What is Oral Immunotherapy?

Oral immunotherapy refers to building immunity by giving pa­tients gradually increased quantities of extracts to drink. Still in research, oral immunotherapy should be distinguished from drops that are squirted beneath the tongue to deliver a mainte­nance or neutralizing dosage.

"So far, the most encouraging results have been with oral immunotherapy," says the Mayo School of Medicine's Dr. Ed­ward O'Connell. "A number of doctors use sublingual drop therapy, and we get testimonials day in, day out, about its effec­tiveness. I don't scoff at that at all. But when compared with a placebo, the results are inconclusive."