Allergic reactions start in the immune system, which is your body’s defense mechanism against illnesses such as bacterial and viral infections. When you’re allergic to a substance -- an allergen -- such as pollen or a certain food, your immune system overreacts by producing antibodies to destroy the allergen. This rush of antibodies causes the sneezing, runny nose, and watery eyes often associated with seasonal allergies, such as hay fever.
Allergy symptoms vary greatly from person to person and allergen to allergen. An allergic reaction may be immediate and profound, such as difficulty breathing in reaction to ingesting peanuts. Other allergic reactions can take hours to days to appear and may result in fatigue or abdominal bloating and pain -- that eventually recedes – until the offending substance is ingested or inhaled again.
The wide variety of symptoms and potential allergens in your environment make it difficult to accurately identify allergy triggers. The physicians at The Ash Center use the most comprehensive allergy testing available to discover and then treat the underlying cause of your symptoms.
There are many types of allergy testing available, including skin and blood tests, and each offers varying levels of accuracy.
A skin prick test is used to determine allergens you may have an immediate reaction to, such as pollen. During the test, your doctor infiltrates a tiny amount of a suspected allergen into your skin’s surface and waits a few minutes to see if you develop a bump or other allergic response at the site.
One blood test used for allergy testing checks for immunoglobulin E (IgE) in your bloodstream. This is an antibody produced by your immune system in response to allergens. When specific IgE antibodies are elevated, you may have an allergy to certain substances.
The physicians at The Ash Center prefer a test called the lymphocyte response assay, or LRA, to identify the substances affecting your immune system. Rather than randomly measuring for certain antibodies or gauging allergic reactions, this blood test analyzes how your white blood cells (lymphocytes) respond to hundreds of different allergens.
Because white blood cells control which reaction-producing antibody is released and when said antibody is released, the LRA provides a detailed picture of how your system responds to certain substances. This helps your physician develop a plan to restore balance and health to your immune system.
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