What do people do when they suspect they have an allergy? They go for allergy testing. The popular form of testing is going to an allergy clinic and the allergy doctor undertaking a battery of tests to determine the allergy you are suffering from.

With people now, working from home, isn’t the idea of testing for allergies at home a viable one?

How to test for allergies at home

You start with getting an IgE-testing kit from your store and then getting a small blood sample from your fingertip. You should then pour the blood sample into the kit, and the kit will identify the IgE antibodies in the blood and give results depending on whether you have heightened sensitization to the antibodies or not.

As you take the test, you should know that having a high sensitization doesn’t mean you are allergic. When you are suffering from allergies, an allergic reaction comes about when you contact an allergen.

But when you are sensitized, you can come across the same substance several times without developing allergy symptoms. In rare cases, you will have allergic reactions in some people showing sensitization.

What should you do after the home allergy test?

The test results you get can only give you an indication of your body’s reaction to specific allergens. To tell the exact allergens you are allergic to, you have to get the results interpreted by a doctor.

Like all allergy blood tests, there are chances of the tests having false positives or negatives. A false positive means the test detects a response to an allergen even though there is none. On the other hand, a false negative means the test doesn’t pick up a reaction to an allergen.

Regardless of the results you get, don’t make a move, such as starting on medication or changing your diet. Let a doctor see the results, and he/she will advise you on the next step to take.

Limitations of home allergy tests

While home allergy tests help you pinpoint the cause of a reaction by looking for specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, it comes with its fair share of limitations that include:

You don’t always get accurate results.

Most home allergy kits don’t test for obvious allergies. For example, some kits won’t test for specific IgE antibodies, so the results don’t reflect the actual allergy.

Other tests measure immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies instead of IgE antibodies, which doesn’t reveal the true allergy you are suffering from.

You may be intolerant but not allergic.

This often occurs in food allergies. When most people notice they are being bothered by certain foods, they rush to conclude that they are allergic to that food. And true to their suspicion, the tests show they have some sensitivity levels to the food in question.

This can be a false-positive as, in most cases, you aren’t allergic to the food. To tell whether you are truly allergic to a certain food, you must undertake a skin or blood test measuring specific IgE responses.

You still need expert interpretation of the results.

The main reason why people opt for the home tests is they want to avoid visiting hospitals, but even if you take the test, it’s hard to understand the results as an amateur, so you are forced to hire a doctor to help you interpret them.

The good thing is the doctor will also advise you on the next measures to take to bring the condition under control. For example, if you are allergic to a given food, they will let you know the foods to avoid, among many other things.

Is allergy home testing right for you?

Home testing gives a hunch you could be having allergies, but it doesn’t give conclusive reports of the allergy you are suffering from. You have to consult an expert allergist Manassas VA for this.

There are plenty of allergy testing kits in the market you can go for. Before you invest in any product, consult your doctor about the best brand to go for.

We would discourage you from testing for allergies at home. Instead, visit a reputable clinic, and the doctor will professionally test your condition and recommend the best allergy treatment.