The only true diagnosis of a food allergy is whether an individual has had an allergic reaction to a food. Sometimes this can be difficult as not all foods are eaten in isolation of one another. The next best step is to discuss allergy testing with a medical professional. Following are some things you should know about allergy testing.
There are two types of tests
A skin prick test and a blood test. Some doctors will choose to do one or the other and some will do both. Both tests can give false positive or negative results, so it is important to weigh the results with your reaction history.
An allergic reaction prior to testing can cause mixed, poor or false results
If an individual has experienced a reaction, the body is in a heightened sense or state and can cause the testing results to appear higher than they might normally be. Most allergists recommend waiting several days to a week after a reaction before testing is done.
Be careful with your medications
Antihistamines should not be taken for up to a week before testing as they too can interfere with testing results. Discuss with your allergist any other medications that might be problematic.
Consider a food challenge
If there is no definite history of reaction to a food, yet testing results come back positive--you may want to discuss scheduling a food challenge with your allergist.
Food allergies and testing are a tricky thing. One must balance the pros and cons of allergy testing, results and potential food avoidance (depending on those results) in combination with a history of reaction—so that a food in not avoided unnecessarily.
__________________
Ruth LovettSmith
Founder of http://www.bestallergysites.com/
Your Food Allergy and Gluten Free Guide, and the largest Internet directory of allergy related companies, sites, and blogs.
Disclaimer: I'm a food allergy advocate and mom of a food allergic child. I am NOT an allergist. My comments are based on my research and experiences. Please speak to your doctor regarding medical concerns.
Ruth, You are right, the
Ruth,
You are right, the tests are not straightforward. We have had positive skin and blood/RAST tests but were eating the food without problem. Does that mean we should stop eating the food? Is there a test for levels of parental anxiety?
Heather, First off let me say
Heather,
First off let me say that you should discuss all medical concerns with your Dr./Allergist. I'm not an allergist but a mom like you wading through all of this.
That being said, it is my "understanding" that if a food is not causing a reaction and is being eaten regularly--you can continue to eat the food even if testing is positive.
Keep in mind that reactions come in all shapes and sizes from hives, eczema to full blown difficulty breathing etc.
If your allergist has said to avoid a food--then you should. If you don't think you should because there are no reactions--then you should seek a second opinion from another allergist.
Hope that helps!
Ruth
Ruth LovettSmith
Founder of http://www.bestallergysites.com/
Your Food Allergy and Gluten Free Guide, and the largest Internet directory of allergy related companies, sites, and blogs.
Disclaimer: I'm a food allergy advocate and mom of a food allergic child. I am NOT an allergist. My comments are based on my research and experiences. Please speak to your doctor regarding medical concerns.
could you have a false
could you have a false pos.peanut alergy or rather could it read pos. from soy or veggie bean burgers and lentils?