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
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