Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this product, free of charge, from Robin Leedy & Assc for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it. As with any medical product, my experience may differ than yours.
Today I have a great new product to share with you!
An AT HOME allergy test!
If your family is like ours, seasonal allergies may only be the beginning of sinus issues for you.
Miss Grace has had issues with them her whole life. We had her tested for numerous allergies when she was only 2 years old, after a bad reaction to strawberries, that she had never had before. She apparently had an oddity reaction versus a true allergy one, as she came up negative for everything.
Four years later, this allergy season has been horrendous for her, and she has had to be on prescription meds to get through it. As a mom, you KNOW your kid better than the doctor and I knew this was not normal seasonal allergies and started thinking maybe ti was time for another allergy test.
And then (cue Twilight Zone music...) I get an email asking me if I wanted to review a new AT HOMR allergy test, MyAllergyTest. Bingo! perfect timing, so of course I said "YES!"
The test checks for 10 Common allergens-5 of which I was getting worried that Miss Grace might be having reactions to: cat, wheat, ragweed, Timothy Grass and dust mite (a friend went through this with her son and it was the pillows more than anything else- who knew?), So I figured this test was a really good starting point for figuring out what might be bothering her! For those of you who may not have medical insurance, or like us, have high deductibles and testing co-pays, this test at only $49, including mailing cost and processing, could be a much better financial choice as well, versus going to the doctor's office and having to pay an appointment cop-pay as well! If you have a flexible health plan, the cost of this test might be reimbursable as well.
In the box you get everything you need to take the sample from the person, and to mail it to the lab. This includes a prep pad, skin pricker, band-aid, collection tube and labels. There is no need to fast either! It was VERY simple to do and would have been done in 3 minutes except for Miss Grace deciding to start moving ans squirming around before the sample was finished, making for a bit of a mess. So if you are using it on a child, have an adult to hold them STILL until you get finished! Once we had the sample in the tube (it really requires VERY little blood!), we labeled the tube, package and id card. You then place the tube into the prepaid mailer and send it off. It takes about a week for them to get the package and begin the process of testing the specimen.
Let's review for a minute what they are actually checking for- an allergy is a specific response from our immune system to a substance that normally doesn't cause our body harm. An allergic reaction occurs when an allergic person first comes into contact with the offending allergen,and produces an antibody (disease fighting protein) called IgE specific to the allergen to combat it. IgE molecules are special because they attach to basophils, which are blood cells. Which is why they can be determined and found via a blood test!
When the allergen next encounters its specific IgE, it attaches to the antibody like a key fitting into a lock, signaling the cell to which the IgE is attached to release powerful inflammatory chemicals like histamine, cytokines, and leukotrienes. These chemicals act on tissues in various parts of the body, such as the respiratory system, and cause the symptoms of allergies such as sneezing, watery eyes, wheezing, coughing, Loss of smell or taste, repeated sinus or ear infections, and even dark circles under the eyes.
You are given a card with the website and a special pin code to retrieve your results when they are ready. They also send you an email, letting you know they are available. Our results were ready in exactly 17 days after I mailed them. Which is not bad, allotting for mail time, and considering it's allergy season and the lab is getting a lot of tests, and can take up to 3 weeks to process your test. the test is as accurate as those from your doctor's office- 93% for non-food, and 90% for food allergens.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, Miss Grace came back negative on everything. SIGH. Which means, we may need to go to the specialist and have her tested further for the oddities. Naturally, LOL. Now if she had come back positive, we would have also received a personalized plan for managing the allergies she tested for, including helpful hints, practices, medicines, and a local allergist who specializes in that field.
I was impressed with how easy and simple it was to use the test and I would highly recommend it, if you are concerned that you, your spouse, or kids, may have allergies that aren't just seasonal! You can pick it up at your local Walgreen's or Walmart too!
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