More than 100 million people in the U.S. have some allergy each year. That’s about every 1 in 3 adults. For many, the fix is a bandaid: over-the-counter allergy medications. But there’s another treatment that works to lessen these reactions rather than just manage people’s symptoms, allergy shots. The treatment has been around for over a century and is still popular today. Patients have to take the shots for a few years, and it’s the closest thing science has to a cure. Host <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1082526815/regina-g-barber"target="_blank" >Regina G. Barber</a> speaks with <a href="https://www.dapulallergy.com/about-5"target="_blank" >Dr. Gina Dapul-Hidalgo </a>about how this immunotherapy works and how certain guidelines to keep your child from developing common food allergies have changed.Interested in more science behind allergies? Check out our other episodes: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/09/23/nx-s1-5542216/food-allergy-broken-skin-barrier-eczema"target="_blank" >Having a food allergy? And how your broken skin barrier might be the cause</a></li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/04/15/1266983622/spring-seasonal-allergies-climate-rhinitis"target="_blank" >Spring Allergies and what to do about them</a></li></ul>Have another topic on human biology or consumer health you want us to investigate? Email us your question at <a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" >shortwave@npr.org</a>. Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org/shortwave</a>. Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

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