Do You Have Milk Allergies?
By Cari Haus, Thu Dec 8th

Copyright 2005 Log Cabin Rustics

As a nation, we have been raised with milk on our breakfastcereal, ice cream as a reward, sour cream on our potatoes, andmilkshakes at the local fast food restaurant. Dairy products arein the majority of our recipes, served in our school lunchprograms, and a part of American life.

MY STORY

When my daughter suffered from respiratory infections, earinfections and sinusitis, I did not know that what I fed hercould be contributing to her problems. At nights she would wakeup screaming that she couldn¡¦t breathe. My husband and I wouldrun into her room, grab her and take her into the bathroom. Wewould run the shower'¦s hot water till the bathroom becamesteamy. Soon she could breathe and would start to calm down.Sometimes that wouldn¡¦t work and we would have to go to theemergency room where they would put her in an oxygen tent torelieve her gasps for air.

A friend suggested I stop giving her milk. I was annoyed as theonly milk she ate was on her cereal. I decided to try it andalmost immediately, she was having more restful nights. Therewas a backlash when she spent time with others that fed her icecream, but otherwise, her ear infections and breathing problemsstopped.

I started to research this issue learned that that "At least 50%of all children in the United States are allergic to cow's milk,many undiagnosed. Dairy products are the leading cause of foodallergy, often revealed by diarrhea, constipation, and fatigue.Many cases of asthma and sinus infections are reported to berelieved and even eliminated by cutting out dairy." NaturalHealth, July, 1994, Nathaniel Mead, MD

A few years later, I began having regular bouts with sinusitis.Soon I was taking antibiotics on a regular basis. After awhile,they didn't work anymore and I had to take stronger antibiotics.When I complained to a coworker, she told me of a physician thatmade a huge difference in her life by working to see if she hadany allergies. The physician had taken her off milk, and thismade a huge impact on her sinus infections.

I went to see the physician, who, after looking at my nose,asked me to keep a food diary. I was annoyed. I thought I was ahealthy eater and this was a waste of my time. However, as Iwrote down what I ate. I found that every time I ate dairyproducts, my nose began to run. Like my daughter, I too had amilk allergy.

I switched to soy milk and my sinusitis completely ceased. I wassorry that I hadn't known this years before, when I had roundafter round of sinus infections in college. I had found that Icould save time in the college cafeteria by grabbing a shake anda sandwich. I probably had allergic reactions to the ice creamin the shakes.

A Frequent Problem

Allergists say the most common allergen is dairy products. Dairyproducts (milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage and cream cheese,buttermilk, butter, sodium caseinate and lactate) are the causeof 60% of food allergens. There are also secondary chemicalsthat travel through the food chain in meat and milk such aschemicals, hormones, drugs

and wheat, peanuts, etc.(http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html)

Symptoms of Milk Allergies

According to Dr. Agatha Thrash, (Ucheepines.org website), milkallergies aren't only sinus infections, rashes or a leakingnose. They can also lead to confusion, poor brain function inchildren and much physical suffering. Babies suffer the mostsince their nutrition comes mostly from a diet of milk. Childrenmay experience pain, loss of appetite, itching or burning of themouth with ulcerations of the lining of the mouth, all due tocow's milk.

Swelling of the lips, tongue, chronic coughing, asthma,rhinitis, bronchitis, urinary bleeding, constipation, andrecurrent pneumonia can be symptoms of milk allergies. Becauseof diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, gastrointestinal problemscan occur. Ulcerative colitis has been shown to have acuteexacerbations with the use of milk. "In reality, cow's milk,especially processed cow's milk, has been linked to a variety ofhealth problems, including: mucous production, hemoglobin loss,childhood diabetes, heart disease, atherosclerosis, arthritis,kidney stones, mood swings, depression, irritability,ALLERGIES." Townsend Medical Letter, May, 1995, Julie Klotter,MD.

Many adults have some degree of lactose intolerance. For them,eating or drinking dairy products causes problems like cramping,bloating, gas, and diarrhea. It may manifest as breathingdifficulty, hives and rashes, or serious pain in the gut leadingto inability to get nourishment from food and dangerous weightloss. These symptoms can range from mild to severe(http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html)

According to some authors about one-fifth of children with cow'smilk have central nervous system disorders. Bedwettinghas been ascribed to milk along with cystitis and thenephrotic syndrome. Failure to thrive and sudden infant deathsyndrome has been felt to be due to milk allergies. In adultsthe tension-fatigue syndrome may be due to milk allergy. It canalso cause migraines, sleep difficulties and asthma. IsraelJournal of Medical Sciences 1983;19(9):806-809 Pediatrics1989;84(4):595-603

WHAT ETHNIC GROUPS GET THIS?

Certain ethnic groups are much more likely to have lactoseintolerance. For example, 90 percent of Asians, 70 percent ofblacks and Native Americans, and 50 percent of Hispanics arelactose-intolerant, compared to only about 15 percent of peopleof Northern European descent. (Harvard School of Public Health)

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, consider this quote from Family Corner.com:"Lastly, it is important to note that the milk we drink wascreated by God to feed baby cows. It is full of essentialnutrients to grow a nice big cow, not a baby human. Nowhere innature will you find adult animals drinking milk. Only thebabies drink milk. Why should humans be any different? Cow'smilk is for baby cows; human milk is for baby humans. Saveyourself a multitude of health problems and make the switch tosoy or rice milk. Or better yet, give it up completely.¨

About the author:Laurie Snyman is co-owner of The Vegetarian Express,http://www.thevegetarianexpress.com/, a website offeringeasy-to-prepare vegan food mixes and seasonings.