Hi M.,
I have 3 kids who have all had allergies/intolerences to food, etc. It is so difficult to figure out, and we did do the blood tests for 2 of the 3, but found out nothing. Finally, for the middle child who has been sick since 6 months with "allergies" we got a referral to National Jewish Hospital in Denver, CO (not close to you, I know), and agreed to do the scratch testing (he was age 2). They were very good, kid oriented, and narrowed the testing to about 12 items. He turned out to not be allergic to any of the things I was sure he was allergic to. Of course, there are several types of allergic reactions, but his was not the histamine related response. After 6 months of various evaluations and treatment plans we have discovered he has ongoing reflux, started treatment about 10 days ago, and he has improved dramatically. Our specialist has informed me about the link between the post nasal drip, swollen adenoids, croup, and reflux. I had no idea! He does still have food sensitivities, and does best when off of dairy and soy. (Drinks rice milk). We will do a two month trial on Prevacid for the reflux and see if that eliminates the adenoid problem. Otherwise, we may also be in for a surgery at some point. But I am really pleased with the systematic approach to determining the cause of the problem, after 1 1/2 year of just treating for allergies - which was not only off target but not helping!
We have also tried NAET, and have been impressed with the results. I can't really say that it is a cure-all, but for us it has been more than worth it. I have used NAET to determine food and other allergies (in NAET an allergy is anything that impairs your body's functioning or immune system). It has helped me know what foods to avoid, and we have treated ("cleared") many foods. All three kids have responded positively to treatments, and we have had a mostly healthy year since we started the NAET. You can google NAET to search for a practitioner close to you.
Best of luck. Feel free to PM me if you want any more information about our experiences with this.
L.