What are the Pros and Cons of Immunotherapy?

Before we talk about the critical aspects of immunotherapy, you should know what exactly is the immune system. According to the country’s well-known immunologist and scholar — Dr. Kanury Rao, it is nothing but a defense system of the body that protects it from substances that can result in common flu, colds, allergies, etc.

When this safeguarding system starts reacting adversely or the system malfunctions, you will start experiencing health issues. This is the point where you need a solid solution to help the immune system regain its natural ability to fight illness-causing cells. For this, no other option is better than immunotherapy.

However, this holistic treatment approach also comes with two different sides. Just like any other treatment, it has certain pros and cons. Read this post to learn more.

What is the immune system and how does immunotherapy work?

The human immune system is a combination of lymph system tissues, organs, and blood cells (white). As mentioned above, the job of this system is to help the body fight against various diseases and illnesses and keep you healthy.

Immunotherapy is a treatment approach that includes various drugs. These are designed to help the immune system work as it is expected. Once the immune system knows what to do, it will find the cells that are affecting the body or causing illness.

Today, different immunotherapy drugs are there that are approved for their uses. These can be used to treat common allergies, skin reactions, asthma, and even certain cancers. In fact, countless medicines are still under clinical trials to find their benefits and effectiveness.

What are the pros of immunotherapy?

When you are eligible to receive immunotherapy for your health conditions, you are more likely to gain several benefits. In case you are perplexed about the pros, check out the following reasons that are highlighted by Kanury Rao to know why immunotherapy is an ideal treatment for you:

• Immunotherapy can effectively work when other approaches are not showing any positive sign.

You may or may not know but some treatment approaches cannot work as they are expected to be. For instance, some types of cancers such as skin cancer do not respond well to chemotherapy or radiation. Instead, these processes can make the immune system even weaker. This is where immunotherapy can give outstanding results. It is believed that skin cancer cells can go away through this holistic approach.

• Immunotherapy supports other cancer treatments.

Although not every cancer is curable through immunotherapy, it can be used to support the additional or main line of treatment. For example, if you are attending chemotherapy for the cancer, you can include immunotherapy (only after consulting your oncologist). They will better explain the outcomes and other aspects of including immunotherapy with chemotherapy and radiation.

• Immunotherapy comes with a few side effects.

When you are using conventional treatments, you will need to consume different drugs or have multiple injections. Since no one knows at first about the side effects that they can get through a certain medicine, the risk is always there. Immunotherapy, on the other hand, can target the issues associated with the immune system.

• Health conditions are less likely to come back.

Most conventional treatments have an issue — they may return even after completing the treatment. With immunotherapy, the immune system gets trained to fight against the illness-causing cells. In simple terms, immunotherapy helps the body to develop antibodies so that it can deal with the same issues in the future without affecting your health — Dr. Kanury Rao.

Are there any side effects associated with immunotherapy?

Even though immunotherapy is quite a safe treatment option, it may cause a few issues in some people. Below, we have highlighted some of them:

• Since most immunotherapy processes include shots or allergy shots, you may experience bad reactions around or in the area wherein the medicine is injected. Some issues include swelling, itchiness, soreness, redness, etc.
• Sometimes, you may feel symptoms like the flu. These may include fatigue, chills, fever, etc. In rare cases, you can have unexplainable weight gain, stuffy head, heart palpitations, diarrhea, swelling, and more. Thankfully, these issues can be eased up within a few days/weeks.
• In severe cases, immunotherapy can have adverse effects on certain organs. This may have an impact on the kidneys, lungs, intestines, liver, and heart. However, you are advised to inform your immunologist as soon as you find something unexpected.
• Another drawback of immunology is that it is not suitable for all. First and foremost, kids, pregnant women, heart patients, and people with severe symptoms cannot gain the benefits associated with this treatment.

Closing Remarks

Immunotherapy is a good treatment option as it offers great benefits. However, you should only consult a certified or experienced immunologist such as Dr. Kanury Rao. Before you opt for this treatment, you are advised to speak to your general physician to know whether you are eligible for it or not.