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TIP (Tolerance Induction Program) treatments have recently expanded to help those with food allergies.
Over 3 million Canadians have a food allergy.
“tolerance program has recently been developed more for some food allergens, including peanuts, egg, cow’s milk as well,” says Dr. Borici-Mazi from Oxford Allergy Clinic. “The desensitization is done orally and needs to be done with very close supervision by an allergist that will direct the treatment.”
This treatment works by exposing patients to food with similar protein structures as their allergens, according to foodallergyinstitute.com.
TIP is offered to all food allergy patients between the ages of 18 months and 25 years old. It has the highest global success rate, at 99 per cent.
“These treatments are successful if done under close supervision of an allergy specialist. It is a process that requires the collaboration of your family members but when it is successful, it’s very satisfying,” says Dr. Borici-Mazi.
Using this treatment allows patients to put food allergies into remission.
Although these new developments have expanded the reach of TIP treatment, this form of treatment dates back to before the 1900s.
“Tolerance induction programs have been used for a long time for Environmental allergies, actually more than a hundred years in a form of what we call environmental allergy desensitization or allergy shots,” says Dr. Borici-Mazi.
With the new developments, TIP has helped put over 8 thousand anaphylactic patients into remission.
XFM Reporter, Georgia Newman
