Allergies - Diagnosis

In this article we're going to discuss how allergies are commonly diagnosed using a variety of methods.

The first thing that is important as far as getting your allergies diagnosed is to know, or at least suspect if you might have allergies. This isn't always easy because in many cases, depending on the type of allergies you have, they may very well have the same symptoms as the common cold.

Normally, the difference between the two is that with a cold, symptoms include fever, coughing, post nasal drip with a bad smell and or taste, yellow or green mucus from the nose or throat, sore throat, headache, and finally most colds clear up in 7 to 10 days.

With allergies, symptoms include sneezing, itchy eyes, ears, nose and throat, nasal congestion, runny nose, and clear mucus from the nose and throat. Then there are other conditions that can be present such as asthma, eczema and food allergies. For some people, the symptoms are seasonal, meaning that they may be perfectly okay in the winter and fall but feel like garbage come spring and summer depending on what they're allergic to. Then there are some people who are allergic all year round because their allergies are mostly of the indoor variety.

Based on the above symptoms for both colds and allergies you can pretty much get an idea of what you are suffering from, especially if your symptoms seem to be persisting for more than a couple of weeks or have been going off and on for several weeks.

The next question is simply, once we suspect that we do suffer from allergies, how do we determine what kinds of allergies we are suffering from?

The easiest way to get your allergies diagnosed is to go to an allergist and have him give you an allergy test. Actually, to be more accurate, they are a series of tests.

Allergy tests can be given in a variety of ways but the most common and most effective is the progressive series.

In these tests what the doctor does is set up a number of vials. Each vial contains a specific allergen. There are outdoor allergy vials and indoor allergy vials. The outdoor vials are trees, grass, weeds, plants, pollen, and outdoor mold. The indoor vials are indoor mold, dust, pet hair, feathers, and cockroaches.

The procedure is simple. The doctor, or assistant takes each vial and injects a small amount of serum from each vial into the patient, starting with the smallest amount possible. If there is no reaction from any of the vials then the doctor increases the dosage by a small percentage. Once a reaction occurs, that vial is marked at the dosage that caused the reaction. This process is continued until the max dosage is given for each vial or a reaction occurs for each vial, whichever comes first.

After it is determined what allergens, if any, the patient is allergic to, the doctor then makes a serum based on the test results should the patient decide to proceed with allergy shots to treat the allergies. Otherwise, the doctor will prescribe a medication to take based on the allergies the patient has.

------------------------------------------------------- Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Allergies ------------------------------------------------------- Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

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What is an allergy?

A major defence mounted by the body's immune system against normally harmless substances, or allergens, such as chemicals in pollen, food, bee stings, animal dander, or dust. An allergic reaction is the body's strong reaction to these substances in a person who is sensitive to them. Reactions range from mild to severe, and may include sneezing, a rash, or difficulty breathing (which can be fatal). Allergens trigger allergic reactions in people with allergies.
A condition in which the body has an exaggerated response to a substance (eg food or drug). Also known as hypersensitivity.
When a person is very sensitive to certain foods, liquids, pollen, or animals. The allergy can make the person ill, including sneezing, itching, and rashes. Severe allergies can even be fatal (cause death). Some organisms which cause uncomfortable allergies with people include Ragweed (pollen), Poison Ivy (oil), and Honey Bees (venom).