>Does anyone know if there is an 'industry standard' so to speak for allergy
>testing?  I have a bad student health plan and since the general internal
>medicine MD doesn't believe in food allergies unless they are skin
>reactions or
>anaphulaxis, she refuses to refer me to a RAST or other testing to see what
>I am allergic too. 14 years ago I had skin tests positive for milk, beef, and
>soy (and 29 airborne substances), I have asthma, a son with severe multiple
>allergies, and I am suspecting I have developed mor e rectently (recently)
>other
>allergies, specifically to wheat and other grains, and possibly nuts.  This I
>have observed through mostly digestive symptoms/problems (ie. no swelling or
>hives).  Has oanyone done a conclusive test through eliminating and then
>eating
>the food a few days later?  This MD suggests I stop eating, then see if I feel
>better.  If I do, I might be allergic.  This is as far as medical science (in
>my insurance plan anyway) is wiling to take us.  I am worried about
>inteference
>from other unidentified allergens and also that other factors might influence
>my own very subjective impressions of whether or not I feel allergic. Does
>this
>sound par for the course for allergy testing these days?  My son has state-of
>the art private testing/insurance whcih has its own detractions but at least
>seems to go beyond, How do you feel?  Any feedback would be appreciated.
>Thanks,
>Susan.

Unfortunately, in the presence of non-anaphylactic reactions, your only
reliable diagnosis option may be some form of controlled elimination. But
with multiple allergies, it's much too complicated to try to eliminate one
food at a time and determine which foods were the culprits. You've got to
do something much more drastic (but, in a lot of ways, simpler). That's how
we cleared up our son's severe eczema. We put him on *very* limited diet of
chicken, rice, and broccoli. We first tested soy formula, a staple in his
diet, and when we were sure he stayed symptom-free, we knew we had a
relatively complete nutritional base from which to experiment. We then
added one simple food at a time over a period of three or more days, and
watched for symptoms. Without any, we went on to another simple food. We
added grains first, since those are the most important. Then we progressed
to meats, etc. He is now thriving and virtually symptom-free, unless we
stray and give him a food that will trigger his symptoms.

This can also be done as an in-patient, as a double-blind challenge. This
way, independent observers can watch, untainted by your suspicions.

It can be very difficult, but we found it to be much more reliable than
skin or RAST tests.

Good Luck

Mark