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What
treatments or cures are there for lactose intolerance and milk
allergies? |
First of all it is very important to
confirm if you suffer from lactose intolerance or a milk allergy.
They are two different causes and require different attention.
For lactose intolerance one needs
to avoid the intake of food products containing lactose. On the
other hand milk allergy is an immunity problem - where the immune
system recognizes the milk protein as a harmful agent and hence
attacks it.
Read Symptoms
if you are not sure what you have. Some people might suffer from
both or even more food allergies including milk.
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How
is lactose intolerance treated? |
Presently there is no
cure for Lactose Intolerance and there are only two ways to
cope with lactose intolerance.
If you can live
without consuming dairy products all you have to do is keep away
from them. However, you must make sure not to buy foods with milk
hidden in them because you may suffer some symptoms.
The second option is
to replace the lactase that your digestive system is not
producing. This way you may be able to enjoy dairy products
without sufferance. There is a handful of pharmaceutical companies
that produce lactase enzyme tablets to have with your dinner. From
this web site you are able to buy these capsules to help you.
Moreover, you can also acquire lactase enzyme drops to treat milk
so you can enjoy a glass of milk lactose free..
Unless taking lactase capsules young
children with lactase deficiency should not consume any foods
containing lactose (for a list of foods containing hidden lactose
click here). In general older children
and adults need not avoid lactose completely, but individuals can
handle different amounts of lactose . For instance, John may suffer
symptoms after drinking a small glass of milk, while Rose can drink
one glass but not two. Some persons may be able to tolerate certain
products containing lactose but not others. This is a learning
process for each individual and it is only by trial and error to
find out what and how much exactly one is able to handle products
containing lactose.
One can buy products that do not
contain lactose. Supermarkets sell many products that can improve
one's life without the risk of consuming lactose. One can find many
non-dairy products including butter, yoghourt, ‘cream', and of coarse
Soya milk. This milk contains all of the nutrients including calcium,
found in regular milk. One can buy unsweetened Soya-milk or sweetened,
usually with fructose. Please make sure that when you are shopping
for non lactose food products you do not forget to look for the
other ingredients that contain hidden lactose as otherwise you might
get symptoms anyway. Make sure you have a copy of the list for the
hidden products. Alternatively you may take lactase enzymes from
here.
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How
is milk allergy treated? |
Unfortunately there is no cure for
allergies. This leaves us with the second option i.e. control. Allergies
can be controlled if we take the right medication and avoid the
substances that cause our immunity to react against - being milk
proteins, dust-mite, latex or what ever..
Allergies can appear at any time
of the life. A baby can be born with an allergy or an adult can
develop an allergy without an explanation. This is quite true in
some pregnant woman who during pregnancy they develop an allergy
against some food, such as seafood. This is probably caused by the
high immunoglobulin levels in the blood (immunoglobulins are the
proteins that act against the intruders such as bacteria).
Although both are difficult to cure
the allergy, in many cases the person can outgrow the allergy and
starts to disappear. This happens when the body start to learn that
what is causing the allergy, i.e. the allergen, is harmless. In
some cases immunologists suggest that the person should start to
introduce minute amounts of the allergen (for instance milk, in
this case to allow the body to learn to accept it before creating
strong reactions.
As in all cases of allergies, the
most effective treatment is avoidance of the allergen, which in
this case is found in milk. One should watch the recipes of dishes
consumed in restaurants or at parties (click for a list of
hidden milk products). Another important issue is the added E-Numbers
(E-colours) in food. Some of them act as allergens to some people,
see a list of them and watch those which may contain milk products.
Antihistamine drugs are very
effective in calming down the reactions caused by the allergy, such
as itching. Antihistamine is a sedative drug therefore it may send
the user (especially children) in deep sleep. This is to the advantage of the sufferer
as it stops the person from itching in cases of skin eczema.
Normally adults feel drowsy by some antihistamines are products with
anti drowsiness properties. Other
drugs, such as sodium cromoglycate and corticosteroid
drugs can be take regularly to prevent symptoms from developing.
Creams containing corticosteroids are useful for eczema but prolonged
use of them may damage the skin.
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questions? Ask here. |
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