• Question: Are allergies curable?

    Asked by bethancf to Lyn, Katy, Paul, PB on 27 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Peter Balfe

      Peter Balfe answered on 27 Jun 2013:

      Some allergies do respond to treatment. For example peanut allergies can be gradually reduced by a graded administration of microscopic quantities of the allergen. Increasing the dose over several months until the immune system becomes “tolerized”. It’s tricky and requires constant monitoring, so it’s generally only done for the most severe cases, but it does work for about half of the patients who undergo it. But even after they become able to withstand a peanut, these patients have reported that actually eating one tastes totally vile.

    • Photo: Ee Lyn Lim

      Ee Lyn Lim answered on 27 Jun 2013:

      Yup, tolerisation is currently the main way to completely cure an allergy. It’s done with nuts, as Peter mentioned, but also with things like bee stings. It takes a long time to complete, because you’re basically waiting for your immune system to ‘get used to’ tiny amounts of allergen at a time, and it might not work in everyone, so generally it’s only done for people who are actually in danger from their allergies (you never know when you might get stung by a bee…)

    • Photo: Paul Waines

      Paul Waines answered on 27 Jun 2013:

      Hi bethancf- thanks for your question

      Some are, yes.

      there is something called ‘immunotherapy’ which works well for some allergies. It works by gradually introducing more and more of the thing causing the allergy into the body.

      This gives the body a chance to get used to it, and its only used for really bad allergies- nuts, pets, really bad hay fever- because the doctor needs to make sure it’s done properly

      Hope this helps!

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