The elimination diet is a way of identifying which foods may be causing adverse reactions. Managed properly it can be an extremely accurate way of diagnosing specific food intolerances and is often used by GPs. Ideally no-one should try an elimination diet without medical support. Eliminating...
Feeling ill and don't know why? Keeping a detailed diary can be one of the cheapest and most accurate ways of diagnosing what's making you ill. A diary can also provide valuable evidence of symptoms when you approach a doctor or dietician. The more detailed the diary,...
Being intolerant of most foods means relying heavily on the few foods you have left. Unfortunately, eating excess amounts of one food type leads to an increased risk of sensitivity. The very real fear of starvation, coupled with possible malnutrition, places an even bigger burden on the...
Once a suspect food is excluded from your diet, you should notice an improvement of symptoms within 1-2 weeks. Retry the food again after 6 weeks and if there's no reaction you can happily eat it in moderation. In the meantime replace the excluded food with...
As your body chemistry changes so will your intolerances. It is sensible to be a little cautious, but you may well find that foods which previously provoked horrendous reactions 3 months ago will now be absolutely fine. Before you start reintroducing foods, it would be sensible to see your...
A rotation diet can help to manage food intolerance, but it is not a cure. At the same time as reintroducing foods or taking artificial nutrition, it makes sense to try to improve or overcome the underlying cause of your food intolerance. It is useful to rule...
In medical terms, food intolerance is not the same as food allergy. Although they can both have extremely unpleasant symptoms, it is important to understand the difference between food allergy and food intolerance. It is possible to be sensitive to any food, drink or ingredient. Food sensitivity...
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is not recognised as an allergy in the true medical sense, as most reactions are not mediated by the IgE antibody. Symptoms can occur in many different organ systems as well as affecting the central nervous system. Several tests have been proposed...
There are no statistics for recovery but given the right information and support, many sufferers do make a significant improvement. Some return to full health whilst others are left to cope with residual allergies. With a suitable approach, patients commonly experience a gradual decrease in symptoms...
Symptoms are wide ranging and vary from person to person. Depending on the duration, type and strength of chemical exposure, reactions can be mild or totally disabling. They usually occur to minute quantities of substances at levels far below those considered to be toxic. Individuals can...