A runny nose, itchy skin, incessant coughing, and bouts of physical discomfort plague allergy sufferers. These symptoms can be physically debilitating and could potentially reach the point of anaphylaxis if not handled with care. Needless to say, with copious amounts of people suffering from allergies, in their latest video Mental Floss has debunked the most common "Misconceptions About Allergies" that you probably still believe.

In the U.S., one in five people either have allergy or asthma symptoms, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. This includes 55 percent of the population testing positive to one or more allergens. Although it is among the country’s most common diseases, with food allergies alone sending 30,000 people to the emergency room (ER) per year, it is often overlooked. The high number of ER visits may be attributed to the misinformation circulated about the disease.

Blood tests are popularly used as a diagnostic tool for an allergy to a specific substance or substances that patients show allergy-like symptoms to. However, when it comes to food allergies, blood tests are not the best way to determine an allergy. According to Mental Floss host Elliott Morgan, 50 to 60 percent of blood tests will give a false positive result when diagnosing this allergy. The best way to diagnose a food allergy is through an oral food challenge (OFC), where the allergist feeds patients small doses of whichever food is thought to be an allergen to observe if the patient gets a reaction.

Food allergies are believed to be uncommon, but the truth is one in 13 kids suffers from one. Ninety percent of food allergies tend to be milk, soy, eggs, and peanuts among many others. Allergic adults are more prone to reacting to citrus fruit, nuts, fish, peanuts, and wheat.

Allergies are believed to be for life, but the truth is some people develop allergies as they grow older, while others outgrow their food allergies.

Click on Mental Floss’s video to learn about other debunked allergy myths.