Perhaps you’ve done your research on the different options out there for an allergy test. Or, you could just be looking for a bit of guidance on what you should be looking for when it comes to an allergy test. We’re here to show you that you have options and you may need to seriously look at a few options in order to find the right one for you. In fact, you may even need a whole other allergy test even if you’ve already taken one! Here’s what you should know.
The options for an allergy test
There are three main options that you can consider for an allergy test. One is thought to be the traditional one, another is thought to be the most convenient one, and the last one is assumed to be “last-ditch attempt” to get a diagnosis. But, there’s a lot more to it than that! Here they are:
- Skin prick test: This kind of allergy test is the one that you’ve probably seen before and may have even had done before. It involves a grid of needle pricks being impacted to the arm, and then allergens are placed within them. Where a welt appears, an allergy is confirmed.
- Blood sample test: This convenient test is done from home via a mailing kit. You order the kit, take a blood sample and then mail it back. The results of the lab testing are emailed to you along with a personalized information booklet to help you adapt to the results on the test itself.
- Oral test: An oral test is where you will eat varying amounts of allergies while connected to medical equipment, and it will indicate how your body reacts to an allergy if it reacts at all. The test is done in a clinic or medical centre to ensure that you have the right monitoring equipment.
Should you consider another allergy test?
The thing to remember with allergy testing is that, unfortunately, there is no “one size fits all”. With food allergy tests, it’s widely thought that skin prick test doesn’t offer up accurate results. It’s intended more for other contact allergies. The blood sample test is thought to be much better can also bring a lot of comfort to those who want to make sure that there is no chance at all in having a severe reaction during the testing process itself. The oral test, however, can be preferred n those that feel they’re allergic to everything they’re eating, and they are having serious, severe symptoms impacting heart rate.
The type of allergy test you choose will be best matched to your needs depending on your symptoms and preferences. You also may want to consider another test in that two test results can confirm something one way or the other. Perhaps you start with a skin prick test and then follow it up with a blood sample test or confirm it. Or, you do the same with a blood sample test and an oral test. The goal is to get a confirmed diagnosis of your allergy one way or the other. The right test (or tests) can help you do that.
