Milk Allergy

Studies show that milk allergy typically starts during infancy. But a generous portion of this population actually outgrows this particular allergy. Most of these sufferers outgrow their allergies to milk when they hit the ages of around six to eight. However, there’s also that sad portion that does not outgrow this allergy.

It is actually the presence of proteins in cow’s milk that causes these allergic reactions. The two primary proteins concerned here are casein and whey. When you leave milk to sour, the curd that forms out is actually the casein protein of the milk. When this curd is removed, the watery portion of the milk is the whey. Casein makes up the bigger part of milk, running at 80%, while whey makes up the remaining 20%.

There are several symptoms you have to look out for, to be sure that you do have an allergic reaction to milk and its components. These symptoms can be seen on the skin, which include rashes, eczema, hives, black eyes, and facial swelling, as well as oral swelling that reaches the tongue, lips, and even the throat.

There are also digestive symptoms that can be experienced. These include vomiting, nausea, flatulence, diarrhea, bloating, and abdominal cramps. Reactions in the respiratory system can also be experienced. These include nasal congestion, wheezing, cough, shortness of breath, itchy and watery eyes, and anaphylactic shock for the worse cases. If you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above after several hours of drinking milk, then you just might have an allergy to it. To be sure that this is indeed the case, it would be better to consult the advice of your physician. Do not resort to self-medication just yet, even if you already know the typical drugs needed to handle milk allergies. This is because you could just be experiencing milk intolerance. Thus, seek medical advice prior to doing anything pertaining to drugs.

But if it is indeed determined that you do have allergic reactions to milk, then the only logical first step here is to avoid food items that contain milk components. Vigilance should be exercised to be on the safe side. One way of doing this is to check the food labels before you consume anything. Remember that there are some products that are non-dairy in nature, but they still contain the protein casein. So, constant vigilance should be exercised if you have milk allergy. As they say, prevention is always better than cure.