You may feel a number of symptoms or a range of common disorders including IBS, abdominal (tummy) distention, flatulence, skin problems, eczema, acne and psoriasis, joint and rheumatic pain, asthma, headaches and migraine, and many other general medical conditions.

Experiencing a strong reaction to certain foods can result in skin rashes, itching, breathing problems and gastroenterology problems, amongst other symptoms. In some cases, the reaction can come on so strongly and quickly that it could be life-threatening without the correct medication. When a reaction is this strong, the condition is known as a food allergy. When the reaction to certain foods is less severe and the symptoms display themselves more gradually, this is known as food intolerance.

If you are experiencing symptoms such as bloating, gas, stomach cramps, diarrhoea, constipation or skin conditions such as eczema, then you could have an intolerance to certain foods. Although not as serious as a food allergy, being intolerant to certain foods can cause debilitating conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and long-term skin conditions, if the offending foods are not identified and eliminated.

At Pall Mall Medical, our private consultants offer a range of services to diagnose and treat you. With our own diagnostic facilities in Manchester, Liverpool and Newton-le-Willows, we can look after you from start to finish.

Our private clinic has no waiting lists, meaning that you can have an initial consultation arranged with an experienced surgeon as soon as you’re ready to get in touch. You also don’t need to ask your registered GP for a referral, allowing you to access our services much more quickly.

At Pall Mall Medical, our experts provide a comprehensive food allergy testing service where you can be tested for allergic reactions to certain foods. These can be specific foods which you’ve noticed a reaction to and would like confirmation of, or they can be a range of foods which are commonly known to cause allergies such as dairy products, gluten, wheat, yeast, alcohol, nuts and fish.

There are two main ways to test for a food allergy – a patch skin test and a blood test.

·       Patch skin test – This type of test is often used to determine if a food allergy is causing a skin condition such as eczema.

·       Blood test – Our experts will look for a reaction in your blood to certain foods which may indicate an intolerance.

In both cases, a full history of your allergy symptoms will be taken to gain a full picture of what is most likely to be causing your symptoms. Depending on the results, you may be recommended to follow an elimination diet to confirm which foods are causing a reaction.