Allergies are triggered by an allergic reaction. These reactions can happen at any point in time. They can be either physical or psychological.
Allergy can be defined as a hypersensitivity to an allergen that causes an allergic reaction to the reaction. It is possible for these allergies to be triggered by many things.
The cause of the allergic reaction may not be clear. This is why allergy testing is necessary. The allergist will perform tests to determine if you are an at risk for allergies.
Allergic reactions are caused by many factors, including food and mold exposure. The allergist may perform allergy testing in order to rule out all allergies. There are three types of allergy testing used.
The type of testing performed depends on what type of reactions you have experienced. Allergy testing can also be done on a few people with no known allergies.
If your immune system triggers allergies, your doctor may perform a certain type of allergy test. Your doctor may choose this type of testing when it is suspected that your allergy is caused by a virus or bacteria. Another reason, your doctor may choose this type of allergy test is if your allergy is due to your body’s response to allergies.
If your doctor believes your allergies are due to the food you consume, he or she may choose to do an osmotic challenge. In this type of test, the test subject is given a solution that causes his or her blood to increase in volume. This allows the allergist to determine how much of a reaction your body has to the food. The allergist will do this test on two different food allergens.
Another type of allergy testing is called the skin prick test. In this test, a small, harmless amount of your skin is pricked with a needle. The test is conducted to determine whether you have reactions to specific allergens. The use of skin prick test is to rule out the possibility that you have an allergy to a specific allergen.
During allergy testing, the allergist will first perform a simple examination of your hands and feet. He or she will try to determine what food you may be allergic to. Allergists will then prepare an allergen and place it on the surface of your skin.
In order to trigger an allergic reaction, the food allergen must contain protein. To test the effects of a protein, the allergist will do a tachypothesis. This is a type of test where a small amount of the allergen is placed on the skin for about five minutes.
If you have no idea what the exact cause of your allergies is, your allergist will first administer a series of allergy tests to determine if you have an allergy to specific foods. It is possible that all you have is allergies to certain food.