Advice on Dairy and Egg Allergies.

I struggled with migraines for 6 years, was on 4 prescription medications and saw three different doctors before I saw an Applied Kenesiologist who told me I had a dairy allergy. I grew up in Wisconsin and I cried when I found out. That was 10 years ago and my life has improved greatly. I now have two sons 3 1/2 & 18mo. Both have issues with dairy and my youngest has wheat allergies as well. Taking them off of the foods they needed to avoid make a huge difference. Believe me, I understand the reluctance to quit feeding him all his "favorite" foods, but I would start right away. Enjoy Life and Kinnikinnick are two brands of food that I found that are great for snacks and to help get you started. As far as what to eat, think simple. Fruits, vegetables and meat are all safe before we add cheese and other foods to avoid. I hope this helps.

Sorry if this is a repeat. One thing I learned about food allergies is that a true food allergy will get worse with each exposure, where as a food sensitivity gets better (or at least not worse) with exposure. There are degrees of allergic reactions, when food tests are given. For example, my sons numbers are getting less (from 3 to 2) for his milk allergy (ie - he's growing out of it). He can injest milk, but gets a stomach ache or eczema. His tree nut allergy numbers are much higher (black walnut = 4, cashew = 4, peanut = 2, etc. I fed him lots of milk before I knew and wish I had tested much sooner.
Son #2 is allergic to eggs. I had him tested at 6 months, so fortunately didn't feed him any before I knew.
Good luck and get the tests even if you have to pay for them to find out if it's an allergy or a sensitivity.

As another mother said going to an allergist to run the tests would be best. I have never heard of a chiropractor doing food allery testing (but I have not been to one in awhile). An allergist can give you more information on the allergies.

It is possible to have a food allergy, it could be a food intolerance. Estimates are that only 1-2% of adults and 3-8% of children actually have food allergies.

You could just advoid all dariy and eggs but I would see an Allergy Specialist for testing and possible treatment (with medication and/or injections to "desensitize" your system to an offending agent). They might be able to tell you if it is a real food allergy or just an intolerance.

A food "allergy" is a true physiologic reaction of the body to a substance that creates inflammation in the tissues. Most reactions are irritations. True allergies can range from mild to very severe--even life threatening. The majority of people simply have intolerances but not true allergies (thank goodness).

I have a dairy intolerances(started as a baby, went a way for awhile, returned when I was 14), some days I can eat everything dairy and feel fine other days if I have one thing dairy I feel sick. I have an egg intolerance (it started when I was around 18), I can have eggs if they are mixed well with something (like in brownies). If I just eat an egg I will feel sick to my stomach (I rarelly get sick but feel horrible). The allergiest told me that the intolerance can get worst as I get older where I will feel sick whenever I have dairy or eggs or anything made with them.

The testing he had done is called applied kinesiology (i may have spelled that wrong) Your son may not swell up with hives from eggs and dairy but his system has a negative reaction to them which can cause behavioral issues and such. Good luck with this! My daughter had arthritic symptoms and we had that testing done and she was allergic to molds and dairy. It is a tough transition for a family but you will be amazed with the results. Did the chiro put him on a probiotic? That can help get his system in order too.

I would recommend talking to someone at Nutriional Weight and Wellness about diet and ADD. They are a tremendous resource and I think it would be worth your time to talk with them. Google the name if you're not familiar, to see their website. Good luck!

I would definitely go to an allergist and have them run the tests. If it is positive, it may seem overwhelming at first. Just read labels. WAFAST is an allergy support group in the Wausau area with great resources. Check out their website. I have 3 children with food allergies. It all works out. Modification is key. Get educated on both of your issues. You find what works for you. Good luck!

Hi T.,
There is a difference between true allergies and food sensitivities. Both of my girls are wheat and dairy sensitive but do not have true allergies to them. What that means is that if I were to take them to an allergist, these sensitivites wouldn't show up in the blood work. It's up to you but I've seen many children have a huge behavior change when you take foods that they're sensitive to out of their diets. Any yes, it's usually their "favorite" foods that they're reacting to.
As far as what to feed him, there are many dairy substitutes that you can get. If you live near whole foods or a food co-op, that's your best option. However, Rainbow and Cub have a very nice selection as well.
If you want to chat more, drop me an e-mail. It's a little overwhelming at first, but usually worth the trouble.

T.,
We have two boys who have food issues and started with testing w/our chiro. I didn't realize the correlation of the food and behavior (or chose not to) because I thought it was too hard. There are so many great stores that cater to us and almond milk has replaced cow milk w/no problem. There is a difference between a food allergy and food intolerance. A book that really gave me so much information and a place to start is "Healing the New Childhood Epidemics -Autism,Allegies,Asthma, and ADHD"by Dr. Kenneth Bock (4ahealing.com) . One of the easiest and no cost testing is at home. You can remove the food for at least two weeks straight and then overdose them and watch for what happens. Good luck!