There are two types of "allergy tests. One is the standard skin scratch test that an allergist does which checks reactions with IgE antibodies. These are more the types of allergies that cause anaphylactic reactions and skin issues. Then there are the tests like the EverlyWell ones that test for a different class of antibodies, the IgG type which are "food sensitivity" or "food intolerance" tests. I kind of feel if my antibodies are showing reactions to certain foods - maybe I am not getting obvious symptoms but this may be stressing my immune system so worth avoiding where possible. My test results came back with foods that I know for sure I am sensitive to and have known for years. There were some surprises though. But what was good was that I did this test like 20 years ago and while I cannot find those results to compare, I notice that on this test there was consistency. And that helps me to believe there is some accuracy. For example, if 20 years ago the test I did at a different lab said that I was allergic to cranberries (the only one of all the fruits) and now it says the same thing - that is too much of a coincidence (and I know I can't eat cranberries or wicked heartburn). Same with almost all legumes and grains... consistency between the tests. A few new foods have been added which sucks (my list is long) but I'm doing my best. Where I think this test can really help is to take the guesswork and suffering out of doing an Elimination Diet because effectively you are looking for the same thing. But the other issue is that you can do an Elimination and Challenge Diet, and remove all these things you are told people are sensitive to, only to replace them with something else you are more sensitive to! For example, I would have eliminated milk on an eliminatio diet and replaced it with almond or oat milk. Well, it turns out that according to the test (and from how I feel), I am actually MORE sensitive to almond and oat milk than I am to cow's milk! So trying to figure this out myself with an Elimination Diet would have been a disaster. Also note that it may not catch everything. For example, I know I am sensitive to citric acid. But I think this is more an issue of acidity than it is an antibody reaction. The test doesn't look for citric acid sensitivity. So you still have to listen to your body. I also do note that the EverlyWell test is a finger prick? The test I did was a vial of blood. Though mine tested a lot more foods (I'm in Canada).... I just can't see a drop of blood being enough for all those foods but anyway. The lab in the States that I know of you can compare to is Genova Diagnostics. Hope this helps!
There are also tests where the antigen is injected under the skin, not just a scratch and also Elimination and challenge tests for foods. Even at best, the tests are tips about where to begin rather than definitive answers. Allergy shots helped me a lot over the long run. I think in almost all cases you need to work with an allergist but if you know every time you dust or eat eggs you get symptoms, stop doing those two things. Giving the immune system a break is vital in menieres.
I remember a few years ago I was thinking of making a food intolerance test with IgG antibodies. While doing research, I found lots of controversial info about these tests. One of these was a tv show experiment - the journalist took several IgG food intolerance tests in a few different labs and the results were different. Then with these results, he was going into those labs asking them to explain why it is so, but he didn't get clear answers and some labs proposed to return money. So after that I don't fully trust in these tests. Maybe the solution would be to take these tests in several labs and from the results to make a summary, but unfortunately these tests are not cheap to make such an experiment.
I was consulting with my GP doctor about whether I have allergies and whether I need to go to an allergologist to figure out. So she explained that if I do not feel some allergic reactions it's enough to take an IgE test from the blood. So I took this test and the result was normal. So according to my GP doctor I do not have allergic reactions. Is it true or anyway is it recommended to see allergologists even if I don't feel any allergic reactions and my IgE test was normal?
Well, I do believe there is value in the IgE allergy tests but also the IgG allergy tests. However, for the IgG ones in particular I do believe there is value in making sure you are using a reputable lab. There is no question that there are many "scams and shams" out there. Even in the supplements we are buying, same thing - some companies cannot withstand testing as their products contain little to no active ingredients so it's always buyer beware. Mindosa - in the example you use with the journalist - there is no telling who he went to for these tests and what their lab setups or qualifications were. And it is entirely possible that one of the tests he had was very accurate - but all were thrown out on the basis of discrepancies with the others and him not being able to tell which was true and which was false. Anyway, I highly recommend Genova Diagnostics in the States as they have been doing these tests for medical professionals for over 25 years (and in fact, they have to be ordered by a medical professional, you can't just walk in off the street). In Canada, Genova operates through "Life Labs" who draws the blood and then it's "Rocky Mountain" who do the test. But they are both part of Genova. I'm sure there are other good labs too but Genova is right up there in this area.
You arent just looking for stuffy nose or itchy skin. In my case my mot notable symptom was my hearing. For some people it might be vertigo. It was explained to me it is all tied together. Allergies put a stress on the immune system which when under assault can manifest itself in some of us as menieres symptoms. Write what you eat, what you are doing every day and also keep a log of your menieres or other symptoms. After a month or two look back at the entries and see if you see any trends. Everytime i cur the grass i have a menieres episode. That kind of thing.
OK, but why do doctors validate IgE allergy tests, but not food intolerance tests with IgG antibodies?
Well, not to sound cynical but one possible reason is that for the IgE tests, the allergist (doctor) administers it by doing the test in their office. That's an office visit and makes them money. For the IgG tests, these are done in a lab. Beyond that, the IgE test is more obvious - they can point to a red, itchy reaction and say "see? look at that!" More definitive. IgG reactions can be vague and not easy to link. For example, yes - the vertigo, but things like fatigue, brain fog, bloating, heartburn, headaches, basically no end of isues. The traditional medical profession don't really do well with the "vague" stuff.... Then there is the medical thinking that you can't possibly react to proteins in foods because they should be completely broken down in the gut into their core amino acids before being absorbed by the body. Therefore there should be nothing to react to. But this is controversial too and many believe that the "walls" are not as impermeable as we think to larger proteins, especially as we age and the digestive enzymes and acids are not what they used to be to do this work of total digestion into the basic non-reactive building blocks. I figure this. Using a reputable lab, if they are able to see that my immune system (the IgG antibodies in my blood) reacts to certain proteins from foods then a) these proteins must be getting through as there is some "memory" to them and antibodies were created to them in the first place in order to be there to react and b) obviously in my eating of these foods, I am causing my immune system to react when it doesn't have to. Therefore, I am burdening my immune system unnecessarily when it could be busy keeping the Herpes virus in check, keeping inflammation in check, etc. So if finances allow it, and if a good lab is at hand, then there doesn't seem to be much down side to doing the test and avoiding the offensive foods for a while and seeing if it helps! At worst, you lose the money, at best you regain your health!
Are we talking about the same thing? IgE Immunoglobulin (kU/l), the norm <158,0 (from 16 years) - my results was 17.2
I just opened the google search about IgG food intolerance test and quickly found this info: Because IgG blood tests have not been proven to identify food sensitivities or allergies, there is a lack of evidence to support making changes based on their findings. The restrictions suggested by IgG test results may lead you to unnecessarily avoid healthy foods.
Well, I'm not sure what IgE test is offered these days. At least here in Canada, my experiences have only been with scratch type test. I have never been offered an IgE blood test (up to last year). But again, if the only reason "they" (the powers that be) give to NOT try it is that you might unnecessarily avoid healthy foods, I would say that there are a lot of substitutes for foods these days. Can't eat wheat? There are a lot of other grains - rye, barley, quinoa, millet, etc. Can't eat dairy? There are a lot of nut/soy/coconut milks out there and you can take calcium supplements for your bones and get protein elsewhere. Can't have eggs? Well, again you can get the protein from a huge array of other sources as well as the iron, etc. It takes a little bit of research but once you figure it out, it's fine. It's no worse than giving up the salt! There is no need to eat an "unhealthy" diet just because you are avoiding a few foods. That just sounds like a stupid reason from "them" not to try to see if the avoidance of these foods alleviates these severe MD symptoms. We have little to lose and everything to gain!
Actually it helped a lot. The journaling doesnt cure it silly, it helps you id things to look into to see if there might be an allergy connection. The allergy shots are the treatment not the diagnostic part. They helped a lot. But i think you know this, i think you are just a little bored.
Sorry, it's a little bit confusing to me. If the journaling helped you a lot to identify what causes allergies and to avoid these products, then why to take allergy shots for 8 years?
What I had found on the quick google search about this: There are a variety of blood tests being offered that claim to test for food sensitivities. Similar to allergy testing, these tests typically look for immunoglobulin antibodies: In the case of food allergies, skin pricks and blood tests that measure a protein called immunoglobulin E, or IgE, are used to diagnose them.
Here is more info after little research: Immunoglobulin G: IgG is the most common type of antibody in your blood and other body fluids. These antibodies protect you against infection by "remembering" which germs you've been exposed to before. If those germs come back, your immune system knows to attack them. Your doctor can test for IgG to figure out whether you've been infected by certain kinds of bacteria or virus. Immunoglobulin E: Allergy blood tests measure the amount of IgE antibodies in the blood. Your body makes IgE antibodies when it overreacts to substances that aren't harmful, such as pollen or pet dander. If your total IgE levels are higher than normal, it likely means you have some kind of allergy. But it does not reveal what you are allergic to. A specific IgE test will help identify your particular allergy, because IgE antibodies are unique to each allergen (for example, IgE produced in response to pollen differs from IgE produced after a bee sting) and checking for specific variants in the blood can help determine if an allergy is present. So there are two Immunoglobulin IgE tests - a total IgE test measures the overall number of IgE antibodies in your blood and a specific IgE test measures the level of IgE antibodies in response to individual allergens.
You cannot avoid all the dust and mold and cats and pollens and other environmentals. If it were just eggs, then that is the advice they would give you. I think you are kind of reinventing the wheel by rejecting all the doctors and others DO know until you personally figure out everything they learned in med school and that may slow your progress in finding your own formula that works for you. But it is entertaining I guess.