Allergy Testing

What are Environmental & Food Allergies?

An allergy is a reaction by the immune system triggering the body’s defenses against a substance that is usually harmless. The body’s natural reaction against foreign substances, such as pathogens that cause infection, is an immune response that protects the body from, and attacks, the foreign substance. An allergic reaction is a misguided immune response to non-pathogens that does not cause a reaction in most people. Environmental and food allergies differ not only by source, but exposure. Environmental allergies are triggered by coming into contact with the foreign substance through inhalation or skin contact during day-to-day activities. Food allergies are an immune response after ingestion. Symptoms of either source can range from sneezing, itching, congestion, skin rash, gastrointestinal distress and, in extreme cases, anaphylaxis.

Candidates for Testing

Candidates for allergy testing can include patients who:

• Experience a variety of symptoms that are unexplained or unpredictable.
• Experience a variety of symptoms that are unexplained or unpredictable.
• Have experienced itchiness, swelling, allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, hives, skin rashes, vomiting, or other severe symptoms.
• Suspect more than a sensitivity and desire to know which allergens trigger their immune response.
• Desire to find a precise treatment or solution.
• Want to determine if a previous allergy has been outgrown.

We test over 256 different allergens.