<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
"Allergy" should be considered a non-specic term whose meaning depends on
the context in which it is used.  This term is applied to various
reactions, all involving the immune system BUT sometimes involving one type
of immune reaction, sometimes another.  An additional problem in the past,
has been that some of the various specialists who have used the term,
whether trrough ignorance or arrogance, do not acknowledge the existance of
specialist who deal with the "other" kinds of allergies.
 
Thus you could get an "allergist" who deals with only one type of allergy
testing you as negative FOR HIS TYPE of allergy and then adamantly
insisting that you do not have ANY allergy (patently false as there ARE
other types and ANY allergy specialist should, as a minimum, at least be
aware of the existance of the other types.
 
I, myself, (before discovering that I was celiac) was tested by an
"allergist"  at Duke who had the arrogance to INSIST that, since I did not
test positive to wheat on HIS test, I could not possibly be reacting to
wheat!   Beware of such arrogant ignorance!   (or is it ignorant
arrogance?)
 
Jim Barron
Chapel Hill NC
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