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.
