<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Because some of you have inquired about what kind of food allergy testing I
had done, here's information about the lab my physician used.  I do not have
any financial interest in any way in either of the companies I refer to in
this message.  This is a LONG message.

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The lab that my physician used for the food allergy blood test is National
Biotechnology Lab in Seattle.  (They even have a web page:)
http://www.nbtl.com.  To see information about the food allergy test, from
their home page choose:  Immunology, then Food Allergy Testing, and then you
can read the clincian's information (part of which I've reproduced here).
Theirs is an ELISA test (I don't know what this means exactly, but I think
that the blood is tested by computer) for 96 food groups, and the report I
got back showed the "rating" of each food group along with a very
comprehensive list of foods to avoid and to eat, and a food rotation plan:  a
total of 32 pages in my case!!  The test itself was about $85 USD with an
additional blood drawing fee of $15 charged by the doctor's office.  For me,
this was the best $100 I've spent in a long time!!  (Of course, there were
other fees for the physician's review of my medical history, physical exam,
etc.  leading up to his orderning the blood test.)


Also, here's PART OF the information from the NBTL web site about the food
allergy panel that you could give to your physician.  I've put the lab's
address and phone number at the end.

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<bold>Food and Environmental Allergy Panel</bold>

At National Biotech Laboratory, our state-of-the-art ELISA technology
provides accurate and affordable testing for patients with immediate (IgE) or
delayed (IgG4) hypersensitivities.  We offer 96 general and vegetarian food
panels and a 24 spice panel.  In addition we include a customized rotation
reference guide to give additional information that offers assistance to the
patient in customizing their diet.  We also offer a 47 inhalant panel for
patients that have environmental sensitivities.  There are two major types of
allergic reactions:  Type I (immediate) and Type IV (delayed).

Immediate Reactions:

This type of allergic reaction occurs within several hours after contact with
the allergen, and is often associated with an antibody named "IgE."  High
levels of IgE antibodies reacting to specific antigens cause the immediate
type reaction.  Reactions of this type include rashes, hives, headache,
intestinal disorders, etc.  Anaphylaxis is considered to be an immediate
allergic reaction.

Delayed Reactions:

This type of reaction is difficult to discover since the reaction may occur
up to several days after contact with the "allergen."  In most cases, delayed
type reactions are sensitivities associated with "food antigens."  This type
of allergy is often called masked allergy or hidden food allergy.  Common
symptoms include chronic fatigue, arthritis, hives, eczema and many other
chronic symptoms.

             What are the advantages of blood allergy testing?

The advantages for such blood allergy testing are to eliminate the guess work
and focus in on the foods causing excess antigenic activity
(hypersensitivity).  It alleviates the stress of trying to determine what
foods are causing the problem.  It is suggested that this test be used as a
guideline for therapeutic treatment always keeping in mind that as with any
testing there are variables.  Many physicians are using our Blood Allergy
Testing and are pleased with the therapeutic outcome.

                              Therapeutic Treatment

It is recommended that patients avoid their moderate and high antigenic foods
for a minimum of six weeks before they reintroduce these foods again.
Patients can then rotate antigenic foods into their diet one at a time for
four consecutive days and note any allergic reactions produced by that food.
If there is a reaction produced from the food that was reintroduced, the
patient must avoid this food for 3-6 months and then retest.  If the food
continues to come up as a moderate or high antigenic food the patient must
avoid this food.

Antigenic reactivity changes over time.  The adage "what you are allergic to
today you may not be allergic to tomorrow" is true.  If an individual has a
history of allergic symptoms his antigenic reactivity may shift.  The key is
to identify what the cause of the antigenic stress is and address it
appropriately.  A resource guide is included with interpretation to assist
the patient and clinician with the treatment regimen.  The following pages
list the specific food and environmental antigens that are tested.  ((Go to
their web page for the complete lists.))

National Biotechnology Laboratory
13758 Lake City Way N.E.
Seattle, WA 98125, USA
(800) 846-6285, Fax: (206) 363-2025

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If you need an allergy physician, check out

http://www.gsdl.com.  That's the web page for Great Smokies Diagnostic Lab in
Asheville, NC.  They have a list of physicians in their Find-a-Doc section.
That's how I found my allergy doctor.  (I thought that they also offered a
food allergy panel, but I didn't find anything on their web site.)

Best of luck!!

Nancy

Recovering in Silicon Valley, CA/USA