Do allergy shots really work?

Desensitization: Allergy shots involve giving small amounts of the allergen in slowly increasing doses. This induces "immunity" to the different allergens. So if you are allergic to ragweed, we would give you small amounts of ragweed pollen, in a an injection, typically weekly to build to a monthly maintenance schedule.

Induces tolerance: Allergy shots work by introducing slowly increasing amounts of allergens (the proteins causing the allergy) which in time causes the body to become "tolerant" to these allergens. While the exact mechanism is not fully known, it is believed that the body eventually abandons the allergic immune response to these allergens and either ignores them or "blocks" them with other non-allergic antibodies.

Yes: Yes! as long as you are getting the appropriate and relevant allergens for your area of the country and achieve a high enough dose, shots are very effective at decreasing allergy symptoms and are a way of actually modifying asthma symptoms.