大象传媒

Various online companies sell different types of allergy tests, some costing over 拢100. Some use samples of hair to perform the testing 鈥� a technique which has no scientific backing.

According to guidance from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) hair analysis should NOT be used as a diagnostic test to identify food allergies.

Dr Peter Saul, a GP and allergy expert based in Wrexham, said, 鈥淭here is no benefit of doing hair analysis for allergies鈥�because the hair is not involved in allergy.鈥�

X-Ray decided to put several online companies offering allergy diagnosis to the test. We lined up a panel of people both with and without allergies. Then, using fake details and medical histories, we sent samples of all their hair to different allergy test companies.

Lisa from Cardiff has a severe peanut allergy but her test didn鈥檛 spot it at all.

She said, 鈥淭hat seems crazy that they have not picked up on the peanut allergy. I scored a nine out of ten when I was medically diagnosed.鈥�

Andy from Holywell has a diagnosed severe carrot allergy and was appalled that the test failed to pick up on it.

鈥淚t鈥檚 unbelievable 鈥� the testing can鈥檛 be right. It鈥檚 absolutely life threatening.鈥�

Jamie from Wrexham has hayfever but his test also failed to spot this common pollen allergy and instead suggested he might get an allergic reaction to eggs. We took him to see Dr Saul for a proper allergy test.

Jamie was given a skin prick test for grass pollen, cat and dog hair, and eggs. Dr Saul put tiny drops of the allergens onto Jamie鈥檚 skin and then pricked him with a needle. If he was left with a red itchy bump then we have a positive result.

Following the skin prick test Dr Saul said, 鈥淲e can tell you are definitely allergic to grass pollen. As for the eggs there is no evidence you are allergic to eggs.鈥�

Both Tash and Gem from Wrexham have no allergies, but our tests came back with positive results for both of them. The results suggested Tash could have a reaction to shellfish and eggs, and that Gem might have a reaction if she ate nuts, wheat or tomatoes.

We prepared a meal for them full of the foods the tests warned about. Neither of them had any reaction 鈥� either immediate or delayed.

We contacted the allergy testing companies involved to respond to our investigation, but they didn鈥檛 come back to us.

Fewer than one in five of us know basic first aid, and it鈥檚 estimated that a shocking 140,000 people die each year in situations where first aid might have saved them.

One possible answer could be smartphone apps, giving you key information at your fingertips on how to deal with an unexpected emergency. There are several different apps available and hundreds of thousands of people have already downloaded them.

One of them was retired farmer Roger Van Praet from Carmarthenshire. Roger was travelling to Bristol when he started to feel unwell with pain across his chest and down his arms. Despite the pain getting worse, he made it to his hotel and checked into his room.聽 Remembering he had downloaded the app he opened it and it confirmed his fears.

He said, 鈥淚t said yes these are all the symptoms of a heart attack, you need to urgently seek emergency help by phoning 999.鈥� Within an hour he was on the operating table having the necessary procedure to clear a clot.

Roger believes the app helped save his life, 鈥淭he app was key. If I had delayed or not bothered calling, who knows what the outcome might have been.鈥�

Dr Amy Jones from the Wales Air Ambulance has no doubt about the value of these apps.

She said, 鈥淚 think the use of this app and giving bystanders the ability to provide resuscitation can really make the difference, not just between life and death, but between the patient making a good outcome and walking out of hospital as the person they were before, or ending up potentially very disabled."