Podcast

Why are False Positive Results in Food Allergy Testing so Common? with David Stukus, MD

  • Why food allergy tests are so routinely over-ordered (...spoiler alert: it's all about money in food allergy testing and you're the one losing out!)
  • What to do if your baby has an allergic reaction to 1 food and your pediatrician recommends a panel of tests (...”RUN!” is his sage advice)
  • How families can do oral food challenges to introduce potentially allergenic foods to their baby...and why that is a way more reliable test than blood or skin tests

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE

Did you know that up to 50% of positive food allergy test results are false positives? Parents are ALREADY anxious about introducing allergenic foods and widespread testing when not indicated is making anxiety worse.

In this episode, leading allergist Dr. David Stukus is bringing us the TRUTH about food allergy testing: why it’s so rampant, why in most cases it’s not indicated and why FOOD and in-home oral food challenges are the best bet for “testing” whether or not your baby is allergic to a food.

SHOW NOTES

SUMMARY of episode

In this episode I’m joined by David Stukus, MD, leading allergist and the Director of the Food Allergy Treatment Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Dr. Stukus (“...rhymes with mucous” 😉) is talking about:

  • Why food allergy tests are so routinely over-ordered (...spoiler alert: it’s all about money in food allergy testing and you’re the one losing out!)

  • What to do if your baby has an allergic reaction to 1 food and your pediatrician recommends a panel of tests (...”RUN!” is his sage advice)

  • How families can do oral food challenges to introduce potentially allergenic foods to their baby...and why that is a way more reliable test than blood or skin tests



LINKS from episode

TRANSCRIPT of episode

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