Allergy Testing Ideas

Hi M.. My 2 1/2 year old has food allergies and I did NOT want to do the scratch test either! We actually went to a lady who does a bioscan. I'm not sure exactly how it works but it definitely did! She was able to tell me exactly what part of milk he is allergic to (his pediatrician told me he probably had a mild form of lactose intolerance but he actually has a severe allergy to casein). He's also allergic to soy and beans. Who knew you could have an allergy to beans? :) Anyways, he just held a metal rod while she entered different frequencies on her computer and it could read if he was allergic and if so, how severe the allergy was. Pretty incredible I thought! She was near Park Meadows Mall and it cost $80 to have done. Let me know if you would like her contact info! Good luck!
L.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi Marcy - we have had great results through our chiropractor doing allergy testing and treatment. It is non-invasive which is what I liked. You would need to see a chiro. trained in that field. We also see an allergist who is an MD.

As you know there are a million possible triggers. I was wondering why you thought it was a hidden food allergy? We noticed that our son was drawn to certain foods over and over again and those happened to be ones that he was sensitive to. Our chiropractor said that was not out of the ordinary.
We had good results keeping a food diary noting what and when our son ate as well as any reactions or behaviors after eating. ie: agitated, sleepy, facial flushing, runny nose, loose stools, etc.

We noticed reactions (including behavioral)to sugar, dairy and corn products like high fructose corn syrup which is in just about everything.

We also started him on a pro-biotic which has helped immensely with the running nose and itchiness.

One last note - you might ask if they can do the allergy scratch test the same time as his surgery to avoid that trauma - he wouldn't even remember it that way.

good luck to you!!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi M.,

My son had a horrible time with ear infections, and eventually he had tubes put in his ears and his adnoids removed when he was 18 months. He did great, but continued to have a constant runny nose, coughing, a then developed skin issues. Dr. Beck our ENT sent us to Dr. Jepson in Meridian. He performed several allergy test via skin poke on his back, we also had some blood work done to test for food allergies. Unfortunetly or fortunately all came back negative. However, since last spring his skin skin issues and cough have cleared up, but we stil fight the runny nose and our now looking into Claritan. I would look in to aleast havng the blood work done and depending on your insurance it covers a good part of it. At the least it would rule something out. Good luck!

My chiropractor does allergy testing through muscle testing. It AMAZING what she has fixed for us. In fact, she helped me write my book.

Her name and number is: Gail Warner ###-###-####.

K. Loidolt
Author, Shopper's Guide to Healthy Living

Hi M.!

I'll have to say that you are a very loving mommy to take care of your kiddos' pain. As a mother with two children who have food alergies, I'll have to tell you that it made a world of differencce to get the skin and the blood and compare the two.

My daughter(4) has 14 food allergens and my son (2) has three. Unfortunately, we found out the hard way with my daughter... and watched her stop breathing becuase we gave her PB at two. I URGE you to follow your gut and get him tested. I would say that your primary should be able to do the blood, but the skin usually has to be done at a pediatric allergist. Don't wait until it is too late.

My dd had the cherry cheeks when she was 4 months old, and they kept saying eczema. When she was a year old she broke out to milk. So when we took her to the peds and explained to them the issue they did a blood test on her we found out she was highly allergic to a bunch of foods and sent us to the asthma allergy clinic. It saved my dd life because if she ate a peanut or eggs she would have died.

in third grade I had tubes put in and my adenoids and tonsils taken out. Then again I had tubs put in high school. I have not had ear infections since.

My 4 year old was getting ear infections every time he had a cold and the doctor suggested tubes. I cam across a heath and wellness company that have change all of that. My allergies and my sons have vanished. He has had one cold since then but not an ear infection. I feel blessed that I came across these products.

please email me I would love to share them with you. I am so happy with them that I work from home part time for them.

www.newhomecareer4u.com

Please check out the information on the National Jewish website: http://www.nationaljewish.org/
They are the #1 allergy/asthma institute in the Nation for ten years and running. We've been taking our son there since he was 6 months old for his food allergy and asthma related issues. Just yesterday we where there, and I met a number of families from out of state. So even though you're not in CO, you may still be able to participate in their programs. Good luck!

I am not sure how young my DR. see kids, but DR. Nonas in Centennial (on Vine) does food testing without scatches. He is very thourough and his office staff are great! He did a Bio eletro test that checked different trigger points on the fingers. Interesting stuff but really pinpointed some food allergies that I had no Idea how they how they were affecting me.
Try him .
C. B

Please take your son to an allergist asap. I'm a mom who also has a son with allergies. One of my greastest regrets is that I didn't take my son to an allergist sooner. He started having symptoms like your boy at about the same age and I too tried all the other things first. He suffered with not feeling well and not being able to keep up with other kids for way too long. When I finally to him to an allergist my sweet little boy had moderate to severe allergy induced asthma and was only breathing at 35% of normal. My son's allergist may have quite literally saved his life. Alergy testing is not like the old days---not painful. they can test for several things at one time. Allergy shot have helped my son so much....and your doctor will be able to help you decide if shots are needed or not. He's now off asthma meds and is breathing at 95%. and although he still has a few allergies they are very mild and managable. I am so glad that I took my son to see an allergist. It's made his life so much better.

Good luck to you and your son.
J. B

I used to have pretty bad seasonal allergies like clock work. I had mucus build up and was always coughing, eyes itchy and watering, coughing up phlem, etc. My mom told me about whole milk and I finally made the switch. I was using 1% and before switching, I googled "whole milk testing" and found a wealth of information regarding whole use and it's amazing properties. 4 days after I switched, all of the mucus was gone and I have been allergy free since. I am amazed to say the least! I found out that whole or raw milk has the right balance of saturated fats and the enzymes to help digest it. People don't get fat using this milk in moderation. When the milk gets processed, the enzymes, vitamins, minerals and needed fat are broken down and the result causes problems with our immune system. Maybe you could try that one switch and see if it helps. Good luck.

Did your chiropractor do kinesiology or muscle testing with him? If not, I would call around and find one who does, or find one who does NAET. Ours did kinesiology and found that my son was allergic to corn and he was finally able to stop wetting the bed. (Poor kid was almost 10.) This way is so much easier than the rotation diets or shots and we have had great results!

Ditto the NAET. It has done wonders for my son and myself. Try to see a chiropractor re the ear tubes thing...or rather to avoid getting them. A friend of ours' child was going to have them put in and in one week, my husband (a chiropractor) and his associate were able to help the little ones ears such that he is tube free! :)

Best wishes!

I took my 2 1/2 year old in when he was 2, because I have a very good idea that he had a peanut allergy. I took him to a specialist. It was done on his back and the results were back within 15 minutes. The section it off to know what and where things were done, then they quickly do a pin prick-this was one of the hardest parts having to hold him while they did that. But at the same time I did not think it any worse then him getting shots. Then we waited for 15 minutes, and they came back and checked. Then they cleaned it up, but some benedryl on the spots, and told us what he was allergic too. So within an hour, we knew what was up. The only hard part was he was not to put his back against anything and they did not have much for entertainment. I would take something you know will entertain him for the 15 minutes. I think I disagree with the naturopath about the tests being unraliable. Alot of the allergies out there-especially food can be grown out of, so it might be that he has to go with out for a couple of years then get retested and see what has happened-that is what we are going to have to do. I think it is well worth it for the pain, and problems that come about if you don't know.
Hope this helps.

You could find someone who would run blood tests, but they are not always accurate with under age 3. Positives are correct, but you can get false negatives. We're dealing with that with our little one. He tested negative for several things that we are sure are allergies. We just avoid them anyway. I would look into the test, though, before doing surgery, if possible, as you may be able to avoid the surgery by avoiding or treating an allergen.

Hello M.,

My daughter had allergies as well for years and we tried everything. It was hard to pin point but we finally discovered that it was the toxic everyday products in our home. We found a health and wellness company that allowed us to completely convert our home with healthier products that contained NO harsh chemicals. Once I switched in 1 month her allergies were gone. I was amazed..

I invite you to take the healthy home quiz to see if this might help you on your journey to help your child.

If you would like to know more about healthier products I would be happy to share with you where I shop.

http://W.-adventures.blogspot.com/search?q=healthy+home+quiz

Here is another great link on my blog too:
http://W.-adventures.blogspot.com/search?q=toxic+brew

Blessings,
C.
www.AHomeCareer.com

Hi M.,

I have 3 kids who have all had allergies/intolerences to food, etc. It is so difficult to figure out, and we did do the blood tests for 2 of the 3, but found out nothing. Finally, for the middle child who has been sick since 6 months with "allergies" we got a referral to National Jewish Hospital in Denver, CO (not close to you, I know), and agreed to do the scratch testing (he was age 2). They were very good, kid oriented, and narrowed the testing to about 12 items. He turned out to not be allergic to any of the things I was sure he was allergic to. Of course, there are several types of allergic reactions, but his was not the histamine related response. After 6 months of various evaluations and treatment plans we have discovered he has ongoing reflux, started treatment about 10 days ago, and he has improved dramatically. Our specialist has informed me about the link between the post nasal drip, swollen adenoids, croup, and reflux. I had no idea! He does still have food sensitivities, and does best when off of dairy and soy. (Drinks rice milk). We will do a two month trial on Prevacid for the reflux and see if that eliminates the adenoid problem. Otherwise, we may also be in for a surgery at some point. But I am really pleased with the systematic approach to determining the cause of the problem, after 1 1/2 year of just treating for allergies - which was not only off target but not helping!

We have also tried NAET, and have been impressed with the results. I can't really say that it is a cure-all, but for us it has been more than worth it. I have used NAET to determine food and other allergies (in NAET an allergy is anything that impairs your body's functioning or immune system). It has helped me know what foods to avoid, and we have treated ("cleared") many foods. All three kids have responded positively to treatments, and we have had a mostly healthy year since we started the NAET. You can google NAET to search for a practitioner close to you.

Best of luck. Feel free to PM me if you want any more information about our experiences with this.
L.

Dear M.,

I would try doing some NAET treatments. It helped my family will a lot of Allergies in our household. You can find a Doctor on line. I use Dr. Chernoff in Boulder.

Wish you all the best,

C.

Hi, if I were you I'd avoid doing any surgeries if at all possible. Most things can be reversed with natural methods, it may take a bit longer though. Besides, the surgeries are not going to guarantee a complete recovery...
First try to eliminate all pasteurized dairy products - they are connected to all the symptoms you described - and try to replace it with raw cows milk (my favorite) or coconut milk (Thai brand, diluted with water 1:2 and a little agave syrup - from the health food store - to taste).
See www.realmilk.org for sources where to get the raw milk in the area.
Also see www.feingold.org on how avoiding chemicals in the diet and the immediate environment can benefit your little one.

Well,
Since you're going to a naturopath, I suggest a good acupunturist too--they can often tell what the problem is by looking at the tongue (like a fingerprint of the body) A great one I know of is Dr. Springfield in Greeley at Acupuncture Chiropractic Center.

My son has gluten and dairy allergies--if you try completely removing these for 3 months, it may tell you whether or not these are two of the problems. My son (same age) started having really bad asthma attacks when he was around cats a while back too.--He's been around dogs and they never bothered him. Suddenly, asthma showed up. It could also be the chemicals the city sprays for insects in the spring and summertime--these can affect children who play outside often. I'm working on trying to get these chems changed to something more eco and family-friendly.

If your child has been exposed to various new things like these, it may be causing his asthma.

Best of luck mom, and let me know what you figure out--I wonder about my son as well.
J.

I would highly recommend a book entitled "Is This Your Child" by Dr. Doris Rapp. She is a pediatric environmental allergist. This book is generally available at Health Food stores as well as any book store. Dr. Rapp recommends a rotary diet to eliminate basically everything and then reintroduce and watch for reactions. My neighbor used this book with her son who is ADHD. She was able to determine many foods that he was "allergic" to that affected his behavior. Dairy, Soy, Corn, Citris, Wheat, Legumes and garlic. She has controlled his ADHD with diet for about 10 years now, and without MEDS!. She said in retrospect that she noticed that he started having problems when she placed him on formula at 4 months when she returned to work. He immediately started getting ecezema and having ear infections, and had tubes placed in his ears by the time he was 9 months old. Look at the lable on most formulas, and the first two ingredients are soy and corn syrup solids. Also citric acid as well as corn syrup solids are in almost everything. I know that corn is a huge allergin so watch for it "hidden" in everything. There is also another book called "Five Years Without Food" by Nicolette Dempke. This is for when you have figured out some of the food allergies. It has the foods categorized by their relationship to eachother. Pistachio's, Cashews and Mangos are all related and cause my daughter to have an allergic reaction. There is a local allergist who is really into food and environmental allergies that I would recommend. Dr. Nicholas Nonas...he is in the South Glen Area of Englewood. He also uses the two books that I recommended. I would definately get a second opinion before I would even consent to any surgery. Best of luck to you and God Bless you and your little one. J.

Have you tried National Jewish for kids? There is one in Littleton and in Denver. Neither of my sons have had to have their adenoids removed or have needed the tubes. I suggest National Jewish since I took my first son there when he was 2.5 yrs old for allergy tests and they were able to pinpoint his triggers. And we did not have to do the "De-sensitizing" shots that some people do on a weekly basis. Steven was having trouble breathing all the time and it is heart breaking to hear your child asking you to help him breathe. He is now 23ys and he has never had any adverse effects. My younger son is 12 yrs and he takes Singlair (no sterods like Pulmicort) every evening before bed and has not had any of the side effects, such as sinus infections since he was five, which is when he first started. Singlair can be started as early as two yrs of age. G has never had to be taken to emergency care for his asthma since the Singlair. I would definitely get more than one opinion before surgery. If a medical professional gets upset, they are not for you anyway. As for the red eyes and cheeks, Loratadine does well for that symptom but at two yrs, he may be too young. Just remember, allergies and asthma treatments take a few months for the full benefits but are worth it, then you can all breathe easier. I am lucky to have an aunt who has been a pediatric nurse for over thirty years. Good luck!

Hasn't your naturopath told you about NAET?
Look it up and find a practitioner in your area. Your son's allergies can be identified and treated naturally, without shots or medications!!!!
We see Dr.Karen Bates in Colorado Springs.