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Unproven and controversial Test in the evaluation of allergies
Non-traditional doctors have used various methods for many years as efforts to diagnose (and in some cases, treat) allergies. May this claim to identify the toxins in the body, or foods that cause a person to become sick or tired. Most of the test is not in science, and the shadow is that insurance companies do not cover the test, and / or not in the usual medical laboratory (they can only be done in a special laboratory).
Before the despair of spending money on useless tests, reading this article, and speak with your physician (or an agency official allergist), before embarking on a series of tests that will be useless only to provide information, while making other people rich. Find out which allergy testing method that applies to the evaluation of allergic disease.
Unproven tests for allergies can be divided into 3 categories:
• Tests which are invalid for any purpose, and not based on scientific fact
• Tests which are valid for other medical conditions, but not for the evaluation of allergies
• Tests which may be valid for the evaluation of allergies, but too expensive or poorly understood for routine use
Invalid Tests
Cytotoxic Testing. This test sounds scientific, and in fact uses a term (cytotoxic) which is used in the field of immunology. The test involves placing a drop of the person’s blood onto a glass microscope slide which has a specific dried food already attached to the glass. A technician then looks under a microscope at the blood cells, and claims to be able to tell if a person is allergic to the specific food used on the glass slide. There is no scientific basis for this test.
Provocation-Neutralization. This procedure may sound similar to the idea of allergy shots, yet has no scientific evidence that shows it works. It involves injecting (or eating) various chemicals, pollens, animal dander, foods, hormones or toxins into the skin of a person. If the injection results in any symptom (usually subjective symptoms), this is called the provocation dose. Then smaller doses and concentrations of that same substance are injected (or eaten), until no symptoms occur - this is called the neutralization dose. Provocation-neutralization may claim to cure allergies or reactions to just about anything.
Electrodermal Diagnosis. This test claims to diagnose food or other allergies through changes in skin resistance by measuring an electric current. The person will hold a glass vial containing the food (or other substance) in question in one hand, and a source of electrical current in the other hand. A galvanometer may be inserted into the glass vial or at another location on the person’s body, and a reading taken. Increased resistance to the electrical current supposedly diagnoses allergy to that substance in that person.
Applied Kinesiology. A change in a person’s muscle strength is detected by a technician when a person is exposed to a particular substance (such as holding a glass vial which contains a certain food), which claims to diagnose allergy in that individual.
Reaginic Pulse. This test, used for evaluation of food allergy, measures a person’s pulse (rate of heart beat) after eating a particular food. If there is a change in the pulse, either up or down, then the claim is made that the person is allergic to that food. There is no evidence to support such a test.
Body Chemical Analysis. With advanced technology, trace amounts of certain chemicals can be measured in body fluids, hair, and tissue. These tests claim that the build-up of certain toxins in the body leads to allergy symptoms and disease. There is no scientific evidence that any of these measured chemicals or trace elements result in allergic or immunologic disease.
Valid Tests that are Invalid for Allergic Disease
Measurement of IgG Antibodies. Immunologlobulin G (IgG), is an antibody made by a person’s immune system, usually for purposes of fighting infections. These antibodies may need to be measured in the evaluation of a person’s immune system. However, some practitioners (and many non-allergy physicians) will order these laboratory tests in the evaluation of allergies. The presence of IgG to various foods and environmental allergens (pollens, pet dander, dust mite), is not typically useful in the evaluation of allergic diseases. Measurement of other immune components, except for the measurement of immunoglobulin E (IgE) using a RAST, is not usually a valid test in the evaluation of allergies.
Valid Allergy Tests, Although Not for Routine Use
Histamine Release Assays. These tests measure the release of histamine from basophils, a white blood cell which plays a role in causing allergy symptoms. It is too complex of a test for the routine diagnosis of allergies.
Serial End-Point Skin Test Titration. This is a form of skin testing uses increased concentrations of allergy extracts in order to better determine a person’s sensitivity to certain allergens. It may be a useful test in knowing what concentration to start a person’s allergy shots, particularly if there has been a chance in the composition of the allergy shot mixture, although is not necessary for the routine diagnosis of allergies.
Source: Practice Parameters for Allergy Diagnostic Testing. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 1995; 75(6): 543-625.
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this site is for educational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for personal care by a licensed physician. Please see your physician for diagnosis and treatment of any concerning symptoms or medical condition.
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