Forms of Allergy / Sensitivity Testing

Medical History
During a medical history, the healthcare provider will ask questions about the person's past allergic reactions: 

   What symptoms of food allergy did you have? 

   What particular food do you think provoked the reaction? Have you eaten this
       food before? 

   Have you reacted before? 

   How much of this food did you eat? 

   What other foods did you eat at that time? 

   Do you know all the ingredients of the food you ate? Include all foods:
      appetizer, main dish, sauces, dressings, breads, beverages, and side dishes. 

   How was the food prepared? As an example, could the food have been fried in
      oil used to prepare other foods? 

   Were any of following eaten: peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, milk, eggs,
      wheat, or soy? 

   How much time passed between eating the food and the first symptoms?
 

   Did you exercise or exert yourself after eating? 

   Did you take any medications, herbs, vitamins, non-prescription medications,
      or drink any alcohol before or after eating? 

   How was the reaction treated? 

   Did it resolve without treatment or did you take any medications? 

   How long were the medications continued and were there any later
      symptoms?
  

Electrodermal Testing
Also called Meridian Stress Analysis or MSA is based on the work of the brilliant and pioneering German physician and engineer, Dr. Reinhold Voll - For this reason, it was originally termed EAV, or electroacupuncture according to Voll.

Dr. Voll observed small but very precisely measurable fluc tuations in skin resistance to the  flow of microcurrent electricity at specific acupuncture points when the individual being tested was ex posed to foods (and other things)  to which he or she was sensitive.

Equipment for EDS has evolved with the progress of electronics, and has been united with the latest in computer technology. Testing sequences once done by hand with a simple ohm meter, requiring hours and days to complete, can now be done in an hour or less.

Food Allergy Testing.pdf

A History of Electro Meridian Assessment.pdf

Electrodermal Screening -Food Sensitivity Testing - Sample Report

Applied Kinesology

This procedure employs testing of muscle strength to assess food sensitivities.  

It is a way to tune in to the body’s energy system.

A food that reacts in the body will generally cause a muscle to go weak.

The test is performed either by having the person eat a food and then test the muscle, or they hold a suspected food in their hand, and the test is done.

Kinesiology in the hands of a skilled practitioner can be very accurate, fast and inexpensive, bearing in mind that sensitivities can change over time.

The Coca Pulse Test

Arthur F. Coca, MD., a renowned physician, developed the Coca Pulse Test  for allergy  elimination over 40 years ago.

This is a simple, yet extremely effective way to identify foods to which a patient may be allergic, intolerant or sensitive.

Quite simply, stress will cause the pulse to increase.

Foods to which you are intolerant are stressful and will reveal themselves by speeding up your pulse.

Laboratory tests, which are less accurate than this method could easily cost over
a thousand dollars.

Through this test, Dr. Coca was able to eliminate a myriad of symptoms and conditions simply by identifying and eliminating, from the diet, foods to which
the patient was intolerant. 

Allergy Testing
Testing for food allergies often includes skin testing and/or blood tests.

Depending upon the situation, tests may be done to determine if a person is allergic to pollens, insects, latex, and other allergens.

However, testing is only recommended if the person is suspected to have an allergy. As an example, if a person had a reaction after eating peanuts, but has never reacted to wheat or eggs and eats them regularly, it is not necessary to test for allergy to wheat or eggs.

Skin Testing
Skin testing involves pricking/scratching the skin with a tiny probe that is coated with food extract or fresh food.

The pricks are usually done on the forearm or upper back after the skin is cleaned with alcohol.

The skin prick is not usually painful.

Skin testing should only be done by a trained healthcare provider, usually an allergy specialist.

Adults and children of any age may have skin testing.

The test may result in small hives (like a mosquito bite) at the site of the prick/scratch.

Your allergist evaluates the size of the test results to assist in making a diagnosis.

Blood Tests
Blood tests are available to assist doctors in making a diagnosis.

Neither the skin test nor the blood test can be depended upon to make a diagnosis without a clinician considering the medical history and other supporting information.

Blood tests are widely available and do not require an allergy specialist to perform the test. However, consultation with an allergy specialist may be recommended to interpret the results of the test.

Elimination Diets
An elimination diet is a specially designed diet that eliminates one or more foods or groups of food from a person's diet for a period of time. The food is then added back to determine if signs or symptoms of a food allergy develop.

An elimination diet may be recommended as part of the process of determining if a person has food allergies. An allergist or dietitian must be involved in designing an elimination diet because avoiding entire groups of foods (eg, milk) could potentially lead to malnutrition, especially in infants and children.

An elimination diet, by itself, does not often lead to the diagnosis of food allergy.

During an elimination diet, it is important to read food labels carefully.

In the United States, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act mandates that nutritional labels on food packages plainly identify eight specified food allergen sources (milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy), although other foods may still appear under multiple names.

In addition, patients must understand that "substitute" foods, which reduce or eliminate fat or other components of a food, still contain the allergenic proteins.

As an example, some egg substitutes (which are lower in cholesterol) still contain egg white proteins.

Food Diary
A healthcare provider may request that a person keep a complete record of everything they eat over a period of time, including all foods, drinks, condiments, and candies.

Food Challenges
If it is not clear if a person has a food allergy, based upon their medical history and allergy testing, he or she may be offered a medically supervised gradual feeding or food challenge.

A food challenge may also be recommended if there is reason to believe that the food allergy has resolved. A food challenge is done by giving the person a tiny amount of the potentially allergenic food to eat.

After the person is given the first sample of food, he/she is observed for 10 to 15 minutes. If there is no reaction, a slightly larger amount of the food is given.

This is continued for approximately 90 minutes or more. If the person develops signs or symptoms of an allergic reaction, the food challenge is immediately stopped.

Food challenges should only be performed in a setting where the personnel and equipment needed to treat anaphylaxis are available; this can be an office or hospital setting.

  Preparing for the food challenge — It is important to prepare for a food challenge by not eating or drinking for two hours before the test, and certain medications may need to be stopped days or weeks before.

The person should bring their epinephrine autoinjector to the food challenge in case they develop a delayed allergic reaction on the way home.

  If there is no reaction during the food challenge — If the person does not have any signs of an allergic reaction during the food challenge, he/she probably does not have an allergy to the tested food.

However, the person may have allergies to other foods, so it is important to understand when/if foods should continue to be avoided.