Originally Posted by
slawecki
she should go get real medical assistance, not base her live on hearsay from people who do not know what they are talking about. an allergist can perform "scratch" tests and pretty much determine many major allergies. many things do not have test seriums. my mother had extreme reactions to strawberry, corn, crab, tomato. no problems with shrimp and lobster. she got severe migraines.
the tests are simple, and have been around since at least the end of ww2. i had my first scratch tests in 1947 when it was determined i was allergic to grass molds. we lived in illinois, which is a major wheat producer. i could not breathe through my nose till i moved to boston. in 1947, i think they had about 20 items for which to test. the last time i was tested in about 2005, they had hundreds of test items. there were at that time tests for only about 5 or 6 different tree pollens. i am allergic to one of them, but not one of those for which tests are available.
I'm severely allergic to a few things, some of which are not available as 'scratch tests' (because they are unusual allergies) but the reactions are undoubtedly allergic reactions (per more than one MD)
I also tested positive to several substances on the scratch test that I am convinced I am not allergic to, because of extensive exposure. It told me I was severely allergic to dogs for example - and yet I've lived very happily with dogs my entire life with not so much as a rash or sniffle (doctor was astounded, said she would expect heavy wheezing if there were dogs near). I was also allergic to shellfish - and whilst I haven't eaten shellfish since I was around 5 years old, as far as my mother remembers (and I believe her memory and my own) I never had a reaction.
So I do wonder about the accuracy, certainly in terms of false positives.