Food Allergies
Eating is one of the best things in life, and each of us should be treated to the privilege. The unfortunate thing is that not everybody gets to indulge in the pleasure, owing to the unpleasant way our body reacts to certain food. In most cases, this manifests as an upset stomach, rashes, sneezing, or other symptoms. In the worst scenarios, some reactions can be potentially life-threatening. This is why people who may be suffering from food allergies should get tested immediately.
Adult & Pediatric Allergy Associates, P. C. understands that information can sometimes spell the difference between health protection and vulnerability. We provide speedy and comprehensive food allergy testing services to patients in Phoenix, AZ and the surrounding areas.
Types of Food Allergy Testing:
Our allergist will recommend any of the following tests to find out which foods cause your allergic reaction:
- Elimination Diet – This diet entails avoiding eating foods that are suspected to be the cause of your allergic reactions and monitor if the symptoms go away. If you eat the food again and the symptoms show up, it’s indicative that the particular food is the cause of your allergies.
- Oral Food Allergy Challenge – Considered as the best way to diagnose your allergy to specific foods, the oral food allergy challenge entails eating a variety of foods that possibly causes an allergic reaction. Your doctor will monitor your reaction to these foods.
- Skin Tests and Blood Test – Skin allergy tests such as the scratch test, intradermal test and patch test, and blood tests like the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA or EIA) and radioallergosorbent test (RAST) are used to diagnose food allergies as well.
Why Is It Important?
It is a common misconception for people to think that food allergy and food intolerance are the same. However, this is not the case. A food allergy affects the immune system, while food intolerance is triggered by mechanisms that do not have anything to do with immunological reactions. The latter gives way to relatively safer effects, while an allergy can pose serious threats. With our testing and diagnostic solutions, we hope to address your questions and be the help that you seek.