Milk Allergy
Milk allergy is caused when the immunity system reacts against the
proteins found in milk. This happens due to the lack of the immune
system to learn to recognize milk proteins as being harmless. When
unwanted bodies (proteins) enter our system the immune system is altered
and reacts against the protein to destroy it and protect our body. For
instance, if bacteria enters our body through the skin, the proteins
that make up the bacteria (which are different than ours) act as a
trigger to the immune system to get rid of it. Once this trigger is
reached by the immune system a chain of reactions happen in order to
expel and reject these unwanted proteins (bacteria). Therefore the first
cells that react are those beneath the the skin to avoid the bacteria to
travel further while other parts of the immune system stay on the alert.
When milk is ingested (into someone who is allergic to milk) the
proteins present come in touch with the immune system but unfortunately
the immune system fails to recognize them and believes they are unwanted
and harmful proteins. Hence, the reactions start.
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What causes an allergy?
The cause of an allergy is the inappropriate or exaggerated reactions of
the immune system to a variety of substances. The function of the immune
system is to recognize foreign proteins (antigens) on the surfaces of
micro organisms and to form antibodies (also known as immunoglobulins).
When the immune system next encounters the same antigens, the antibodies
interact with them, leading to destruction of the micro organisms. In
allergies, a similar immune response occurs, except that the immune
system forms antibodies against harmless substances - because these
allergens, as they are called, are misidentified as potential harmful
proteins. The inappropriate or exaggerated reactions seen in allergies
are termed hypersensitivity reactions. See a list of products and
allergens that cause allergic reaction. Food preservatives and
colourings (E colours, e.g. E120) may also be a great factor that may
cause severe allergies. Click here for a list.
What are the symptoms of milk allergy?
An allergy is caused when an allergen (for a list of other common
allergens click here) enters our body system. The symptoms of a milk
protein allergy fall into 3 types of reactions:
Skin Reactions:
Itchy red rash
Hives
Eczema
Swelling of lips, mouth, tongue, face or throat
Allergic "Shiners" (black eyes)
Stomach and Intestinal Reactions:
Abdominal pain and bloating
Diarrhoea (usually very runny)
Vomiting
Gas/wind
Cramps
Nose, Throat and Lung Reactions:
Runny Nose
Sneezing
Watery and/or Itchy eyes
Coughing
Wheezing
Shortness of Breath
The milk allergy symptoms are not only restricted to people suffering
from milk allergy. Many other people can show these symptoms to
basically any other immune reaction. This could be from a simple
mosquito bite to a drug reaction such as penicillin. Common food
allergies, all with similar symptoms include sea shells, peanuts, banana
and eggs.
Is milk allergy contagious?
The answer is simply NO. These disorders are not transmitted from a
person to another, nor are they transmitted through any other media
(e.g., bacteria, viruses, animals). While lactose intolerance is the
inability of the person in question to produce enough lactase to break
down the sugar lactose, milk allergy is caused by the inability of the
immune system to learn that milk proteins are harmless for the body.
None of these two irregularities are caused by an external agent,
however, they can be hereditary.
Is milk allergy inherited? Can I pass it on to my kids?
Research indicates that allergies tend to run in families. Hence, if you
or a member of the family have had an allergy, it may be possible to
pass it onto your offspring.
Is there a cure for milk allergies?
Allergies can appear at any time of the life. A baby can be born with an
allergy or an normal adult can develop an allergy out of the blues.
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 here
for a list of hidden milk products). Proteins in milk and/or food may be
the cause of the allergy, but this may be minimised if not eliminated by
digestive enzymes. These digestive enzymes break down proteins in the
intestines before reaching our blood supply and hence disallowing the
protein to act as an allergen. Examples of products that do this are
Spectrumzyme and Digestaid - found in the products section.
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 sends the user in deep sleep. This is to the advantage of
the sufferer as it stops the person from itching in cases of skin
eczema. 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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