Top 5 Things Food Allergic People Should Do
1. Be alert with what you are eating. Make it a habit to always read labels on all foods and other items. Clearly communicate both what you are allergic to and how severe your allergies are to servers and hosts when you are eating away from home. 2. If food proteins...
The Big Nine: Sesame Allergy Alert!
Over recent years, SESAME allergy has emerged as a common food allergy among children and adults. Concerns over protecting allergic consumers who are vulnerable to accidental exposure in food items led to a grass-roots movement to add SESAME to the list of MAJOR FOOD...
Signs and Symptoms of Allergic Reactions
Despite being careful, you may accidentally come in contact with something to which you are allergic or even a derivative/cross reactive product that your immune system identifies as the original allergen. Immediate Hypersensitivity Allergic Reactions This is caused...
What Happens During a Food Reaction?
When an allergic person is exposed to her/his food ALLERGEN (the specific substance that s/he is allergic to), s/he may develop an allergic reaction. The reaction is an “overreactivity” called a HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTION. This is when the immune system mistakes what...
Allergy Diagnosis by Blood Testing—How Do Blood Tests Help Diagnose Food Allergy?
Author: Dareen Siri MD In cases of possible food allergy, based on skin test and the clinical history of a patient’s reactions (or lack thereof), blood or serum testing, called Immunocap IgE to the specific food allergen, is essential to helping us determine...
Allergy Diagnosis by Skin Prick Testing — Does Skin Testing Predict How Allergic You Are?
Step 1. Allergy Diagnosis by Skin Prick Testing. Does skin testing predict how allergic you are? Author: Dareen Siri MD After conversing with us about your symptoms of food allergy, your suspicions, and your history of reactions, MASA clinicians will move on to...
Egg Allergen Component Tests
Egg allergen component tests can help you determine the likelihood of reaction to products baked with egg, such as muffins or cookies, as well as the likelihood of allergy Persistence. High levels of egg white IgE may predict the likelihood of sensitivity, but may not...