Allergy Testing

Allergies are the natural response of our immune system when it feels it's in danger. This usually occurs when the body does not recognize a substance (an allergen) introduced through the air, or orally or in direct contact with the skin.

Allergy reactions can be tricky and often appear similar to the symptoms of other health conditions. Therefore, it can require several allergy testing procedures to determine that allergens are behind your symptoms and what those allergens are. Making it even more challenging, allergies can be formed later in life for some food allergens (as well as flowers, perfume animal dander or dust, etc.) that had previously never bothered you. In fact, as you grow older your immune system grows weaker, which can make you more susceptible to environmental influences.

With all this in mind, here are the common allergy testing methods used to determine the source of your allergies and help you establish a treatment plan with your physician ...

The Skin Prick Or Scratch Allergy Testing

This is the most common allergy testing approach. It's conducted by introducing a small amount of the suspected substance into the skin in order to provoke the allergy. This test usually takes about 30 minutes to an hour, since in most cases the body will react almost instantly if there are any guilty allergens present.

This is a fast and sure way to find out if you are allergic to an allergen but aren't certain. Your physician will often conduct this test using a number of suspected substances at the same time in order to save time and to determine if there may be more than a single allergen involved.

Intradermal Allergy Testing

This testing approach is quite similar to the skin prick test, the only difference being that the suspected allergens are injected directly into the skin. Several tests can be conducted at the same time, and it takes approximately 30 minutes for any reactions to occur.

Blood Test

A blood test, or RAST (radioallergosorbent test), is another common approach to determining an allergic reaction. This test measures the level of antibodies in the blood stream, or more precisely the presence of a specific type of antibody, known as IgE that is only present during an allergic reaction.

The purpose behind allergy testing is simply to determine if it actually is an allergic reaction that's taking place and what allergens may be at the root cause of that allergic reaction. Once an allergen is identified, your physician can recommend a treatment plan to help minimize the effects of your allergies.