Allergy Treatment That Retrains Your Immune System
At Vance Medical, we believe allergies deserve more than a lifetime of antihistamines. Low Dose Allergy (LDA) and Low Dose Immunotherapy (LDI) work at the level of the immune system itself — using extremely small doses of antigen to calm the overreaction rather than mask the symptom. That means most forms of allergy can be addressed: hay fever, pollen, pet dander, dairy, gluten, corn, perfumes, formaldehyde, and more. Every protocol is physician-supervised and built around your history, not a standard menu.
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1001 N. Meridian Rd · Meridian, ID 83642 · Tue–Thu 9am–5pm
Our Allergy Treatments
We offer low dose therapies designed to change how your immune system responds to the things that trigger it — delivered under physician oversight.
Low Dose Allergy (LDA) Therapy
LDA is a highly effective option for treating most forms of allergies. Hundreds of different antigens are premixed and injected into the skin along with an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase, which signals your body to stop reacting so strongly. It works by raising levels of T-Regulator cells — the cells that calm the immune response to a particular antigen. No allergy testing is required to begin.
What LDA Treats
Inhalant allergies including hay fever, pollen, mold, dust, and pet dander. Food allergies and sensitivities including dairy, gluten, and corn. And chemical sensitivities such as perfumes, fragrances, cleaning agents, and formaldehyde — a category often dismissed elsewhere, and treated here as the real immune problem it is.
Low Dose Immunotherapy (LDI) Therapy
LDI is nearly identical to LDA in principle but aimed at a different target. Where LDA addresses allergies, LDI is formulated for autoimmune disorders and chronic infections, using antigens from the organisms believed to drive low-lying immune activation. Unlike LDA’s relatively fixed doses, LDI requires finding the individual dose that’s right for you — so we deliberately start low and work upward.
What LDI Treats
Autoimmune disorders including rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease, built on the observation that many autoimmune conditions appear to be associated with low-lying bacterial infections. The approach was later extended to Lyme disease, with additional formulations developed for a range of other chronic diseases and infections.
Who Can Benefit from LDA & LDI Therapy?
Allergy and immune therapy at Vance Medical supports patients dealing with a wide range of conditions, including:
- Seasonal and year-round hay fever
- Pollen, mold, dust, and pet dander allergies
- Food allergies and food sensitivities
- Chemical and fragrance sensitivities
- Chronic sinus congestion and post-nasal drip
- Allergic asthma and reactive airways
- Eczema, hives, and allergic skin conditions
- Autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease
- Lyme disease and chronic infections
- Patients who have not responded well to conventional allergy shots
What to Expect at Your First Allergy Appointment
LDA or LDI is straightforward — and unlike conventional allergy care, it does not begin with a panel of scratch tests.
Medical Intake & Evaluation
Every new patient completes a comprehensive health intake. Dr. Vance personally reviews your symptom history, past allergy treatment, medications, and environmental exposures to determine whether LDA, LDI, or both are the right fit. No allergy testing is required to begin LDA.
Your Injection
The dose is given intradermally — into the skin rather than under it — and takes only moments. Because LDA uses much lower doses than conventional allergy shots, the process is safer and far less frequent. Patients follow a short set of pre- and post-shot instructions to get the most from each dose.
Follow-Up & Dose Refinement
LDA shots are given much less often than traditional allergy injections, with treatment spaced out over time. We track your response between doses and refine your protocol from there — especially with LDI, where finding your individual dose is the heart of the therapy.
Why Choose Vance Medical for Allergy Treatment?
We specialize in conditions conventional medicine often struggles to fully resolve — chronic illness, complex immune conditions, and allergies that never quite go away. Every treatment plan is individualized to you.
Physician-Led from Start to Finish
Every LDA and LDI protocol at Vance Medical is designed and supervised by Dr. Mark Vance, MD. Your safety and outcomes are the doctor’s personal responsibility, not a technician’s checklist.
A Different Mechanism Than Allergy Shots
At first glance LDA resembles a “regular allergy shot.” It isn’t. LDA works by a different mechanism, uses much lower doses, covers hundreds of premixed antigens, requires no allergy testing, is given far less often, and is delivered into the skin instead of under it.
Built on Decades of Research
LDA traces back to a British physician who developed Enzyme Potentiated Desensitization (EPD) from research beginning in the 1960s. EPD was used successfully in the U.S. until 2002, when it was banned by the FDA. That research was continued and refined into the next-generation therapy known today as Low Dose Allergen (LDA).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is LDA the same as a regular allergy shot?
No. Both involve intermittent injections for allergic conditions, but that’s where the similarity ends. LDA works by a different mechanism, uses much lower doses, includes hundreds of premixed antigens, requires no allergy testing, is given much less frequently, and is injected into the skin rather than under it. Those much lower doses are also one of the reasons LDA is considered safer.
What's the difference between LDA and LDI?
LDA is used primarily for allergies; LDI is used for autoimmune disorders and chronic infections such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and Lyme disease. The therapies are nearly identical in principle, and the two names largely reflect who developed each version rather than a fundamental difference in approach. Dosing does differ — LDA uses relatively fixed doses, while LDI requires an individualized dose for every patient.
Do I need allergy testing, and how often are the injections?
No testing is needed to begin LDA — it uses hundreds of premixed antigens rather than a custom serum built from test results. Injections are given far less often than conventional allergy shots, spaced out over time rather than weekly, with your schedule set during your consultation. LDA is a cumulative therapy, so improvement typically builds over a series of doses rather than after a single injection.
Do you offer allergy treatment to patients from Nampa, Boise, Caldwell, Kuna, and Meridian?
Yes. Our office is located at 1001 N. Meridian Rd in Meridian, ID, and we regularly see patients from across the Treasure Valley, including Nampa, Boise, Caldwell, Kuna, Eagle, and Star.
Ready to Stop Chasing Symptoms? Call Vance Medical to Schedule Your Allergy Consultation
1001 N. Meridian Rd · Meridian, ID 83642 · Tue–Thu 9am–5pm