The most common signs of an allergy include:
 
– Sneezing
– Runny nose
– Coughing
– Breathlessness
– Wheezing
– Itchy skin
– Raised rash (hives)
– Diarrhea
– Feeling sick or becoming ill
– Swollen lips, eyes, mouth, or throat
– Pain or tenderness in or around the cheeks, forehead, and eyes

Allergic reactions are a very common type of reaction. Many people can become allergic to certain substances including dust, pollen, mold, and various other animal products. Allergic reactions can also be considered life-threatening if medical help is not available to them, and allergy medication has not been taken. Indoor air pollution is a common cause of allergies in the general public. High levels of pollution can cause severe health issues in allergy-prone individuals.
 
Allergic reactions can be life-threatening if the patient doesn’t seek medical help via a medical clinic or allergic medication. For example, if someone is allergic to bee venom, they will experience severe symptoms after being stung by a bee. An allergic reaction would cause breathing to become difficult and would ultimately lead to their death. In addition, anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that causes death without medical attention. Air pollution causes major health issues and high levels of indoor air pollution. Indoor air pollution can also cause major health issues for people with allergies.

Allergy tests are common procedures used to help diagnose allergic reactions. These tests evaluate a patient’s reactions to various substances and identify the allergens which cause the most severe reactions. Patients undergo allergy tests to determine which foods they should be cutting out of their diet. These tests are also used to help test for medication responses and identify environmental allergies. In some cases, patients with nasal congestion or breathing issues may need allergy treatments to be completed before undergoing testing.
 
Before performing an allergy test, our doctors will need usually conduct a skin prick test first to determine which medications a patient may be allergic to. This test can also be used to test for food allergies in infants and children. For this test, a doctor will use what is known as a single-use device called an Epi-pen to inject a small amount of the allergen that they intend to study. After administering the allergen, the patent will then record any and all signs of a reaction on a chart.
 
Typically, the doctor will then perform the exam on either the upper or lower limbs to ensure the test subjects are as equally exposed to the allergen as possible. Next, he’ll cover each area with a sterile screen and place a thin layer of wax over each one. Each area will then be carefully pin-pricked with a disposable needle without injecting any fluid into the skin. This procedure is known as the skin prick test and is often used to determine whether a patient is at risk of anaphylaxis- which is a life-threatening allergic reaction.

Allergy testing is a medical procedure that helps to diagnose allergic reactions. Doctors often perform allergy testing on patients with allergies and asthma to understand the causes of these specific conditions and to develop new allergy-free therapies. Allergy testing involves the administration of different substances to determine if you have an allergic reaction.
 
Testing involves either an injection or inhalation of the item for which the patient is being tested. Inhalation allergy testing is usually more accurate and sensitive than injection testing. Additionally, some allergy testing utilizes a combination of injection and inhalation to get the best results.
 
During an allergy testing appointment, our doctors will perform one of the following procedures: skin prick test (SPT), blood test, or skin puncture test (SPT). Our doctors will more commonly perform one of the skin prick or puncture tests to perform an allergy test, and this is because it’s the most sensitive method available. Injections can be completed through the skin with a small needle, which allows our doctors to directly measure your allergic reaction without having to get any extra stimuli from adding extra medications or proteins to the injection.
 
Doctors will also use anesthetic during injections to minimize any pain that you may feel during a test and to help decrease the chance of you reacting to the medication. Injections can also provide the doctor with more precision when they begin adding allergenic substances to the injections.
 
After our physicians administer the injection, they will perform an asthmatic reaction test on you by having you breathe in chemicals which will cause a more severe reaction of coughing and sneezing. After this reaction ceases, the physician will add certain allergen substances which could be dust mite proteins into the air for you to breathe in.
 
From here, they will administer the allergenic breath test to you while you are in their presence, and may repeat the procedure until the physician reached an unreasonable doubt that you are or aren’t allergic to the specific air-borne allergen. Contact us or request an appointment online. We are located at 711 W Center St West Bridgewater, MA 02379. We serve patients from West Bridgewater MA, Bridgewater MA, Taunton MA, Middleborough MA, Plymouth MA, Pembroke MA, Braintree MA, Mansfield MA, Stoughton MA, Brockton MA, Wareham MA, Somerset MA, Attleboro MA, Abington MA, and surrounding areas.