How to Test for Nut Allergies

Nut allergies are a condition where your body has an abnormal immune system response to nut products. This can occur if you ingest nuts or even have skin contact with the oils that they contain. It is possible to be allergic to all nuts or to to just one kind, such as peanuts. If you think that you have nut allergies, you must first recognize the symptoms and then have your health care provider test you.

Instructions

• 1

  Recognize the nut allergy symptoms, which may include hives or skin itching soon after eating nuts. Your lips, tongue and throat may swell. Some people with nut allergies may also experience lightheadedness, dizziness or abdominal pain. Nausea and trouble breathing are also common nut allergy symptoms.

• 2

  Keep a food diary. Write down what you eat every day to keep record of how nut products are affecting your body. If you experience symptoms, you can look back and see if you have eaten any nut products in the previous few hours.

• 3

  Talk to your health care provider about your experiences with nut products. He will give you a physical exam to rule out other health problems. He may even ask you to stop eating nuts altogether to see if you continue to have adverse reactions.

• 4

  Have your health care provider perform an allergy test on you. There are several types of allergy tests but the most effective one seems to be the skin test. Your health care provider will choose either your forearm or your upper back to do the test. Tiny purified amounts of allergens are then inserted in to separate areas of the skin. In the case of nut allergies, the allergens may come from several types of nuts. If you develop skin irritations at the site of the injections, you have allergies to those types of nut products.