As many as 50 million Americans have food and seasonal allergies.
Doctors traditionally use skin tests to diagnose allergies.
The procedure involves placing an allergen on the skin and pricking it with a needle to determine if the patient has an allergic reaction. Now, a simple blood test that looks for antibodies to a particular allergen in the blood may be a viable alternative. Dr. Bernadine Healy talked with the Saturday Early Show about this new test and gave us some tips on how to minimize the suffering from seasonal allergies, which typically begin in the spring. When an allergen-sensitive person sniffs specks of pollen, dander, or mold, the immune system goes on red alert. It cranks out antibodies that glide through the bloodstream, attaching to cells in the nose, throat, and lungs and stirring them up to release chemicals like histamine.