Whats more reliable skin test or blood test for allergy checks.?

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Whats more reliable skin test or blood test for allergy checks.?I heard that blood test can be a little " iffy" when it comes to checking for food allergies but I mean more along the lines of grasses, molds, dust mites, etc.

-matador 89
lax4life,
Hello, again! I take it that this is a 'follow-on' from your recent question of "Blood tests for allergies". Let me see if this discussion may containing some more detailed information for you - There are many methods of allergy testing. Among the more common are skin tests, which are the most common and used to assist in diagnosing Food allergies. Mold, pollen, animal, and other allergies that cause allergic rhinitis and asthma. Penicillin allergy - allergies to penicillin and closely related medications are the only drug allergies that can be tested using skin tests. Skin tests for allergies to other drugs can be dangerous. The prick skin test may also be used to diagnose food allergies. Intradermal tests are not used to test for food allergies because of high false positive results and the danger of causing a severe allergic reaction - Venom allergy. Allergic contact dermatitis. Elimination-type tests are used to check for food allergies. An elimination diet is one in which foods that may be causing symptoms are removed from the diet for several weeks and then slowly re-introduced one at a time while the person is watched for signs of an allergic reaction. Blood tests (including the radioallergosorbent, or RAST, test) are done to measure the amount of immunoglobulin E – IgE - antibodies to a specific allergen in the blood. This test may be used when skin testing is not helpful or cannot be done. Provocation (challenge) testing involves exposing a person to a suspected allergen under controlled circumstances. This may be done in the diet or by breathing in the suspected allergen. This type of test may provoke severe allergic reactions. Challenge testing should only be done by a doctor. Many unconventional allergy tests are available which purport to diagnose a number of maladies. Tests range from electro dermal tests to trace metal estimation in hair samples. These un-validated tests are sometimes promoted by complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners. Superficially many of these tests sound plausible, but are based on unproven theories and explained with simplistic physiology. Most of these tests diagnose non-existent illnesses, are a waste of money, and divert attention from actual allergies thus delaying conventional treatments that offer genuine allergy relief.

ALL ANSWERS SHOULD BE THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED, IN ANY FORUM AND ESPECIALLY IN THIS ONE. - MANY ANSWERS ARE FLAWED.

It is extremely important to obtain an accurate diagnosis before trying to find a cure. Many diseases and conditions share common symptoms.


The information provided here should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

I add a link with details of this subject and containing internal links to various further subjects

http://www.webmd.com/
allergies/allergy-tests


Hope this helps
matador 89

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