Oral Immunotherapy

Red and white Pill with O I T letters

What is Oral Immunotherapy?

Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) is having a patient ingest increasing doses of their allergen to desensitize their immune system, training their immune system to not react to the problem food. OIT typically starts with a patient ingesting very small doses of their particular food allergen under medical supervision. These doses are increased, then increased again, and so on, until a small, tolerated dose is reached that can be taken at home each day. Every one to several weeks, the daily dose is increased, until a maintenance dose is reached that is consumed each day for months or years. Typical OIT doses of food protein are measured in milligrams or grams.

S.A.F.E

(Step-wise Allergic Food Exposure)

Our Mission

With S.A.F.E. (Step-wise Allergic Food Exposure), we want to empower individuals with food allergies to live safer and less restricted lives. We aim to achieve this through a medically supervised Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) program, designed to gradually increase the patient’s tolerance to specific food allergens. Our commitment is to patient safety, continuous care, and fostering a supportive environment throughout the journey.

Our Goal

The S.A.F.E. program aims to provide a structured, medically supervised approach to Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) for individuals with food allergies. The goal is to increase the threshold that triggers an allergic reaction, thereby reducing the risk of severe reactions due to accidental exposure. 

  • Patient Safety: Ensure the safety of patients throughout the program by providing medical supervision during the initial dosing and through the up dosing and maintenance phase. 
  • Desensitization: Gradually increasing the patient’s tolerance to specific food allergens. 
  • Maintenance: Help patients reach a maintenance dose of their allergen and continue to ingest that every day for at least one year. Thereafter, determine if less frequent dosing is appropriate. 

Important things to Consider

  • Patients MUST have an up-to-date EpiPen Autoinjector at ALL times
  • Patients MUST take their Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) dose EVERYDAY
  • Patients are not allowed to increase OIT dosage without Doctors approval. This could cause removal from the program
  • Patients can not change the OIT Food dose type without consulting with a provider
  • OIT doses must be ingested with accompanied food
  • Patients can not exercise or have hot water exposure 1 hour prior to OIT dosage or 3 hours after OIT dosage
  • Patients are recommended to not take OIT dosage prior to sleep
  • OIT is not a cure, and patients must maintain awareness of their respective allergies

Expected Outcomes

While OIT does not cure food allergies, it can increase the threshold that triggers a reaction, potentially preventing a severe allergic reaction in the event of accidental exposure or cross-contamination. 

Please note that the effectiveness of OIT can vary depending on the individual and the specific food allergen.  

To receive additional information about the S.A.F.E program and to be added to the waitlist for a Virtual Consultation please “click” on survey link below. Please fill out each question as best as possible, and our coordinator will contact you to get started.

OIT SURVEY

S.A.F.E. (Step-wise Allergic Food Exposure) is a program that uses Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) to help individuals with food allergies. The goal is to increase the threshold that triggers an allergic reaction, reducing the risk of severe reactions due to accidental exposure.

Eligibility is determined through positive skin tests, blood tests, and/or food challenges. It’s important to consult with a healthcare professional to determine if the S.A.F.E. program is right for you. 

The program involves initial dosing, up dosing, and maintenance phases. Patients start by ingesting very small quantities of the food allergen under medical supervision. The dose is gradually increased over time until a maintenance dose is reached.

No, the S.A.F.E. program is not a cure. While it can increase the threshold that triggers a reaction, it doesn’t eliminate the allergy. Patients may still need to avoid the allergen in their regular diet.

The main benefit of the S.A.F.E. program is that it can help desensitize the patient to their specific allergens. This can prevent a severe allergic reaction in case of accidental exposure or cross-contamination.

Some of the cost of the S.A.F.E. will be covered by your insurance, e.g. initial evaluation, day 1 start and up–dosing visits.  However, other components of the program, e.g. food preparation, after-hours availability, and materials, will be covered through a program fee

The total cost of the S.A.F.E program is $4500. The amount is divided into 4 installments:  

Enrollment Fee  $2000 
Day 1-Initiation  $1000 
Completion of Up-dosing phase (maintenance)  $1000 
6-month follow-up after achieving maintenance  $500 
Total  $4500 

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Additional foods: $2500 (enrollment fee is waived) 

  • Peanuts
  • Eggs
  • Wheat
  • Soy
  • Milk
  • Tree Nuts
  • Seeds – Sesame, Sunflower

These foods were chosen because they are among the most common food allergens. Our goal is to help individuals with allergies to these foods increase their tolerance and reduce the risk of severe reactions due to accidental exposure.