Allergy Testing

Understanding Allergies

 

Allergies are built-in physical reactions to certain substances that occur normally in the environment. The substances that cause allergic reactions are called allergens. When your body encounters an allergen, your immune system produces anti-bodies to the allergen called IgE (Immunoglobulin E). Your body does this in order to be able to fight off the allergens. Unfortunately, in allergy the immune system is not always able to defeat the allergen’s effect and allergens sufficient to cause a reaction can be found extensively in the environment.

 

The first in treatment of allergies is to identify the substances that are causing your allergy. At BodyMed Wellness Center, we work with Alletess Medical Laboratory. They can determine the specific allergens IgE anti-bodies that are responsible for symptoms with a single blood sample.

 

Food Allergy and Food Sensitivity

 

Many people think of allergies exclusively in terms of airborne allergens, but immune reactions can results from different types of food sensitivities.

 

There are two major categories of food sensitivities. The first is immediate food reaction. This type of reactions is IgE which is a fixed food reaction. The food to which the person is allergic will almost always provoke an immune reaction when ingested.

 

When immediate food reaction occurs, the patient experiences symptoms within eight hours of ingesting a particular food. Symptoms onset is rapid and may include tingling of extremities, wheezing, coughing, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and anaphylaxis.

 

The second major category of food sensitivity is delayed food reaction. This type of reaction is primarily IgG. Unlike immediate food reaction, this one is not a fixed food allergy. It is cyclical in nature. Due to the fact that delayed food reaction symptoms can appear up to three days after the food is eaten, some patients remain unaware of the foods to which they are sensitive. Some people may be ill and have no idea that their symptoms are allergy-related.

 

At BodyMed Wellness Center we can provide a full range of food allergy testing through Alletess Medical Laboratories.