RAST results = allergies Help~

[elfinbaby]

I hope someone can help me figure this out b/c my ped. was not too helpful.

DS is 6 and he's just now been tested for allergies - on a whim actually. I wanted dd tested so I just threw him in there, too. Turns out he's allergic to dust mites (3400+) and tomatoes (800+) and house dust (600+). Those I can deal with and it's obvious that the dust mites are the biggest issue.

However, he is also allergic to other stuff - wheat, corn, peanuts, strawberries, barley, rye - ranging in the 200-600. So what does that mean? The ped. said do the elimation diet and reintroduce. How long do I eliminate them and then how do I add them in. I have done several elim. diets with him since he was 3 and NEVER found a reaction. I think his reactions are subtle and delayed so I will have to reintroduce one food slowly over a period of days.

Shouldn't he see an allergist? If he's allergic to pecans he could be allergic to other nuts, right? And all those grains! Ugh. I don't think the dr. is too concerned since he doesn't have physical reactions. He has circles under his eyes and dry skin and nighttime congestion so I think she's fine with letting us work it out ourselves. Should I push for an allergist?

Thanks. Any input would be appreciated. I'm having a devil of a time figuring the RAST out.

April

[Meiri]

I would push for a referral to take him to an allergist for the more accurate skin tests. I consider eye circles, dry skin and nighttime congestion to be signs of allergies. The dry skin may well be excema rather than just dry skin.

When I was tested for food allergies with blood tests, the scale I was told was 0-5, 0 being no allergy, 5 being very severe. The various nuts can be individually tested for, so allergy to one does not guarantee allergy to others. Same for the various types of shellfish.

[mwherbs]

the RAST testing is more accurate than the skin testing especially for food allergies. so you either need to have this kid on a rotation diet where he doesn't get any one of the allergy foods any more often than 1x every 4 days or you eliminate them completely. with this many foods showing up I would say you need to be treating leaky gut as well. Which is probiotics for maybe 3 months if he has no more exposure to antibiotics longer if he has abx exposure. After 3 months of being off the foods reintroduce 1 food at a time and that 1 food should probably be on the lower end of his allergy scale, if no reaction runny nose, hives, constipation diarrhea, or other types of illness you could try another food in a week.
I recommend Lendon Smith's books- Feed your kids right, foods for healthy kids...
I have and my children have had many allergies as well as my extended family. I have seen through my families approaches everything from ignoring allergins , allergy shots, antihistimines, and natural treatments. I am still opting for the avoidance and natural treatments we will see.

[Jessica36]

Definetly go to a ped allergist AND go to yahoogroups and search for POFAK, they are awesome! Also eliminate and don't reintroduce until you test again.

HTH

[Meiri]

:

Yeah, for food the RAST is best, but for the rest....not necessarily.

Either way an allergist of some level is where he needs to be seen.

[elfinbaby]

Thanks ladies. The only other #'s I have are from 0-100. He has a 44 for dust mites and the rest are between 2-5. AFter we get dd's results back I'll take him or both to an allergist. We're going to do the rotation diet after the holidays and de-dust his room immediately. Hi eyes, skin, and congestion are symptoms I believe (and probably some of his behavior issues, too) but I think everything was so subtle that no one even thought about it. Drs. have never mentioned allergies as a possibility. We were the ones that asked for the testing.

Thanks again,
April