Food Allergy Testing
Tired of living in fear of food allergies? Schedule a food allergy consult with us or explore our specialized treatments!
Tired of living in fear of food allergies? Schedule a food allergy consult with us or explore our specialized treatments!
Living with food allergies can be overwhelming — especially when it’s your child. Every meal, event, or restaurant visit can feel like a risk.
You may find yourself:
For many families, it can feel like the only option is strict avoidance.
But today, food allergy testing can open the door to treatment options. With the guidance of experienced, board-certified allergists, there are clinically backed treatments designed to help manage food allergies — helping thousands of patients and families gain more confidence and control.
Our primary method for testing food allergies is with a skin test. Food allergy skin tests involve lightly pricking the skin with a tiny drop of the liquid food allergen. This is not painful. Some patients even say it tickles!
About 20 minutes after the application of the skin test, we’re able to see the results by measuring the reaction on the skin. This can range from just a bit of redness to a raised “mosquito bite” looking bump. A raised bump generally indicates an allergic reaction and that treatment may be necessary.
If needed, the provider may suggest a blood test. Food allergy blood testing detects and measures the amount of allergen-specific antibodies in the blood. Test results are usually available in 1-2 weeks. An outside lab tests the blood sample and sends the results to our specialists at Aspire Allergy & Sinus.
While skin and blood testing are both ways to test for food allergies, oral food challenges are known as the “gold standard” for diagnosing food allergies.
All food challenges are done at Aspire Allergy & Sinus clinics and are conducted by a board-certified physician who has been trained to manage oral food challenges and extensive food allergy therapy.
Emergency medications (including epinephrine, antihistamine and other emergency medications) will all be on hand and ready to be used, if needed.
At the start of the challenge you’ll be given a very small, measured amount of the allergen and observed closely. If no symptoms develop after 20 minutes, then another, slightly larger amount of the food will be given. This process will be repeated over the course of about three to four hours. The goal is to work up to a full serving size of the food you’re allergic to.
Ready to stop worrying about allergenic foods? Take a look at our 3 easy treatment options for infants, children, and adults.
Sublingual (under the tongue) food allergy drops are a form of immunotherapy that uses highly controlled doses of a particular food allergen to treat immune system reactivity, and are compounded in our lab.
Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) involves the exposure of allergenic foods to the patient in in our clinic, and overseen by a board-certified allergist. 80% of patients who graduate OIT are able to eat foods that once threatened their health within six months of treatment.
First Bite Fridays gives parents a safe, medically supervised environment to introduce commonly allergenic foods (eggs, milk, peanuts, shellfish, etc) to their infant with confidence.
*Currently only available in Austin, TX
There can be a lot of confusion around food allergies, food intolerance and food sensitivity. While often used interchangeably, they mean very different things!
Food allergies can cause anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening reaction that may include hives, swelling of the lips, mouth or other parts of the body, nausea and vomiting, wheezing and shortness of breath, mouth itching and delayed diarrhea.
A true food allergy does not necessarily involve ingestion: exposure can be through contact with the skin or even breathing in particulates in the air.
Food intolerance or sensitivity does NOT include anaphylaxis, but can have some shared symptoms, typically nausea, vomiting, and delayed diarrhea. Gas, bloating, and other gastrointestinal distress may occur after ingesting a food intolerance.
Read more about the difference between food allergies and food sensitivities in our blog.
It’s time to stop living in fear of a food allergy reaction. With our life-changing treatments, you CAN take back control and feel confident in everyday situations again.
Schedule your food allergy consult today and start building a safer, worry-free future for you or your child.
