Baby Blues
When Man Cub was born, his frenulum (that little flap of skin that ties your tongue to the bottom of your mouth) was tight, and he had a hard time breastfeeding. I tried so hard: pumped, used some crazy plastic nipple guard contraption and tubing, mothers milk and voodoo, but he just wasn't getting it. I supplemented with formula, and my milk dried up around 6 months. He developed dry skin and sad little baby coughs. By the time he was on formula only, he had eczema, and had been to the hospital several times for ear infection and a wet, scary cough. He was diagnosed with Reactive Airway Disease, and given a nebulizer and steroid inhalers. I've always been a little skeptical of western medicine, but when your baby can't breathe.... you do what they say. I also began to research.
The first important fact I learned was that certain racial ethnic groups (of which my son belongs) have a higher likelihood for milk sensitivities. The second critical tidbit was that milk allergy is responsible for many respiratory and sinus symptoms. This was enough for me to make a switch. Unfortunately, one critical fact I missed is that soy milk contains a protein that is very similar, and babies who cannot tolerate a milk based formula often cannot tolerate a soy formula either. Because of this confusion, it was unclear until much later what we were dealing with. Most people are familiar with the gastro-intestinal symptoms of lactose (the sugars in dairy products) intolerance: gas, bloating, and diarrhea. What many don't know is that some people have in insensitivity to the protein called casein in milk, and this reaction causes a histamine reaction that can involve skin (hives, rash, eczema), mood (aggression, fogginess, exhaustion), respiratory systems and sinuses. When the respiratory system becomes irritated it produces extra mucus, causing congestion and a rattling cough.
Elimination Miracles
By age two Man Cub had gone through 4 ear infections, numerous sinus infections, eczema, and was taking two inhaled medications 4 times per day. He was also having terrible gas and bloating. He had the classic allergy eyes (dark under eye circles). After talking with a second pediatrician, I decided to try further elimination.
I removed all dairy products from his diet and by day three, all symptoms were GONE!
No kidding. He stopped wheezing, sniffling and coughing, and his skin began to clear up. By day 10 his skin was soft and smooth. When I added milk back to his diet, he wheezed on the third day and I cried my eyes out because I knew I had found the answer, and it wasn't drugs. Man Cub ditched all his medications and creams in another two months, and has never needed them since.
About 3 years later, I learned another powerful lesson. My pediatrician kept telling me that dairy was important nutritionally and that I should try re-introducing it into his diet because most dairy allergies go away by age 3. Again, I fell into the hands of western medicine and diet, and quickly learned that the protein in dairy makes Man Cub... MEAN! Yes, that's my scientific conclusion. Any time he drinks milk or eats cheese, he gets a headache, runny nose, and loses all ability to reason or handle his emotions. He becomes a puddle on the floor because he can't find an orange crayon, or his apple has a bruise. He screamed at me when he dropped a glass of water. So I did what any mother should... I supplemented his calcium in other ways, banned dairy from our house and we lived happily ever after.
Some people who are sensitive to casein can tolerate yogurt or cheeses but not milk, while others (like me) can't tolerate any of it. We use almond or coconut milk, and avoid products containing casein and all the other sneaky names for dairy. Some ingredients and foods that contain milk are:
- casein, calcium casein, casein hydrolysate, magenesium casein, potassium casein, rennet casein, sodium casein
- dairy products like cheese, yogurt, milk, pudding, sour cream
- butter, butter flavoring, butter fat, butter oil, artificial butter flavor
- lactalbumin, lactoalbumin phosphate, lactaglobulin, lactose
- margarine
- non-dairy creamers
- whey, whey hydrolysate
All this time, I had been suffering from really bad acne, fatigue and problems focusing. I really thought I had ADD. I visited a naturopath who suggested I eliminate dairy as a first step. *face palm* How did I not connect those dots? Well I finally did it, and my acne got much better, my energy returned, and I could focus. What I learned from my elimination trial is that dairy makes my face flush and my skin crawl ever so slightly. So of course I was distracted! A deep cystic zit with every re-introduction was enough to help me kick that dairy habit. Here's a great article that explains the link between milk and acne better than I ever could.
If you or your children suffer from any of the following symptoms, consider going 10 days without any dairy products at all to see how you feel. Then, add milk once a day for 10 days and see if symptoms return. You could also get tested with a skin prick or blood test, but it's not uncommon to have a false negative and still be sensitive. Man Cub tested negative, but a wise doctor reminded me that moms know best, and if he gets sick every time I feed him a certain food.... I don't need anyone's permission or approval to stop giving him that food.
A. Symptoms of Lactose intolerance:
- Gastrointestinal symptoms like:
- Nausea
- Bloated stomach (abdomen)
- Malabsorption disorders like:
- Nutrient deficiency including anaemia, dehydration, bone density loss
- Mood swings, Depression
- Skin allergy symptoms like itchy skin, Eczema
- Spontaneous vomiting
- Chronic fatigue and lethargy
- Leaky Gut - intestinal damage leading to malabsorption disorders
- Respiratory problems like Coughing, asthma, bronchitis
(Source: Foodintol http://www.foodintol.com/dairy-intolerance)
Here's where it get's a little more complicated....
"The symptoms of Dairy intolerance are just like symptoms of Fructose intolerance and Gluten intolerance, they all overlap. All food intolerance symptoms - if left untreated - become worse with age. So just because you have these symptoms - it does not mean you have Dairy intolerance"
Here's another site with tons of information about dairy sensitivity
Next post, I'll share how removing gluten took our health to another level, and what we've done to repair the damage.
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