An Allergy is an abnormally severe adverse reaction to a harmless protein or chemical in our daily environment. This adverse reaction is triggered by contact with the sufferer’s immune system (the white blood cells), and may result in asthma, hay fever, hives, eczema, swelling and itching with collapse. There has been an unprecedented increase in the incidence of allergic disorders in recent years and scientists have been at a loss to explain this allergy epidemic. Factors that seem to be implicated are our genetic make-up in conjunction with our changing indoor environment, diet and "western" lifestyles .

"Non-allergic" hypersensitivity reactions are those adverse reactions that do not involve the immune system.  Heart palpitations triggered by caffeine are a good example of a non-allergic hypersensitivity (or intolerance).

The aim of the clinic is to offer a personalised comprehensive service to diagnose and treat allergic disorders. This is done at our private outpatient suite at a convenient time. Only scientifically validated diagnostic tests and the most effective internationally recognised treatments are used in the clinic. We adhere strictly to the "Good Allergy Practice" guidelines of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Current allergy management is to identify the causative agent (the "allergen") and then to remove it from the affected person’s environment. If avoidance measures cannot be implemented the sufferer may need to use "preventer" and "reliever" medication. Occasionally sublingual grass pollen immunotherapy or desensitisation by injections are suggested to induce allergen tolerance and reduce the intensity of the allergic reaction.  Oral grass pollen immunotherapy is now available in the UK, but other desensitisation injections are currently only available at a few allergy clinics in the UK.

The initial consultation will involve a thorough allergy and personal medical history and discussion, followed by a physical examination.  This will include basic diagnostic tests such as Skin Tests and Lung Function Testing. The allergy testing repertoire is guided by the clinical history and we do not advocate exhaustive allergy screening which tends to produce false positive results.  You will receive the results of your specific tests and be given treatment advice at the consultation. Please stop any anti-histamine medication for 3 days before your consultation and if possible, bring a list of suspected causes for your allergy. Occasionally further allergy blood tests (RAST) using the UniCAP method will need to be done and we can arrange these tests at a local laboratory (there is an additional charge for this). After your consultation, you will receive a comprehensive allergy report and profile in plain language explaining the probable cause and treatment for your allergy. Infants can be skin tested for allergies from 4 months of age. We do not perform any so-called "Food Intolerance" tests such as Vega, ALCAT, Kinesiology and Hair analysis as these are notoriously inaccurate and unreliable. We do not recommend IgG (as opposed to IgE) antibody testing (see our section on "Controversial allergy tests").

Consultation Fees and Allergy Work-up:

The full consultation and allergy work-up including specific skin scratch tests and lung tests costs £140. Each patient is given an allergy management plan and a comprehensive report is posted to them afterwards.

Our allergy skin testing consist of a repertoire of over 40 potential inhalant and food allergens which are applied to the skin in droplet form.  The skin is then gently scratched so as to allow some of the allergen to penetrate the skin. A positive test will result in a small weal and flare reaction within 15 mins., and this is diagnostic of allergic sensitisation to that particular allergen.  These tests are very safe in all age groups and adverse reactions are very unusual (Royal College of Pathologists). 

If you suspect you have an allergy to a specific or exotic food such as certain fruit or vegetables, it is recommended that you bring the fresh food along with you to the clinic.  We will then prepare an extract for immediate testing at the consultation.

To view a video of allergy skin testing, press this button  

 A follow-up consultation is not usually necessary, but occasionally if needed will cost £100. The purpose of the follow-up consultation is to further discuss complex allergy issues, monitor your response to treatment and plan future allergy management strategies. Patients will be expected to settle their account at the time of consultation at the various hospitals or clinics.

Dr Morris does not hold a full-time NHS consultant post, so unfortunately most private medical insurers will not reimburse allergy consultation fees unless a pre-authorisation number is granted by the medical insurer prior to consultation ( BUPA, PPP, Norwich Union etc).  Patients are advised to contact their private medical insurers for advice on pre-authorisation and re-imbursement of fees.

The clinics are held  at various private clinics and hospitals during the week and  on Saturday mornings from 9.00am to midday, for your convenience. We offer appointments at the London Medical Centre in Harley Street, The Guildford Clinic, and Clare Park Hospital in their comfortable Private Consultant Suites. Appointments can be booked by telephoning your preferred hospital directly and asking for Allergy Clinic Bookings (scroll down for telephone numbers). 

The clinic secretaries will arrange appointments, but if you have any specific queries or require information about the consultation or allergy testing procedure, then we recommend that you e-mail Dr Morris at doctor-morris@allergy-clinic.co.uk.

Although we prefer patients to be referred to the clinics by their own GP, we realise that this may occasionally be difficult to arrange and will see patients without referral.  However we do prefer to keep the GP informed at all times of any suggested allergy tests or treatment.

Prepared by Dr Adrian Morris: July 2009

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