Allergy Diagnosis
Everyone is individually unique. Allergy tests provide concrete specific information about what you are and are not allergic to. You or your attending physician need not to guess inaccurately any longer. Be certain. No more guessing!

Skin Testing for allergy
There are various methods for allergy testing. The simplest of which are skin prick testing or intra-dermal testing. Although slightly cheaper, these tests cannot be carried out on patients who are on many common medications, may not be as accurate unless done properly by highly trained personnel, may cause minor pain and discomfort with multiple needles being utilized and most importantly although rare, carry an increased risk of severe side effects such as anaphylaxis. The number of substances being tested are also very limited. This is still a good but basic testing modality.

In-Vitro Testing
Assessing the level of allergen- specific IgE in a patient’s serum in conjunction with a clinical evaluation based on patient history and subsequent testing can help a doctor confirm a diagnosis of atopic allergy and assist in the treatment of the patient.

Treatment Options

Once a diagnosis of atopic allergy to one or more specific substances is made, doctors have several treatment options to consider:

  • Have patients avoid subsequent exposure to identified allergen(s)
  • Employ a course of state of the art pharmacotherapy to treat allergic symptoms

Immunotherapy
Desensitize patient with Immunotherapy that employs controlled, prolonged exposure to specifically identified allergens. Sublingual Allergen Immunotherapy (SLIT) and Specific (Injectable Subcutaneous) Immunotherapy (SIT) is a highly effective treatment for carefully selected patients who have allergy to cat/dog/horses and allergic rhinitis due to house dust mites, grass pollens, certain tree pollens and certain weed pollens. It is effective in selected asthmatics but is not effective for food allergies or eczema.

The course of treatment is for 3 years and this confers immunity to the specific allergen for up to 10 years and also decreases the onset of new allergies for many years after.

In any case, the success of treatment depends upon an accurate identification of the offending allergen(s) and a knowledge of the patient to subsequent allergen exposure.