Oligoantigenic diet treatments are diets that eliminate foods you are sensitive, or perhaps even allergic to. They are also known as elimination diets. These diets have been utilized to combat maladies such as asthma, migraines, eczema, arthritis, acid reflux and chronic fatigue. Oligoantigenic diets have also been used in treatments of attention deficit disorder, also know as ADD, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. According to the Interstitial Cystitis Network, there are three types of these diets treatments; the simple exclusion diet, the empirical diet and the few foods diet.
The Simple Exclusion Diet Treatment
This diet is used when you already suspect a sensitivity to certain foods. When this is the case, the simple exclusion diet is used to confirm these suspicions. You would eliminate all of these foods for a period of one to three weeks, then slowly reintroduce those foods back in your diet to see if the negative symptoms return, confirming your original hypothesis.
The Empirical Diet Treatment
This diet differs from the simple exclusion diet in that it is used when food sensitivities are suspected, but the types of food are unknown. You would use this diet if you have already been diagnosed with a specific ailment. There may already be some known foods you would need to steer clear of. As an example, according to the Interstitial Cystitis Network, with irritable bowel syndrome, you would want to test foods like fructose, high fructose corn syrup, sorbitol, and foods high in saturated fat,giving you and your doctor a starting point. However you may also be allergic to other foods such as dairy which would have to be tested as well. Do not try this diet on your own as specific illnesses may be sensitive to specific foods and you would need to know all the factor of your own illness before starting.
The Few Foods Diet Treatment
This diet treatment is the most dramatic of the three. You would use this diet if you are having severe symptoms with no know cause. The few foods diet is done the other way around. Instead of choosing foods you think you may be sensitive to, as in the first two, you would choose a very small amount of foods that you know are safe for you. You then eliminate all others for the one to three week period. After this period foods are slowly reintroduced into your system to watch for the return of the symptoms. If you are using this diet you would need to be very closely monitored by a physician as the initial period may involve very little food, and the reintroduction of food would be a lot slower, to be sure of the exact culprits.
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