Diagnosing and Testing for Allergies

You may know what causes certain of your allergic reactions, but there may be other allergies or sensitivities you have that you are unaware of.

Self Testing

Here's how you can catch a few of the hidden allergens you may be reacting to.

Start noticing how your body reacts when something changes. Even little changes, such as phlegm, a runny nose, ringing in your ears, gas, itching. Self testing starts with awareness of minor changes like these, that you might otherwise not even think about.

Once you are aware, you will be able to notice more clearly when these reactions start. As soon as you realize you are having a reaction, think back to what you were doing or eating or drinking, where you were, who you were with, etc. when the reaction started. Write these things down along with the symptoms. In other words, keep a diary. If you don't write these things down, you will not remember accurately and will not spot the patterns.

Once you have a record, start connecting the dots. For example, if you notice time and again that everytime you enter a certain store you get phlegm, then there is something in that store that you react to. Or, you might notice that when you are around a certain person your nose burns. You might be reacting to some personal care product that person uses, like hair spray or perfume.

If you notice low level constant reactions, you may be reacting to some cleaning or personal care product you are using at home. Finding the culprit is tricky, but you can start by replacing anything with the word "fragrance" in the list of ingredients with a fragrance-free substitute. You can also replace any product that you instinctively "don't like" with something else.

Trial and error and keeping a good written record are the ways of tracking down the sources of your allergy symptoms or sensitivities, and the solution? The only solution is Avoidance, Avoidance, Avoidance.

Skin testing is nother way of finding out what ails you.

Skin Testing

Skin testing is widely used to diagnose allergic conditions such as hay fever, allergic asthma and dermatitis (eczema). It's safe for most people, including infants and older adults, but there are exceptions. For example, if you have severe skin problems, are extremely reactive to certain allergens, or are taking medications that might interfere with test results, then skin testing may not be advisable.

Skin tests can confirm whether signs and symptoms such as sneezing, wheezing and skin rashes are caused by allergies. They can also identify the specific substances that trigger allergic reactions. Such information can help your doctor develop an allergy treatment plan that may include allergen avoidance, medications or allergy shots (immunotherapy).

The three main types of skin testing are:

• Puncture, prick or scratch test (percutaneous)
• Intradermal test (intracutaneous)
• Patch test (epicutaneous)