Desensitisation
Desensitisation (known clinically as immunotherapy) takes a different approach from every other form of hay fever treatment. Rather than managing symptoms as they arise, it aims to reduce the body's sensitivity to the allergen itself.
How Desensitisation Works
The principle is repeated, controlled exposure. Small doses of the allergen are given over an extended period, so the immune system gradually becomes less reactive to it. Treatment is delivered either as injections or as tablets or drops taken under the tongue, and a full course typically runs for around three years.
Desensitisation was used fairly widely in this country until the early 1980s, when a number of serious reactions led to its use being all but abandoned outside specialist settings.
It has since returned in a more tightly controlled form. Modern immunotherapy is available on the NHS through allergy clinics, and privately,
but it is not something you can obtain over the counter.
It is reserved for people with severe hay fever that has not responded to standard treatments, and it is started under specialist supervision, with the first doses given where a reaction can be dealt with immediately.
What To Know Before Considering It
It is a serious commitment. Three years of regular treatment is a great deal more involvement than a tablet each morning, and it is not suitable for everyone. People with certain condition (including some forms of asthma) may not be eligible.
If your hay fever is severe enough that you are thinking about it, the route is a referral from your GP to an allergy specialist, who can assess whether it is appropriate for you.
How The Hay-Band Compares
The Hay-Band does not attempt anything of this kind. It is a band worn on the arm, bought once and put on when you want it, with no course of treatment and no appointments.
If you are undergoing immunotherapy, wearing a Hay-Band will not interfere with it.