Everything to know about Food Allergy Testing

You must be aware that there isn’t any perfect test to confirm or rule out food allergies. The doctor takes into consideration several factors before making any diagnosis for food allergy testing. Some of the factors are the following:

Your symptoms – You need to provide the doctor a detailed history of your symptoms, foods you eat and what may cause problems.
Your physical examination – There should be careful exam to detect or exclude medical concerns.
Your family record of allergies – Share information about your family members who have allergies of any kind.
A skin test – A skin prick test helps to determine the reaction of a particular food. With the help of this test, a small amount of food is placed on the skin of your back or forearm. The doctor pricks your skin with a needle to allow small amount of substance beneath the surface of skin. When you are allergic to specific substance for getting tested, you might develop bump or reaction. But having a positive reaction to this test is not sufficient to confirm food allergy testing for your body.
A blood test – A blood test calculates the response of immune system to specific foods by measuring allergy-related antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE). The blood sample will be taken and then sent to the laboratory for conducting tests of different foods.
Elimination diet – You may have to eliminate certain foods for one or two weeks and then add food items back into the diet one at a time. This procedure may link the symptoms to specific foods. An elimination diet won’t tell if your reaction to a food is true allergy than food sensitivity. If you have had severe reaction to a food earlier, an elimination diet might not be a safe choice.
Oral food challenge – When conducting the test, you are given small amount of food that may cause the symptoms. In the case you do not have any reaction during this test, you may be able to include this food in the diet again.

Treatment

You can prevent an allergic reaction by not eating certain foods which cause signs and symptoms. Despite the best efforts, you may get into contact with a food that leads to some reaction.

For a minor allergic reaction – There are prescribed antihistamines or medications available without a prescription which can lessen the symptoms. These drugs may be taken after exposure to allergy-causing foods to ease hives or itching. But antihistamines cannot treat severe allergic reaction.
For a severe allergic reaction – You may require emergency epinephrine injection and a trip to emergency room. Many people who have allergies have epinephrine autoinjector and the device is a combination of needle and syringe. This will inject single doagse of medication while pressed against your thigh.

Certain home remedies and lifestyle changes

Among the major keys to stay away from an allergic reaction is to avoid foods completely that can cause the symptoms.

Do not assume anything – According to doctors at Private Blood Tests London, you should go through food labels carefully and see they do not have any allergic ingredient in them. Even though you know what is present in the food, check the labels properly as ingredients can change.

Food labels should list clearly whether the food products have common food allergens in them. It is advisable to read food labels carefully and avoid common sources of food allergens such as peanuts, eggs, milk, tree nuts, fish, wheat, soy and shellfish.

Avoid eating outside in doubt – When you attend any social gatherings, you always take up the risk that you may eat some foods which can cause allergies. Many people do not realize the seriousness of allergic food reactions and might not know a small amount of food may lead to severe reaction in some people.

In the case you think a food can cause allergic reaction, do not take it at all.

Seek help of caregivers – If your kid suffers from a food allergy, you can make a list of the relatives, teachers, caregivers and babysitters. They need to understand the importance to avoid eating allergy causing foods for your child and should know what to do during emergency. This way, the doctors can conduct the best food allergy test for your child.

It is equally important to allow caregivers for taking steps in the prevention of a reaction at the first place. This includes hand-washing carefully and cleaning any surfaces that might have been in contact with allergy-causing food.

In the case you suffer from a food allergy, it is advisable to prevent exposure to the foods till you see a doctor. If you eat the food and have mild reaction, over-the-counter antihistamines can help to eliminate the symptoms. When there is a severe reaction and there are any signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis, you should seek for emergency help. Use search strings to find a clinic for “private allergy testing near me” and perform it in your area.