The prick test - a possible cause of allergies?
Removing a cause of allergies
Many people think that hay fever is annoying yet harmless, but an allergy is actually a massive attack on the body. Allergy sufferers should be aware of the available therapies and the long term effects on the body.
First the diagnosis
You think you are allergic to pollen? Before any treatment a physician needs to make a diagnosis so, if you suspect an allergy, generally a skin prick test is performed.
The standard test for allergies
The so-called skin prick test is the most common test method that is now used in medical practices. This test can usually detect allergy reaction type I and is generally for people who are allergic to pollen or pets, some asthmatics, people with allergic rhinitis and some protein allergy sufferers. The prick test uses standardized, industrially produced allergen solutions which are applied to the skin, often on the forearm. A standard test contains 15-20 allergen test solutions and also an aqueous solution and a histamine control solution. The top layer of the skin, or epidermis, is cut with a scalpel and the standardized allergens placed under the skin. This is usually a painless procedure.
Wheal and erythema response
If the body is already sensitized to an allergen, then a skin reaction will appear, sometimes within seconds, sometimes it may take up to 60 minutes to develop. There will be redness, itching or formation of a wheal in the area of the allergen that the body has responded to. In general, the size of the wheal is the indication of the degree of the allergy.
The first reaction of the body
Allergens are impurities in the body. In general, they are described as harmless. Certainly, as long as the allergen is only on the surface of the skin, nothing happens, the allergen is harmless. The allergen cannot pass through healthy skin. Only when the scalpel is used and the allergen is injected under the skin does it come into contact with the immune system. If the allergen is one that the body has not encountered before then the non-specific immune system goes into action. B-cells and T-cells (“killer cells”) are sent to work because an enemy has entered the body and must be destroyed. Externally, on the skin, one sees nothing but internally the foreign body has been removed.
The second reaction of the body - allergic response
An allergic person has already developed antigens to certain allergens. These antigens are referred to as immunoglobulin E (IgE). When a known allergen is injected under the skin the specific immune defence begins its work. B-cells send IgE antibodies to the deal with the allergens and the body begins to react violently. Externally wheals show on the skin.
The third reaction of the body - raising awareness
If known allergens enter the body and the non-specific immune system is already overloaded, then the body becomes sensitised instead. The allergens are absorbed and processed by the so-called dendritic cells. The function of dendritic cells is antigen recognition and antigen presentation. Then follow several stages whereby the immune system is informed and IgE is produced. This process takes several days but there are no visible signs - no redness on the skin or wheal formation – but antigens to the allergen have now been developed.
The fourth response of the body - the allergic immune response
When the body encounters this allergen again, the immune system is already sensitized and the antigens are in place. They respond to the invading allergen and fight it using the specific immune defence system.
Is the prick test a possible cause of an allergy?
An allergy occurs only when an allergen has passed through the skin into the body and the body has been previously sensitised to it. As long as the allergen remains on the skin it is harmless. Only when the allergen comes through the cut in the skin does it become a dangerous enemy.
Does the prick test make sense or should I avoid it?
In a prick test, the probability is high that the body is already sensitised to one or more of the test allergens. The consequence of this is that the persoNote: allergy testing only ex vivo (outside the body), never in vivo (in the body).n tested now becomes allergic to a new allergen, even though they were not before. Welcome to the club of allergy sufferers! Another possible outcome is that an allergic person develops other allergies, for example there was already an allergy to grass pollen and this will now be extended to include other pollens. The prick test has the potential risk of the development of additional allergies or cross-allergies.
Alternative allergy testing
There are other allergy tests available that also involve testing on or in the body. These tests are all dangerous because they always require the introduction of an allergen into the body and should be rejected for this reason. The RAST test (radioallergosorbent test), on the other hand, utilises blood drawn in the laboratory which is tested against allergenic substances.
Principle for all allergy sufferers:
The skin prick test is done because it is included in the teaching of orthodox medicine and pays the bills of the health systems that benefit. Unfortunately it has no relation to reality and involves a high risk of sensitisation.
Ask your doctor to only perform a radioallergosorbent test (RAST), or one of the newer methods that is non-invasive. It is currently being investigated whether certain antibodies against allergenic substances are present in the blood and can be identified.
Note: allergy testing only ex vivo (outside the body), never in vivo (in the body)
