Jennifer Mathews: Lots of leaves, tons of trees. It's a dream environment for some, but for Mike Kuligowski, the great outdoors is a great big nightmare.

Mike Kuligowski: There were just periods of time when it was just absolutely miserable.

Jennifer Mathews: Until recently, his allergies forced him to avoid the outdoors and get weekly shots.

Mike Kuligowski: I tried to keep up with it but I just couldn't do it.

Jennifer Mathews: But then doctors at Georgetown University told him he could trade in weekly shots for just three drops daily under his tongue that he administers himself.

Mike Kuligowski: That's it, three times a day and then it can't get any simpler.

Jennifer Mathews: It's called Sublingual Immunotherapy or SLIT. Patients get a bottle of solution that's tailor-made. It's the same serum that's in regular allergy shots.

Suzette Mikula: The difference is the rate of administration, and the concentrations of the drops is higher than the shots. The drops are not as common in the US, but they've been used in Europe for about 40 years, and the World Health Organization has approved them as an alternative to allergy injections.

Suzette Mikula: It is not unsafe. There have been no mortalities reported with it. There have been mortalities reported with allergy shots.

Jennifer Mathews: Insurance doesn't typically cover the cost, but patients like Mike say they'll gladly pay between $30 and $150 a month for relief.

Mike Kuligowski: It's a nice thing to get out of the office to come somewhere, and be able to sit, and relax, away from the office in a quiet park.

Jennifer Mathews: And that's true relief. This is Jennifer Mathews reporting.