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Allergies and intolerances

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General Allergy Testing

11 replies

sunnyshine · 09/02/2010 11:08

Hi, my dd was tested 3 months ago for a milk allergy and has been dairy free since. we have had the rast test come back negative for this but she is still getting the hives after eating. we cannot see any pattern to when they come but there is clearly something upsetting her body. do the nhs do a test where they can tell you what the allergy is rather than just testing for 1 thing. let me know what you think"! thanks

OP posts:
mistlethrush · 09/02/2010 11:28

But sometimes the prick tests come out negative and you're still allergic (first hand experience of this)

When ds was dairy free I did find it very iritating when I looked at ingredients - so many things have whey added which makes them unsuitable.

You might be able to get some help with a exclusion diet - you start wiht a very few basics, and gradually add one ingredient at a time. But I think that you would need help with this for a child.

nellymoo · 09/02/2010 12:46

You can get false negatives (and positives) with both RAST and skin prick testing. The only sure fire way to test is to ask for a food challenge on the ward, where they will gradually feed small amounts of the suspected allergen to you child under controlled conditions.

alaprochaine · 09/02/2010 13:30

When my DD was 2 he developed full-blown excema - awful, all over him, scratch scratch scratch all day all night, infected skin, bloodstained clothes, no sleep blah blah blah. Doctor hands out all the usual creams and steroid cream and acti-biotic cream and piriton... a veritable cupboard-full of stuff.

A friend's DH is an acupuncturist and infant nutritionist (chinese-based) and he offered to treat my son. Goodbye cow's milk (he still has goat), bananas, fruit juice, pasta, wholegrains (very indigestible for weak gut), sugar, wheat (other than the finest organic white bread)... Plus a little acupuncture! Which DS didn't mind too much when there was one square of dark chocolate to be had (yes, suagr and cow milk but hey!) And within 3 months the excema faded. Still recurs if we fall too far off the wagon - brown bread and bananas particularly bad. And the thing is, it wasn't one particular food group, but a range, cutting out one thing alone may not make any difference.

Point is, I don't think he would have tested positive for any allergies, the problem was/is an immature digestive system which is slowly improving. Doctors won't have any opinion about this, no point talking to them - I tried.

We were very lucky to have my friend's DH to help us. I know the alternative world is a bit tricky, there's a lot of crap out there which can do more harm than good, so I'm not saying 'go to an acupuncturist' but diet is possibly the key.

sunnyshine · 10/02/2010 12:54

thank you for you replies. i am going to go in with things to suggeast they do to get to the bottom of this and will see what the have said. i am even looking at going private to get this sorted but hope the nhs can sort it out for us. i will look into homeopathy too. thanks

OP posts:
sunnyshine · 10/02/2010 12:54

i meant accupunture too!!

OP posts:
alaprochaine · 10/02/2010 22:35

Sunnyshine, not so much the acupuncture as one trained in infant nutrition! Great bloke called Julian Scott in Bath trains them, great book called 'Natural Medicine for Children' his website is www.eyebright.me.uk . Good luck!

DeirdreB · 11/02/2010 09:48

Unless it's a straightforward and clear allergy but you suspect a more complex intolerence picture, I would second the nutritionist idea and a general exclusion diet. There are several methods of testing, which people have their opinions on but as the prick test can only test what you "ask" it to and you can have false positives and negatives, it can be worth looking elsewhere.

Sometimes the body is stressed and can be helped by removing the difficult to cope with foods (wheat, yeast, dairy, egg, orange, chocolate, tomatoes, sugar) and rotating foods that are a challenge to cope (this is very individual and can include other grains, other deadly nightshade family - potatoes, aubergines, peppers - mushrooms, soya, etc).

A nutritionist can also advise on suppliments including long chain fatty acids, vitamin c, probiotics and enzymes that can support the process. Once the body has a chance to heal, intolerence to foods is likely to decrease. Some tests allow you to reassess tolerence levels on a regular basis so that you do not introduce foods until the body is ready to cope with them allowing the body to fully heal before putting it under stress again.

Practitioners operate in different ways but the results / strategies are ofter similar. Finding someone you trust is important, get a recommendation if you can and ask about their experience and qualifications. It's important to have a good relationship with them so chat to them first so you can feel comfortable with asking questions and accepting their advise.

tatt · 12/02/2010 09:44

I'm all for self help and often recommend probiotics and fatty acids because they offer some hope, may have some benefits and don't do any harm. But this is for INTOLERANCES not ALLERGY. Treating hives like an intolerance is wrong and plain dangerous.

No tests are infallible and sometimes children told they have "outgrown" an allergy become resensitised. For allergies you need professional advice and food challenges.

bridewolf · 14/02/2010 20:39

RAST tests are given for suspected IgE allergies , which are very diffferent to intolerances.

it does sound like another allergy is out there and needs to be identified.

allergies dont often come in ones...

good luck!

sunnyshine · 24/02/2010 10:27

well, the consultant said he does not think it is milk but is something so has given me antihistamine to give every day for 3 months to see if any changes. since starting she has had no hives but other symptoms such as bloated stomach, lethargy and diarreah have continued. wondering now if wheat/coeliac as has very bloated tummy too! just want answers now!

OP posts:
nellymoo · 24/02/2010 11:44

Personally, I wouldn't have thought giving anti-histamine everyday is a terribly good idea for dealing with a food allergy. Yes, it will indeed stop hives from appearing, and may very well be the cause of lethargy, but does not get to the root of the problem. The only way to treat food allergy is to remove the allergen completely from your DD's diet.

How is your consultant sure it isn't milk allergy without a food challenge? I'm afriad I would be demanding further testing. And it is perfectly possible to test for more than one allergen from one blood sample. My DD was tested for at least 6 allergens at a time.

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