Allergy testing can be done through skin or blood tests. Skin tests are more common and reliable, with three types available. The elimination method is used for food allergies, while blood testing is preferred for severe reactions. The RAST test is one type of blood test used.
Allergy testing is usually done by testing the skin or blood for the presence of a reaction to an allergen. There are three main types of allergy testing used in modern medicine: skin testing, elimination testing, and radioallergosorbent testing (RAST). Skin tests are more common than blood lab work, because skin tests are less expensive and in some ways more reliable than a blood test. There are also other testing methods beyond the ones above, such as the surprisingly simple yet effective methods used by naturopathic doctors.
Within the skin test category, there are three types of tests commonly performed. The first of these is called a skin patch test, in which a small swab, moistened with a solution of the allergen in question, is taped against the skin for a period of 24 to 48 hours. If the patient is allergic to the substance, an allergic reaction known as contact dermatitis will appear. Allergy testing with this method is quite reliable, but there are other faster methods as well.
Skin testing is done by placing a few drops of an allergen in solution on the person’s skin. A needle is then used to scratch or prick the skin so that the allergen can enter it. If the person is allergic, a raised red area will develop on the skin. An intradermal test works somewhat similarly. In this method of allergy testing, the allergen solution is injected into the skin in small quantities.
This way you can test more than one allergy at the same time. The only possible disadvantage of the intradermal method is that it is significantly more sensitive than a skin test and can sometimes give a false positive. This means that the test results will look like there is an allergy to that substance, when in fact there isn’t.
When the allergies in question are food allergies, the elimination method of allergy testing is often used. As part of the elimination method, suspected allergens are eliminated from the person’s diet over a period of weeks and then reintroduced one by one. Food allergy is detected if an allergic reaction occurs shortly after a certain food is reintroduced. The elimination method can only be used to test for non-life-threatening allergies.
If a patient is suffering severe reactions to an unknown allergen, blood testing is usually the preferred method. The RAST test is one of the types of blood tests used in this case. Blood tests measure the levels of antibodies in the blood produced as part of an allergic reaction. There are only a few RAST tests available, compared to the number of allergies that can be detected through skin testing.
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