It used to be that taking an allergy test was a long and drawn out process. But, today things are infinitely easier. Today all you have to do is to prick one of your fingers with a pin, draw a bit of blood, place it in a specialized container, send it to the lab and wait a week of so for the results.

Years ago if you would have to see a doctor if you wanted to be tested for food allergies. You would have to undergo him pricking your skin with various allergens, and then see him again to get the results of the tests a few weeks later.

Fortunately, the procedure can be a lot simpler today. In fact, for basic tests, you often don't even need a doctor. Today you can literally have yourself tested by picking up one of the allergy home test kits. The prices for such a kit vary greatly, but at this time you can find them on the Internet in the range of $60-$110.

The best of these kits will screen you for reactions to a hundred or more foods. And most will screen for your reaction to gluten, the most common allergy causing food. You pick up the kit, test yourself in the privacy of your own home, and get your results back right away.

But some of the newer kits are even better. As a matter of fact, some of them no longer need for your to draw blood. The prick can be entirely bloodless. All that is needed for the laboratory to test you against all one hundred plus allergens. When completed, the lab will send you a detailed report telling you which foods you tested positive for and which ones you had no reaction to. A positive test result towards a certain food means that you have an allergy towards that food.

A few of the testing laboratories go beyond simply sending you the detailed test results. In addition, they will send you a report of dietary recommendations that have been customized to your test results. But, even if you don't receive any food recommendations, you can take the test results to any registered dietician and have her set you up with a food elimination diet.

Specifically, this type of a diet will focus on the types of foods to which you tested positive. Then, as best as feasible, these food will be eliminated or limited in your diet. The hope is that once these foods are eliminated, the underlying allergy problems that you have been experiencing will be eliminated as well.

If you are lucky, your insurance will cover the cost of your test. So, once the company has returned your test results to you,  call your insurance company. See if they will reimburse you for the money cost of the kit and the test. But whether they do or don't reimburse you, if you have been bothered all your life by bloating, skin breakouts, unexplained weight gain, or other food allergies, taking this test could be the best thing that you could do to regain your health.