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Modena Health Solana Beach offers comprehensive food allergy testing and personalized treatment plans to help you live more comfortably and confidently.
Approximately 8% of children in the United States live with food allergies — a number that continues to rise each year. For many families, simple moments like dining out or attending a birthday party can bring anxiety and constant worry.
Traditionally, food allergy management meant strict avoidance of certain foods and relying on early rescue medication, such as epinephrine, if an exposure occurred. But reactions can range from mild discomfort to life-threatening anaphylaxis, sometimes triggered by even the smallest bite. Avoidance alone can feel like walking a tightrope, impacting daily routines and overall quality of life for both children and their parents.
Food Immunotherapy (IT) is changing that reality. This safe, increasingly common approach works by introducing extremely small, carefully increased doses of the allergenic food over time.
The goal of Food Immuniotherapy is to raise the body’s anaphylactic threshold, reduce reaction severity, and in some cases, allow unrestricted consumption — known as “sustained unresponsiveness.”
For many patients, immunotherapy not only reduces risk but also restores a sense of normalcy, making it possible to live with more freedom and less fear. It’s about building tolerance, protecting health, and giving families their lives back.
In Solana Beach, food allergy testing specialist and allergist Dr. Brian Modena and his team take a personalized, evidence-based approach to diagnosis and treatment, ensuring every patient has access to the safest and most effective options available.
Anaphylactic food reactions can be severe, life-threatening, and may occur after just a single bite. For many families, strict food avoidance is difficult, increasing daily stress and deeply affecting the quality of life for both children and parents.
But here’s what’s important to know: a positive skin or blood test does not always mean a true food allergy or risk for anaphylaxis. In fact, false positives are common — especially when test results fall on the lower end of the positive range. This means some patients may test “positive” yet eat the food without any reaction.
When there’s uncertainty, an in-office open food challenge (OFC) is the gold standard for determining whether an allergy truly exists. This safe, structured test helps clarify your diagnosis, guiding you toward the right treatment plan and the peace of mind you deserve.
At Modena Health Solana Beach, we use a combination of proven diagnostic methods to accurately identify food allergies and guide safe treatment planning.
Food-Specific Immunoglobulin E (IgE) Blood Testing IgE-mediated food allergies can cause immediate — and sometimes severe — allergic reactions. IgE blood testing is highly sensitive and can detect these allergies with a simple blood draw. However, false positives are common, so results must be interpreted by an experienced specialist.
Skin Prick Testing Using a small plastic lancet, tiny amounts of allergenic substances are introduced just under the skin. If an immediate allergic reaction occurs, it can indicate sensitivity. This test is safe and sensitive, but like IgE testing, can produce false positives.
Open Food Challenge (OFC) The gold standard for confirming or ruling out a food allergy. Under close medical supervision, patients consume gradually increasing amounts of a suspected food in a controlled setting. This structured approach provides the most accurate answer to whether an allergy truly exists.
The timing of your results depends on the type of test performed. Skin prick testing delivers answers within minutes, while blood testing typically takes up to a week. Once your results are ready, the Modena Health Solana Beach team will review them with you in detail and design a personalized treatment plan that fits your needs and lifestyle.
Testing is recommended if you experience unexplained symptoms during or shortly after eating. Common signs include:
*Respiratory and cardiac symptoms can indicate a severe allergic reaction and require immediate medical attention.
For years, food allergy management meant strict avoidance of allergenic foods and keeping emergency medications, like epinephrine, on hand to address anaphylactic reactions. While this approach remains important, new advances in care have transformed the way we treat food allergies — most notably with the introduction of Food Immunotherapy (IT).
Food Immunotherapy is a safe, steadily growing treatment method that uses the allergenic food itself, given in extremely small and gradually increasing doses, to desensitize the immune system. Over time, this process can dramatically lower the risk and severity of reactions from accidental exposures.
For some patients, immunotherapy may even lead to “free eating” — the ability to enjoy the food without restrictions — and, in certain cases, achieve “sustained unresponsiveness,” where tolerance is maintained long-term. Food IT has a proven record of improving safety, reducing anxiety, and restoring a sense of normalcy to daily life.
The purpose of Food Immunotherapy is to reduce an individual’s sensitivity to a specific allergenic food — a process known as desensitization. This is done by introducing extremely small, carefully measured amounts of the food, usually on a daily basis, over the course of months or even years.
Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) involves eating gradually increasing quantities of the allergenic food each day. Over time, this can raise the body’s tolerance level and decrease the severity of reactions from accidental exposure.
Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) uses a liquid food extract placed under the tongue for about two minutes. SLIT is considered highly safe, with minimal risk for severe reactions, though it is less likely to achieve “sustained unresponsiveness” compared to OIT.
By systematically retraining the immune system, food immunotherapy can reduce reaction risk, ease anxiety, and help patients enjoy a freer, more confident lifestyle.
At Modena Health in Solana Beach, our Bite Protection Program (BiPP) is designed to safely guide children and families through every stage of food immunotherapy.
Food desensitization goes beyond lowering food allergy risks to restore confidence, freedom, and peace of mind for the entire family.
Food immunotherapy (IT) may be an option for individuals with confirmed anaphylactic food allergies — including allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, or soy. This treatment is designed to help lower the risk and severity of reactions, especially from accidental exposures.
Eligibility for oral immunotherapy (OIT) is determined on a case-by-case basis. Our Solana Beach team considers factors such as blood test results (specific IgE levels), age, reaction history, and the ability to follow the treatment protocols. Every plan is customized to ensure safety, effectiveness, and the best possible outcome for each patient.
At Modena Health Solana Beach, our food allergy testing and treatment programs are built on proven science, not trends. Every protocol we use is backed by rigorous research and accepted by the broader allergy medicine community. We avoid unverified or fringe therapies and only recommend food immunotherapy when it is truly warranted — never for false-positive test results.
With an adverse reaction rate of less than 1%, safety is our highest priority. We offer 24/7 on-call support, flexible and fair pricing, and financial assistance for families in need, ensuring no child is ever left behind. We also limit testing to what is truly necessary to guide treatment decisions.
Dr. Brian Modena brings over a decade of research experience in machine learning, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and genomics from The Scripps Research Institute and National Jewish Health. Today, he leverages this expertise to help forecast food allergy outcomes — though, as he notes, effective food allergy care ultimately requires commitment, patience, and the right therapeutic approach.
Our mission is simple: provide safe, cost-effective, evidence-based treatments with clear goals, realistic expectations, and personalized care every step of the way.
Food Immunotherapy — also called food allergy desensitization — works by gradually introducing controlled amounts of the allergenic food into the diet. Over time, this process builds tolerance, lessens reaction severity, and reduces the fear and anxiety that often come with living with a food allergy.
By retraining the immune system, patients are less likely to experience severe reactions from accidental exposures, creating peace of mind in situations where they can’t control every ingredient. For some, food immunotherapy leads to long-term tolerance — known as “sustained unresponsiveness” — allowing them to live with greater freedom and confidence.
As a child, Dr. Brian Modena lived with severe asthma, eczema, food allergies, and EoE. He knows firsthand the fear of suddenly struggling to breathe or being unable to share the foods everyone else is eating. That experience inspired his lifelong mission: to help others avoid that fear through compassionate, science-based care.
At Modena Health Solana Beach, we treat patients of all ages with empathy, education, and cutting-edge therapies. Our Food Allergy Testing and Bite Protection (BiPP) Program are designed to reduce anxiety, build confidence, and improve the quality of life for entire families.
Dr. Modena brings over a decade of research in machine learning, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and genomics from The Scripps Research Institute and National Jewish Health — but he’s quick to say that food allergy treatment doesn’t require AI. It requires discipline, patience, and the right therapeutic approach.
Schedule your consultation today and learn how food allergy desensitization can make your family meals less stressful — and your life a little freer.
Food Immunotherapy is gaining recognition as an effective, life-changing approach to managing food allergies. More allergists — and patients — are embracing it as research continues to show its benefits in improving safety, quality of life, and confidence.
When performed under the supervision of trained allergists or nurse practitioners, Oral Immunotherapy is considered safe. While anaphylactic reactions can occur, they are rare and usually manageable at home without emergency visits. Severe reactions in children during treatment are uncommon.
Some patients achieve sustained unresponsiveness — the ability to eat allergenic foods without a reaction. Others may not reach full tolerance but still benefit from a higher anaphylactic threshold and reduced reaction severity, known as “bite protection.”
Costs vary depending on the patient’s needs and treatment length. At your complimentary consultation, we’ll provide a clear, detailed estimate based on your personalized plan.
Most insurance providers do not cover food immunotherapy. We’ll work with you to discuss payment options and available financial assistance.
