The presence of allergic antibody (IgE), as detected by skin testing or blood testing (RAST), only suggests that a person may be allergic to that allergen. The JTF has clearly stated that the diagnosis of true “allergy” requires the development of a clinical symptom that reproducibly results from the exposure to an allergen. For example, many persons are told they are “allergic” to a food based on a positive allergy test alone. This diagnosis would be incorrect if that food could be eaten by the patient without the development of any physical symptoms. In fact, many persons have detectable IgE levels to multiple foods but often, consumption of these same foods causes them no problem. Because food avoidances can cause significant hardships for the patient, the physician diagnosing food allergy should be reasonably certain that a suspected food truly causes allergic symptoms before recommending any avoidance measures.