Stop Guessing in the New Year: How Food Allergy Testing Can Bring Peace of Mind

Do you suspect that you might have food allergies, but you’re not sure exactly which food or if it’s really an allergy at all? We discuss how food allergy testing can confirm or deny your allergy suspicions here.

Many times, people know exactly what causes their food allergies. For example, someone might eat a peanut and then immediately break out in a rash or ingest some dairy and then have intense stomach cramping just a few minutes later.

But, in other cases, food allergies can be more subtle. Maybe symptoms take hours to develop or you attribute the symptoms to an environmental allergy. The bottom line is that it can be frustrating to have allergy-related symptoms and not know what’s causing them.

Because food allergies can sometimes be tricky to detect and diagnose, our team led by expert allergist and leading food allergy specialist Chad W. Mayer, DO, FAAAAI, FAAP, at the Allergy and Asthma Institute of Southeast Michigan in Farmington Hills, Michigan, reviews different aspects of allergy testing that we use to help diagnose or rule out food allergies.

Food allergy testing

Food allergy testing can include any of the following diagnostic procedures:

Skin prick tests

During this test, our team pricks your skin with a sterile probe that contains very small amounts of suspected allergens. If that area of your skin becomes red and irritated after a set amount of time, you’re allergic to that food.

Blood tests

A blood test isn’t as instant as a skin prick test, but it’s a good option when you can’t undergo a skin prick. We start by taking a sample of your blood and measure for antibodies called IgE antibodies made specifically for each food, a positive may indicate an allergy.

Oral challenge test

An oral challenge test is used to confirm a suspected allergy. It can also provide information on if a specific food you’re allergic to is actually causing symptoms. In some cases, a skin prick or blood test says you have a food allergy, but no symptoms are present when you ingest that food.

During this test, you’re given gradual increased doses of the suspected food allergen. In between each dose, you’re monitored closely for an allergic reaction. As soon as we detect a reaction, the test stops and the allergy is confirmed.

Ready to confirm or rule out food allergies?

If you want to stop having to guess whether or not you have food allergies, schedule food allergy testing with our team by calling our office or using our online booking feature today.