Allergy Testing and Treatment
Allergy Testing and Treatment
Q. What happens at an Allergy Clinic?
A. The first consultation involves going through a comprehensive questionnaire covering all your main symptoms and all other complaints, however minor. This gives very important information and a provisional diagnosis can often result from this consultation. A further period is spent with the nurse explaining diets and treatment programme. We adivse allowing about one hour for an initial visit.
Q. What are the Common Allergic Conditions?
A. Conditions where allergic/intolerance factors predominate include Asthma/Rhinitis, Eczema, Urticarea, Irritable Bowel Syndrome. However, allergy plays a contributory role in many other conditions including arthritis, candida syndrome, behavioural and reduced energy well-being.
Q. Will I be allergy tested?
A. Allergy testing is only one part of allergy manangement and may not be required at the first visit. If treatment response is slow, then allergy testing will be carried out at a subsequent visit.
A very small minority are not suitable for skin allergy testing eg. widespread eczema or highly sensitive patients particularly those with a history of anaphylactic shock. These patients are referred for blood tests.
Q. What type of allergy testing is carried out?
A. Skin prick testing is used at the Clinic for common inhalants and foods. This involves a small drop of the Allergen being scratched on the arm. Reactions are read after 15 - 20 minutes. In the past 20 years many tests have been offered including Vega, Kinesiology and many forms of blood tests. However, unfortunately, they have not proved to be consistently reproducible and give many fasle positive and false negative results. I believe that proper allergy management requires a detailed questionnaire, allergy testing and evaluation of response treatment.
Q. Will a diet always be necessary?
A. No. In some patients environmental factore may be much more important. Research shows that people find prolonged strict diets dicciullt and in my experience widespread removal of foods can have side effects including weight loss, social isolation and is not a practical long term solution. However, depending on your particular medical condition and allergy, a strict diet is often required for the first 2-4 weeks to confirm the diagnosis. Lifelong food removal is only necessary with acture IGE mediated allergies which carry a rish of anaphylactic shock eg. peanuts, egg, fish. Most food intolerances become less reactive with acoidance and treatment.
Q. What else can I do apart from avoiding food?
A. Allergy management is more than avoiding the offending substance. Other treatments aim to strengthen the Immune System to make it less sensitive/'allergic. Depending on individual history, treatments include :
Herbal/homeopathic medicines, good quality probiotics and Vitamin and Mineral Supplements.
Patients with yeast hypersensiitivity often have increased sensitivity to a wide variety of foods, chemicals,inhalants. In practical terms, it would not be possible to remove all of these. Howeveer, treatment of the yeast/sugar condition with a combination of diet, supplements and anti-fungal medication produces an overall improvement in their immune system with a reduction/elimination of their sensitivity.
Sub-lingual de-sensitization is increasingly being used for specific allergens, particularly house dust mite and grass pollens. Full avoidance of these is very difficult. No injections are involved and a drop of the Allergen is placed under the tongue to establish the correct dilution. De-sensitisation drops are then given.
Q. What happens at an Allergy Clinic?
A. The first consultation involves going through a comprehensive questionnaire covering all your main symptoms and all other complaints, however minor. This gives very important information and a provisional diagnosis can often result from this consultation. A further period is spent with the nurse explaining diets and treatment programme. We adivse allowing about one hour for an initial visit.
Q. What are the Common Allergic Conditions?
A. Conditions where allergic/intolerance factors predominate include Asthma/Rhinitis, Eczema, Urticarea, Irritable Bowel Syndrome. However, allergy plays a contributory role in many other conditions including arthritis, candida syndrome, behavioural and reduced energy well-being.
Q. Will I be allergy tested?
A. Allergy testing is only one part of allergy manangement and may not be required at the first visit. If treatment response is slow, then allergy testing will be carried out at a subsequent visit.
A very small minority are not suitable for skin allergy testing eg. widespread eczema or highly sensitive patients particularly those with a history of anaphylactic shock. These patients are referred for blood tests.
Q. What type of allergy testing is carried out?
A. Skin prick testing is used at the Clinic for common inhalants and foods. This involves a small drop of the Allergen being scratched on the arm. Reactions are read after 15 - 20 minutes. In the past 20 years many tests have been offered including Vega, Kinesiology and many forms of blood tests. However, unfortunately, they have not proved to be consistently reproducible and give many fasle positive and false negative results. I believe that proper allergy management requires a detailed questionnaire, allergy testing and evaluation of response treatment.
Q. Will a diet always be necessary?
A. No. In some patients environmental factore may be much more important. Research shows that people find prolonged strict diets dicciullt and in my experience widespread removal of foods can have side effects including weight loss, social isolation and is not a practical long term solution. However, depending on your particular medical condition and allergy, a strict diet is often required for the first 2-4 weeks to confirm the diagnosis. Lifelong food removal is only necessary with acture IGE mediated allergies which carry a rish of anaphylactic shock eg. peanuts, egg, fish. Most food intolerances become less reactive with acoidance and treatment.
Q. What else can I do apart from avoiding food?
A. Allergy management is more than avoiding the offending substance. Other treatments aim to strengthen the Immune System to make it less sensitive/'allergic. Depending on individual history, treatments include :
Herbal/homeopathic medicines, good quality probiotics and Vitamin and Mineral Supplements.
Patients with yeast hypersensiitivity often have increased sensitivity to a wide variety of foods, chemicals,inhalants. In practical terms, it would not be possible to remove all of these. Howeveer, treatment of the yeast/sugar condition with a combination of diet, supplements and anti-fungal medication produces an overall improvement in their immune system with a reduction/elimination of their sensitivity.
Sub-lingual de-sensitization is increasingly being used for specific allergens, particularly house dust mite and grass pollens. Full avoidance of these is very difficult. No injections are involved and a drop of the Allergen is placed under the tongue to establish the correct dilution. De-sensitisation drops are then given.
Contact us today at (01) 2000530 for a consultation
