Dr. Howard Druce explains painless allergy testing

SOMERVILLE, N.J. - Nov. 6, 2013 - PRLog -- The pain of traditional skin tests for allergies can be eliminated by using a new applicator brush instead of pricking with needles. Dr. Howard Druce explained the new approach in an article about allergy testing on the Mother Nature Network. The article, entitled, “What is the best allergy testing method,” explained the different types of testing recommended for different types of possible allergens.

Howard Druce is a board-certified allergist in private practice in Somerville, N.J. and clinical professor of medicine at Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School.

“We take extracts of all the things people are commonly allergic to — pollens (http://www.mnn.com/health/allergies/stories/ways-to-fight-pollen-allergies), danders, molds, all the things in the environment that people breathe in or get in their eyes and causes symptoms and we put them into the skin very superficially — it’s not painful,” Druce explained about this new twist on allergy skin tests.

Blood testing, is another method discussed in the article. While in some ways it compares well to skin testing, Dr. Druce says that the challenge is in interpreting the results. "Just seeing a positive result doesn’t mean anything — and we see so many positive results in foods."  You need to interpret the results in light of the patient’s history and symptoms.

Another reason to favor skin testing is the immediacy of the results, Dr. Druce said. Blood test have to be sent to a lab and take up to three days for the results to come back. The results of skin tests are available while the patient is still in the office, he said.

The full article can be found on the Mother Nature Network website at: http://www.mnn.com/health/allergies/stories/what-is-the-best-allergy-testing-method

For more information about Dr. Howard Druce vist http://entcarepc.com/biographies.html .

Dr. Druce has been in private practice for over 20 years.  He is Board Certified in Allergy and Immunology and is a consultant to National Institutes of Health/NIAID extramural programs.