Milk allergies

It's not easy to find out you have a milk allergy as a number of foods we eat are made with milk. Having a milk allergy can be quite frustrating to deal with as you find out all of the foods that you can no longer enjoy but the good news is with the right type of care and hard work; you will be able to control your eating habits so you don't have a problem where you become severely ill.

Milk allergies will cause you to react to the protein found in cow's milk. This is why you may be able to drink soy milk but not cow's milk. What happens with cow's milk and the protein that your body rejects is a reaction where the body sends out antibodies to attack the protein. The body will use histamine to fight off the protein and this leads to the respiratory problems, skin problems, gastrointestinal problems, and even cardiovascular problems. The common side effects you will experience include the following:

• Headache


• Dizziness


• Vomiting


• Itchy hives


• Nausea


• Stomachache


• Wheezing and trouble breathing

Medical treatment will be necessary to help control the symptoms and to get the protein out of your system. Some people that are severely allergic may end up experiencing anaphylaxis. This is where your throat actually begins to swell and you are unable to breathe.

Once you have the diagnosis of a milk allergy, the next step is to figure out treatment options. One of the first things a doctor will give you is a list of all the foods you can and cannot eat. Anything that contains milk or a milk product should not be eaten. Learning how to control your eating habits and cravings is going to be the hardest part of battling this allergy. Not only do you want to stop eating cheese but you might have to stop eating the bread that you use to make your sandwich because milk was used in the dough.

Learn how to read labels and make sure you are very careful about buying pasta as many pastas contain milk or milk products. If you have a serious milk allergy you might also need to keep a shot of epinephrine with you in the event that you do accidently consume a milk product and your body goes into anaphylactic shock. Be sure that the people you are around also know of your milk allergy so they know what to do in the event that you do go into anaphylactic shock. The other thing you should carry with you is an antihistamine. They can also help to open the air passages and help you to breathe and limit the bodies release of histamine.

For a person with mild symptoms, your doctor may recommend that you call them versus coming into see them if you are just slightly ill. However if you have needed to use the epinephrine shot, you need to heat to the hospital immediately for an examination. There is often a second wave of extreme symptoms that come along with a milk reaction and needing to use the epinephrine shot.

Milk allergies are very common in children. Most children that are diagnosed with milk allergies in infancy often outgrow them by age 3 or 4. However during this time the child should be fed soy milk in order to ensure they are still getting the proper amount of calcium and other nutrients. Your doctor will discuss treatment and feeding options with you if you do have an infant that is allergic to milk.