist finder tools:
AAAAI Allergist Finder: https://allergist.aaaai.org/find/
ACAAI Allergist Finder: https://acaai.org/locate-an-allergist
Do you have food allergy questions? Have them answered by Dr. Alice Hoyt, Pam, and guests on the podcast!
Submit your questions HERE!
A note from Dr. Hoyt
I have talked about a non-profit…
Pam and I volunteer with the non-profit The Teal Schoolhouse. Its primary program is Code Ana. Code Ana equips schools for medical emergencies like anaphylaxis.
Code Ana’s Online Epinephrine Training Program helps support that goal. Through this program, you will educate yourself while you support this important mission!
A medical emergency response plan is important for everyone at any school. Code Ana's program Med-E Ready is a comprehensive approach to school-focused medical preparedness. This program guides schools through the process of creating a medical emergency response plan. A response team is also developed! This is one of the most important components of a school's food allergy policy!
Does your kiddo’s school have Code Ana?
You've just read Dr. Hoyt's post “The Allergists Talk Oral Immunotherapy – OIT – for Food Allergies.” Remember, she's an allergist, but she isn't your allergist, so talk with your allergist about what you've just learned!
