mrs2be.ie

[MRS_D2B]

Hi All, Has anyone ever had a food allergy test? I think I may be allergic to wheat or starch products I contacted a crowd in mullingar that do the testing but they use Kinesiology as their method of testing.. should it not be a blood test?? If I go to the doctor it will cost me €50 to be told to go to a specialist which will be a lot more €€ .. has anyone had a food allergy test done?? where did you get it done and was it good & worth the money? Or would you have been better off just going to your GP.. x

[fionab1385]

I've had a few of them done and to be honest I am not sure they are great. I think everyone has some form of intolerance to yeast & wheat, but real random stuff came up on mine, plus I was told I could eat pork and I know can't touch it at all !!!!

[mrsmccormack2b]

Hey, you could try to figure it out for yourself by doing an elimination diet, you can get loads of info on the web about it!

[Missie_Moo]

I went for one of these test a few weeks ago and was told i have an intolerance to Dairy and sensitivity to Wheat. So basically i have to cut out dairy and reduce my wheat intake. I was feeling really run down all the time, always getting colds and flu's and ALWAYS tired. Got blood test after blood test in doctors and they done nothing for me bar give me antibiotics which i never ended up taken as i hate them.
Anyhoo, as i said i had this test 6 weeks ago and i also went off the drink for the first 4 weeks. I have been feeling loads better and i lost 9lbs in the 4 weeks. I had 2 mad weekends away there so im not feeling great this week but im putting that down to the late nights at weekend and all the alcohol.
The girl at the clinic said that i can start re-introducing dairy in small portions and should feel like a new person by the new year!
Hope this helps

[MRS_D2B]

Missie_moo where did you get the test done? was it blood tests?

[Missie_Moo]

Bryanstown food and allergy clinic in Drogheda. I can PM you their details. It wasnt blood tests, they basically attach some kind of machine to you and that reads you. They took a small blood sample from my finger but that was it.

[MRS_D2B]

Got them on google
I think I will try the food elimination first then if im not getting any results I'll contact them..
Thanks!

[Missie_Moo]

Yep good idea, good luck!

[Dee042012]

Hi, I got my blood test done. I am type O. I bought this book called " Eat Right For your Type". Im following the Blood Type diet. It seems to be good. Maybe you could try it? I got the book in Easons.

[MrsMcGovern]

Hey, bit of an expert on allergies! A blood test will only show what you are "allergic" to not intollerant to. An allergy will cause harm to your body and could potentially kill you or make you very sick. An intollerance is where your body sees something as a threat and you get some uncomfortable and unpleasant side effects (bloating, sinus problems, weight gain, tiredness). I have both allergies and intollerances. Nut, dust and pollen allergies and I'm intollerant to cows dairy and choc.
How did you get on with your food elimination? Did you find any patterns? Most people are intollerant to dairy products- if you think about it, you're drinking cows breast milk! It wasn't ever intended for us and our bodies aren't able to fully digest it. It's why dairy allergies aren't seen as often in Asian countries as they're raised on soy!

If you did want to go down the blood or skin patch test, you should go to your doctor for a referal to an immunologist. If you go public, you'll not have to pay but you'll have to wait around 6 months to a year for a first appointment. They'll go through all your past symptoms and how you feel in general and do bloods and also a skin prick test.
If you have VHI or similar they might cover the testing and it might speed it up? I go once a year for check ups and carry an adrenaline pen. I've also needed an opperation on my nose-I used a nasel spray for too long and it made a hole in my septum! So do follow up on possible allergies and don't medicate yourself!

The hair and vega testing systems are great for finding intollerances that eventually you can add back into your diet slowly but I wouldn't trust them 100% for allergies would could be very dangerous! They told me I could try eating nuts again and I told my immunologist about it. They wanted her number to tell her off!
Good luck whatever you choose!

[jacob11]

There's no standard test used to confirm or rule out a food allergy. Your doctor will consider a number of things before making a diagnosis. The following may help determine if you're allergic to a food or if your symptoms are caused by something else:

Description of your symptoms. Be prepared to tell your doctor a history of your symptoms — which foods, and how much, seem to cause problems — and whether you have a family history of food allergies or other allergies.
Physical examination. A careful exam can identify or exclude other medical problems.
Food diary. Your doctor may ask you to keep a food diary of your eating habits, symptoms and medications to pinpoint the problem.
Skin test. A skin prick test can determine your reaction to a particular food. In this test, a small amount of the suspected food is placed on the skin of your forearm or back. Your skin is then pricked with a needle, to allow a tiny amount of the substance beneath your skin surface. If you're allergic to a particular substance being tested, you develop a raised bump or reaction. Keep in mind, a positive reaction to this test alone isn't enough to confirm a food allergy.