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- $Unique_ID{BRK01548}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{What is an Elimination Diet?}
- $Subject{allergy food asthma Skin Subcutaneous Tissue Elimination eliminate
- Diet rashes atopic dermatitis foods allergies vomiting diarrhea colic
- gastrointestinal bleeding rhinitis Dietary eliminated nutrition nutrients
- diets immune system systems autoimmune reaction reactions eat eats eating}
- $Volume{L-26,U-26}
- $Log{}
-
- Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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-
- What is an Elimination Diet?
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- QUESTION: After trying several treatments to help my 8-year old son's skin
- rashes (atopic dermatitis) and asthma, the doctor now says certain foods may
- be contributing to his problems--that he may have a food allergy. The doctor
- wants to put him on an elimination diet to try and discover just what foods
- may be the cause of the problem. Could you please tell me about this type of
- diet and how it works?
-
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-
- ANSWER: Food allergies are common in young children. These allergies can
- manifest themselves by causing vomiting, diarrhea, colic, gastrointestinal
- bleeding, skin rashes, rhinitis and asthma. Dietary elimination is considered
- a most effective way to treat a food allergy. But it may not be all that
- simple. First, you have to identify the offending foods, and that is often
- difficult. The elimination diet begins with excluding suspected offending
- foods from the diet. If the symptoms improve or disappear, the next phase of
- the diet begins.
- The eliminated foods are now reintroduced, one at a time. With each
- food, the child is closely watched to see if the original symptoms return. If
- they do, the latest food to be reintroduced to the diet is considered the
- culprit. Hopefully the offending foods can be quickly identified, and can be
- eliminated for good from the patient's diet. However, it is important to
- remember that children often outgrow their food allergies.
- It is very important to make sure nutrition doesn't suffer because of the
- diet. If your son's special diet removes important nutrients, your doctor
- should recommend supplements to replace them. It is highly advisable that all
- patients on elimination diets be monitored closely to prevent any problems
- that this form of therapy could provoke.
-
- ----------------
-
- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
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-