Food allergy tests – are they or are they not reliable?

This has been a hotly debated topic in the health world. It seems that every other person is talking about a food to which they are allergic. Here are a few ways to test food allergies:

IgG Blood Tests: This is the current test used to determine allergy to food. Unfortunately, it can give false positive results if you are eating a lot of a particular food.

Skin Prick Tests: These are conducted by a physician to determine an IgE response to typical allergens like peanuts, pollen, and bee venom. A hive-like reaction will occur in response to substances to which you are sensitive.

Ultimately, IgG food allergies tests can impart a great cost. So what deems them necessary? If you are absolutely not willing to make dietary changes to determine your food issues, then a test is definitely worth doing. And if you’ve tried the standard elimination diet without success it might be just what you need to determine your issues. Whether or not they are highly reliable is a moot point since they may reveal a sensitivity you’ve never even considered and isn’t removed by a typical elimination diet.

Food allergy tests will likely become more reliable with greater patient demand and increased research procedures.

Stay tuned!

Think you might be allergic or sensitive to foods? Come and visit me at the Robert Schad Naturopath Clinic and we can discuss.

A food allergy test may be just what the (future) doctor orders!