Originally Posted by Ineedhelp
There is one train of thought which believes that you can overcome allergies by greater exposure. For example, there are shots for cat allergies, which are nothing more than concentrated cat dander--eventually though, most people get used to their own cat. (Unless the inability to breathe kills you first, depends on the severity.)
There is another more correct train of thought that if these exposures are not carefully controlled and monitored, you can actually
worsen the allergy. Eventually most people get used to their own cat? Hogwash. Eventually most people (who are allergic)
get rid of their own cats because it becomes increasingly difficult to deal with the symptoms. This is confirmed by my own doctor, and a friend who has a cat and is now taking Benadryl + Claritin every night before bed and it's still barely enough to get through the night. When she first got the cat she had no problems; it has worsened over time.