One in 13 children suffer from food allergies, according to the Texan Allergy and Sinus Center, and they believe a special therapy can make those go away.
"Give me some nice deep breaths here okay," Dr. Stacy Silvers at Texan Allergy and Sinus told 10 year old Brynli Sperry.
She’s in for a checkup on her nut allergies.
"No itchy throat with your doses, no upset stomach, nothing at all, huh” asked Silvers.
But the prescription from Silvers is a bit different than you might think.
"You’re about to eat a whole lot of cashew there, you know that right," said Silvers.
It's part of her OIT, or oral immunotherapy, to combat her food allergy to nuts.
"I just see all these other kids like eating Nutella, and I'm like I've never tried that," said Brynli.
Silvers said patients like Brynli eat a tiny amount of the food they're allergic to under doctor supervision.
"It's a way that we try to get kids who used to be allergic to the food to be able to tolerate it without any problems,” said Silvers.
Then, over several months, they'll increase that amount to decrease sensitivity to the food.
“Food allergies have such a big impact on kids, from bullying to anxiety,” said Silvers.
He said this form of treatment is 80 percent effective in allowing patients to eat the foods they were once allergic to.
"It can be a little scary sometimes ... because you could have a reaction, but then it's really life changing at the same time,” said Brynli.
"Giving an option for these families is really, really rewarding for us,” said Silvers.
They target foods like eggs, milk, nuts and wheat.
"Parents are constantly in fear of their kids being exposed to these foods," said Silvers.
Parents like Brynli's mom, Dacquiri
"Basically she can never eat anything, or be around any food that we're not aware of, and we know if it contains any kind of nuts,” she said.
She first noticed her daughter's nut allergy at 16 months old, when she tried peanut butter.
"Her lips had swollen and she was all red around her mouth, and she had hives on her hands where she had touched it,” said Dacquiri.
Now, they have to be diligent about what the 10-year-old eats, both at home and when she’s at school or out with friends.
"The older that the kids get, and they want more independence, they're doing more things on their own -- that becomes harder," said Dacquiri. "When you're entrusting other people with the life or death care of your child, it can be scary.”
The allergy makes it difficult for Brynli to go to birthday parties, she has to be careful who she sits next to at lunch, and she can't ride the school bus.
"I think she probably doesn't even realize all the things she's missed out on," said Dacquiri.
Each Monday, mom and daughter drive from the Houston area for treatment in Austin.
Doctor Silvers said he has patients as far away as Michigan.
"Oh yes, it's worth it, it's worth it,” said Dacquiri. "It's an investment, it's an investment into her future, her safety and her health."
As for a cause to the allergies, that’s something doctors are still trying to figure out.
"I think a lot of this has to do with a late introduction of food," said Silvers.
In just a few months, the Sperrys have already seen big changes.
"She got to eat a macadamia nut out at Subway, we have not ever purchased cookies from Subway before,” said Dacquiri.
"It feels like an accomplishment,” said Brynli.
An accomplishment that's not only life changing, but also lifesaving.