When one of the kids seems to be having some type of reaction, and there is no idea of what caused it, the best thing to do is see a family doctor as quickly as possible. After examining the child, there is a good chance that the doctor will want to conduct some screening for food allergies in Evansville, IN. Here is some information about how the testing will be conducted and what the results will mean for the child and the rest of the family.
The Role of Blood and Skin Tests
There’s a good chance that the family doctor will recommend the use of a blood test and possibly a skin test as a backup method for isolating food allergies in Evansville, IN. This is important since exposure to certain foods may or may not cause an immediate reaction. In fact, it can be days after before the symptoms manifest. Based on the type of reaction the child is having, the doctor will likely focus on foods known to cause similar reactions in other people. With a little luck, the first round of testing will reveal one or more foods that must be avoided.
Learning to Change the Diet
Depending on the type of food causing the reaction, the process of altering the diet may be more involved than simply avoiding the food itself. That’s because some food products are processed using the same equipment utilized for other foods. That leads to the potential for contamination of food that would otherwise not cause any type of allergic reaction.
For example, many products that do not contain peanuts may be processed using the same equipment that has been used recently to clean and prepare peanuts for packaging. The residue could get into the other food and be enough to trigger a reaction. The result is that the parents will need to check food packaging carefully. Many manufacturers include a warning on packaging when the food was prepared on the same equipment where nuts and other food items were also processed.
If there is some suspicion that a food allergy exists, contact Accredited Asthma, Allergy & Food Intolerance Center to learn more about what the team can do to detect those allergies and help the patient manage them effectively. The result will be feeling better and not have to deal with reactions that make life less than enjoyable.
