Max's dad is allergic to peanuts so, to be on the safe side, Max was tested early. The tests showed signs of peanut, coconut and sunflower seed allergies.

Doctors warned Max's parents not to let him eat any foods with those ingredients.

“When I take him to a birthday party, I have to worry about what the parents are serving, and sometimes I think that people don't want to have him over at their house because they're worried he might react,” said Hilary Whiton.

But doctors at National Jewish Health, a teaching and research hospital in Denver, believe as many as one third of them may have been misdiagnosed.

"The skin testing and the blood tests aren't the best tests for diagnosing food allergies, so the Food Challenge is what we call the gold standard,” said Dr. David Fleischer, assistant professor of Pediatrics at National Jewish Health.

So, Max went there to be retested recently and to take the Food Challenge, retesting some of the foods to which he is supposed to be allergic by eating them in a controlled environment.

"What we found today was that he had a small positive skin test to sunflower seeds but, when we did the Food Challenge, he tolerated the ingestion of sunflower seeds without any problem, so they can add them back into his diet,” said Dr. Dan Atkins, a professor of Pediatrics at National Jewish Health.

That’s great news for Max and his family. Still, doctors caution that severe food allergies can be life threatening and that these tests, including the Food Challenge, must be done with a doctor's supervision.

"Now that we passed the Food Challenge, instead of making him this bagel, he can have the bagel he really wants, which has sunflower seeds on it,” said Hilary Whiton.

Doctors stress their research does not discount the situation of children and families who endure severe food allergies. They say parents may want to consult a specialist and do the Food Challenge to confirm the findings of previous tests. They also stress the Food Challenge is only done under the close supervision of a doctor.