If you have been found to have an allergy to a food such as milk or wheat by skin test or blood test (specific IgE antibody), and eating that food leads to hives, swelling, itchiness, diarrhea, or wheezing, you will of course be advised to avoid that food. But in many cases, after staying completely away from it for 6-12 months (longer if extremely allergic), you may eventually lose the hypersensitivity to that food and will again be able to safely eat it. Recent studies show that this may be due to down-regulation of receptors over time. This rule does not tend to apply to severe allergy to peanut, nuts, or seafood -- these tend to last a lifetime; only 1 in 5 children with peanut allergy will "outgrow" it.
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