A few facts you should know about Testing for Food Allergies

Sometimes when you consume certain foods, you may experience an allergic reaction. Often people who experience these reactions are unaware of the exact trigger. If you are one of these people you should definitely consider testing for food allergies. This is important because often some allergic reactions may be rather dangerous. It is also possible you may not have realized that you have a food allergy because the symptoms do not materialize for some time.

Testing for Food Allergies is rather painless. There might be prick here and there otherwise there is nothing to serious. The way forward for food allergy testing is either on the skin or a blood test. Both these testing methodologies have the capability to correctly identify the cause of an allergy. Skin testing involves placing a miniscule drop of liquid food onto a spot on your skin. Then the allergist pricks the skin. This pricking is completely safe and not too painful. If you are allergic to that particular food, a bump resembling a mosquito bite will appear within fifteen to twenty minutes of the prick. This will demonstrate that you are allergic to that particular food.

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Sometimes you may have to opt for a blood test at a clinic for testing for food allergies. They will take a vial size blood sample and run a series of different tests on it. These tests will help find out for you exactly what you are allergic to. An allergist will ask you to describe the symptoms you get after consuming the food. Plus, you may also be asked how long do the symptoms take to materialize and what quantity do you consume. The reason for asking about the quantity is that sometimes people may not be allergic to small amounts. Furthermore, it is also important for the allergist to know if you have a family history of allergies.

Additionally, the allergist should also ask you  where you live. This question is sometimes important because some food allergies may be due to something in the area you live in. People living in the same vicinity may experience similar allergies. For instance, if you and someone from across the road visited a strawberry farm in your neighbourhood, you could both be allergic to a particular pesticide spray. Some people experience an itching ad burning in their mouth after eating bananas while others have a gluten intolerance.

One important fact about a food allergy is that there is really no cure, the symptoms may be eliminated but may reappear when you consume the food again. When grocery shopping always read the labels. By testing for food allergies you can be aware of what does not suit you and avoid consuming it.