|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Got Allergies and Mucus?
More and more physicians and dietitians realize that removing dairy products from the diet can be the solution to many childhood illnesses such as runny noses, constipation, colic, ear infections, and gasand the list goes on. See for yourself: According to a report published by the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology Committee on Adverse Reactions to Food (part of the National Institutes of Health), the allergies of up to one third of children tested cleared after milk was removed from their diet. Dr. Benjamin Spock, author of the world-famous book Baby and Child Care , wrote in 1998, "Cows milk is not recommended for a child when he is sickor when he is well, for that matter. Dairy products may cause more mucus complications and cause more discomfort with upper respiratory infections." In their book Allergies to Milk , Drs. Sami L. Bahna and Douglas C. Heiner report that children who are allergic to milk "may have breathing difficulty, particularly during sleep, or an irritating cough associated with a postnasal drip. The cough is frequently associated with noisy breathing and excessive mucus in the throat, and sometimes parents worry that their child is gagging. Such affected children are frequently diagnosed as having upper respiratory infection, viral illness, bronchitis, or pneumonia. Accordingly, they may be given unnecessary medications, including cough syrups, decongestants, or antibiotics. Relief, however, is not satisfactory until cows milk is eliminated from the diet." A 1997 report on food allergies in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that cows milk allergies tend to hit children in their infancies. Recommended therapies for food allergies include "strict removal of the offending allergen" or possibly a diet centered on human breast milk. A British study found that 93 percent of children diagnosed with cows milk allergy experienced asthma and/or rhinitis when milk was included in their diet. (The book Asthma and Rhinitis states that rhinitis is "characterized by itching, sneezing, nasal blockage, and discharge.") Frank Oski, M.D., the former director of the Department of Pediatrics of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and physician-in-chief of the Johns Hopkins Childrens Center, said in his 1992 book, "The fact is: The drinking of cow milk has been linked to iron-deficiency anemia in infants and children; it has been named as the cause of cramps and diarrhea in much of the worlds population, and the cause of multiple forms of allergy as well." In his book Pregnancy, Children, and the Vegan Diet , Dr. Michael Klaper explains why milk may trigger the production of mucus: "[W]hen the protein of another animal is introduced into ones immune system, an allergic/immune response is created in many places in the body. A common reaction to such an assault by a foreign protein in our immune system is an outpouring of mucus from the nasal and throat membranes. The resulting mucus flow can create the chronic runny noses, persistent sore throats, hoarseness, bronchitis, and the recurrent ear infections that plague so many children (and their parents)." According to the metastudy Milk Allergies , "Cows milk allergy, mainly a disease of infancy, is usually manifested within the first two or three months of life. No age, however, is exempt, and milk allergy may be first detected during adolescence or adulthood." Dr. Christiane Northrup states: "Dairy is a tremendous mucus producer and a burden on the respiratory, digestive, and immune systems." Dr. Northrup says that patients who "eliminate dairy products for an extended period and eat a balanced diet suffer less from colds and sinus infections." The mucus created by milk may cause other health problems, as well. Dr. William Ellis, who has studied the effects of dairy foods for more than four decades, says that milk is "simply no good for humans." Dr. Ellis believes that the excess mucus caused by milk can harden to form a coating on the inner wall of the intestines, hindering the absorption of nutrients and possibly leading to chronic fatigue. Unless you like phlegm in your throat and a constant runny nose, it might be time to try soy. Click here for delicious dairy-free recipes .
|
|
|
PO Box 36668, London SE1 1WA; |
|
