Do you think you suffer from allergies? Then use a Klarify allergy home testing kit to find out if you do and how to manage them!
Have you ever wanted to know whether you have any undiagnosed allergies? Well now you can with an allergy home testing kit!
As a kid growing up, I used to suffer from really bad hay fever. Summer would roll around, I’d scamper around outside generally getting into mischief, but I was constantly sniffingly and sneezing. Every. Single. Summer.
I tried everything from antihistamines to kenalog injections, but nothing really seemed to work. If you suffer from hay fever you know how annoying it is! It’s the itchy and runny eyes that are the worst for me.
Even though I still have hay fever in the summer, it isn’t anywhere near as bad as when I was a kid. Thankfully my body has built up its own defence. Or I’ve become more tolerant in my middle years.
I’ve always been fascinated about whether I have any other allergies though. That’s why the Klarify home testing kit caught my eye.
This is a very easy to use home test that you then send off to a lab for analysis. Then, two weeks later, you get your results back stating what allergies you might have and what to do about it.
So, if you think you might have any allergies and want to find out what to do about it, then this is the blog post for you!
What is an allergy?
Some of these stats might surprise you, but did you know that 1 in 4 adults suffer from allergies? About 1 in 6 teenagers and 1 in 10 children are affected too, sometimes very seriously.
The thing is, a large number of allergies are left completely undiagnosed by a doctor. Often we suffer in silence – sound familiar?
Some people might not even be aware that the symptoms they are experiencing are caused by an allergy.
Some of the most common allergies are from pollen, pets, house dust mites, mould spores and food.
These can give you symptoms of having a blocked nose, itchy watery eyes, frequent sneezing, and tiredness in the morning to name just a few.
More serious problems are skin reactions with angry itchy blotches, shortness of breath, or in severe cases anaphylaxis.
For a lot of people this is really serious, they just don’t know about it.
Often the hardest part is finding out the cause of the symptoms. There are just so many things out there that could be the trigger.
That’s why a home testing kit is great. It picks up on these allergies so you can actually work out what you’re allergic to. Once you’ve worked this out, you can then move onto treating your symptoms.
What is a skin prick allergy test kit?
Allergy testing may help you to find out which triggers might be causing your symptoms. Having the right information can help you to better manage your allergy and your lifestyle.
With a Klarify allergy home testing kit, you can test for a whopping 294 different allergens. This uses sophisticated technology to detect allergen specific Immunoglobin E (IgE).
The allergens that are tested are divided into the following groups:
- Foods – 154
- Pollen – 59
- Pets – 25
- Mites – 19
- Other allergens – 14
- Moulds & yeasts – 13
- Insect stings – 10
Inside your allergy home testing kit you’ll have everything you need for the test.
Essentially, you need to prick your finger (like they do when you give blood) to obtain a small blood sample. All it takes is 6 drops of blood for analysis.
Once you have the blood sample, you can use the plaster, and then pop the blood sample into the post for analysis.
2 weeks later you’ll have your results in a very easy-to-use app that details if you have any allergies or sensitivities.
How cool is that!? You can finally find out whether you’re specifically allergic to something without a long drawn-out process.
From your allergy report, if there are any serious allergies, you can then speak to your local doctor about the best course of action in treating the problem.
You can learn more about the whole process here.
How does the test work?
Allergy tests detect Immunoglobulin E (IgE) in your body.
IgE is an antibody produced by the immune system to protect us from outside intruders such as parasites. These are proteins the immune system makes to recognise and attack germs. The body usually has small amounts of IgE antibodies, but these are much higher if the body overreacts to allergens.
In an allergic reaction to substances such as pollen, house dust mites or insect stings, the same defence mechanisms are triggered.
Your body produces IgE antibodies specific to the substance it’s reacting to. These antibodies tell cells in your body to release certain chemicals. And it is those chemicals that cause allergy symptoms.
An allergen-specific IgE test can show what the body is reacting to.
Is it worth doing an allergy home test?
This is a good question, but allergy testing really can make a huge difference to your lifestyle. If you’re someone who thinks they might be allergic or sensitive to something, then an allergy skin prick test is one of the best ways of finding out about this.
Once you have the results from your allergy test, you’ll have a better idea of what you could be allergic to. And then tackling your allergy symptoms becomes simpler.
Once you have the results, then the next step is speaking to your local doctor about them. They’re the ones who can dive deeper into the problem and how to manage it.
And if you can manage the problem, that means you won’t have any of those pesky symptoms again. Symptom free = a happier life. That’s how I like to look at it anyway!
Hopefully this post gives you more of an idea about allergy home testing kits and whether they’re right for you. If they are, then best of luck with the next steps and managing your allergies!
This post was in association with Klarify promoting their home testing kit. As always, views are entirely my own and without bias.