About Allergies: Beware of Alternative Food Allergy Tests

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Allergies Allergies Symptoms / Diagnosis Treatment Coping From Daniel More, MD, your Guide to Allergies Approximately 8% of all children suffer from food allergies -- and even more experience various symptoms after eating certain foods that may or may not represent food allergies. Parents of these children want answers, and when they don't get the answers they want from their regular doctors, they may turn to "alternative practitioners" for answers. These practitioners may order a multiple of "alternative" tests to evaluate for "food allergies", including IgG RAST, provocation-neutralization, applied kinesiology, and body chemical analysis. Unfortunately, none of these tests are valid for the diagnosis of food allergies, and more often than not lead to inappropriate elimination diets resulting in possible nutritional deficiencies. This has become such a problem in the United Kingdom that the National Health Service issued a warning about these useless tests, and initiated an education program to teach doctors and parents about the appropriate evaluation for food allergies. In my opinion, only board-certified allergists are truly qualified to evaluate, diagnose and treat food allergies, particularly in young children. Basics of Food Allergies Approximately 8% of children and 2% of adults suffer from true food allergies. When the culprit food is eaten, most allergic reactions will occur within minutes. Skin symptoms (itching, urticaria, angioedema) are the most common, and occur during most food reactions.... Read more Types of "Allergy Tests" to Avoid Non-traditional physicians have used numerous methods over the years as an attempt to diagnose (and in some cases, treat) allergies. These tests may claim to identify toxins in the body, or foods that are causing someone to be sick or tired. Most of these tests are not founded in science, and a clue is that insurance companies do not cover the tests, and/or not performed in typical medical laboratories (they may only be performed in specialized laboratories)... Read more Things To Do When You're Diagnosed With Food Allergy Your doctor has just told you that you have food allergies. Now what? Unless you had a long discussion with him or her as to what this means, you're probably feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. You might be thinking, "What symptoms should I look for? How was this diagnosed? What are the treatments available? Will my food allergy ever go away?"Read more Asthma and Lung Allergies Various allergic diseases of the lungs are described, including asthma, COPD, emphysema and chronic cough. Other rare diseases are also covered, including hypersensitivity pneumonitis, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, and eosinophilic pneumonias. Allergies Ads Food Allergy Testing Food Allergies Test Skin Allergies Allergy Pet Dander Allergy Featured Articles Common Allergy Issues in Children Food Allergies Allergies in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Drug and Latex Allergies Insect Allergies Anaphylaxis   More from About.com Plan a Unique Vegas Wedding The minister, music and champagne are just the beginning -- why not get married aboard a helicopter or have a pirate swing in to deliver your rings? Arrrr! More> Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. More> This newsletter is written by: Daniel More, MD Allergies Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Allergies newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Must Reads What are Allergies? Symptoms of Allergies Diagnosis of Allergies Treatment of Allergies Preventing Allergies Advertisement