Subject: Re: Relation between asthma and milk drinking

From: [email-masked] (Mark Feblowitz)
Date: 23 Aug 1994 17:37:13 GMT

Let's clarify vocabulary here: there is lactose intolerance and dairy
allergy, and they are two different things. 

Lactose intolerance is a deficiency of the lactase enzyme, the enzyme
responsible for breaking down lactose, which is milk sugar. When you
have lactose intolerance or lactase deficiency, your body can't
properly break down the milk sugar, and you have specific, unpleasant
gastrointestinal symptoms, such as gas, bloating, diarrhea,
constipation.

Dairy allergy is an actual allergic reaction to the proteins in the
milk products. Symptoms of dairy allergy vary, and can include
rhinitis (runny nose, nasal congestion), bronchospasm (wheezing,
asthma), anaphylaxis, and hives.

If you have a severe dairy allergy, you already know about this
because you've had reactions. However, there are some people for whom
milk is a mild allergen. They may be able to tolerate moderate amounts
of diary products, dairy products that are free of some of the
offending proteins, or even have only seasonal problems with dairy
products. For example, they may be able to consume diary products year
'round without difficulty but may find some relief to their spring hay
fever by reducing or eliminating dairy products during that time.

Dietary contributors to allergies are extremely difficult and
potentially dangerous to detect. Any experimentation should be done
carefully and under the supervision of a qualified physician and a
qualified nutritionist. Except for severe, immediate hypersensitivity
reactions, their contribution to allergies and asthma is not generally
recognized, so if your problem is not severe, you might have to hunt a
bit for a sympathetic physician or allergist.

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Mark Feblowitz,   GTE Laboratories Inc., 40 Sylvan Rd.  Waltham, MA 02254
[email-masked], (617) 466-2947, fax: (617) 466-2618