How to Live with Milk Allergies Articles | Allergies

Many people are under the false notion that they are intolerant or sensitive to dairy products. The reality is that they are actually sensitive to the sugar contained in milk and other dairy produce. A lactose-intolerant person will experience a series of distressing symptoms within hours of consumption of any dairy product, which include flatulence (gas), diarrhea, skin rash and fatigue.

There are however, a lot of people who develop genuine ‘allergic reactions’ to cow’s milk while their immune system goes berserk trying to fight the foreign allergens. The reactions may get manifested in the form of skin rash or tiredness. In some rare instances, these reactions may turn serious as it tends to choke the patient’s air ways and he finds it nearly impossible to breathe. These situations if left untreated or unattended may prove to be fatal and may even cause death.

The rate in which the allergic or intolerance reaction should show up would largely depend on the speed at which the diary product is digested. The time could be any time within 30 minutes to 2 days after ingestion of a dairy product.

It is possible that you are just intolerant to milk or any dairy product, or severely allergic to any item which is linked to dairy in its origin. Whether you are truly ‘allergic’ to milk or any dairy product or simply intolerant to these items with mild reactions which are far from life threatening, it is always wise to know ways to prevent such incidences, since milk and milk products are part of every one’s daily food pattern.

There are two specific times where these dairy reflex actions show up when least expected. These are when you take soy-based foods and meats. Casein is a dairy derivative which is often added to soy foods, to hike up the protein content. This in turn proves to be a hidden danger for people who are allergic to dairy products. How is meat a trigger? Lactose, a key sugar found in cow’s milk is normally added to processed meat. Hotdogs, Vienna sausages, luncheon meats, chicken sausages and pates are examples of such processed meat which can trigger a dairy allergy to many people.

To find out whether you are allergic to any of the dairy products, you could try out this simple test by eliminating the following foods from your diet for two weeks:

• Lactose-containing foods.

• Casein containing foods.

• All pure dairy products (including cow's milk, cow's milk yogurt, cow's milk cheese, and cow's milk ice cream).

• Processed foods containing milk solids, casein, sodium caseinate, caseinate, or lactose.

After two weeks are over, try and gradually introduce these foods, one at a time in your diet to check whether you react to any item. If you break into any allergic symptom, visit your doctor who will prepare a prevention plan and advise adequate treatment.