Holly,
I'll go one step further than Sherene in Norfolk when she mentioned
Celiac disease going hand in hand with milk allergy. What I want to mention is
Gluten intolerance vs Celiac disease.
I am gluten intolerant. It's much the same as celiac disease -same
illness and sensitivities to foods, but I don't test positive on the typical blood
panel for celiac disease, nor will the villi look messed up on an endoscopy. I
had terrible stomach problems, as well as all kinds of quirky symptoms. As
long as I'm on my "allergen free" diet I'm ok, but if I eat one thing wrong then
I'm right back where I was.
If not taken care of by eliminating gluten from the diet, the gut gets
damaged which then can cause a permeable intestine or "leaky gut syndrome."
The leaky gut then causes the autoimmune responses to the milk, corn, soy, eggs,
soy etc. So, gluten must be avoided as well as the things your immune system
is now reacting to. I have been to an allergist. I have NO "allergies" and
NO "celiac disease", but I'm gluten intolerant and intolerant to casein, corn,
and eggs as well. I react just as if I did have allergies.
I found out my problems by testing with www.enterolab.com in Texas. It
is pricy, but I feel as though invaluable to me. They tested for
predisposition gene testing for gluten intolerance vs celiac disease (cotton swab in
cheek) , as well as immune responses to casein, eggs, and yeast (stool test). I
get stomach aches with lactose as well, although they don't test for lactose
intolerance because it doesn't cause an immune response. So, I just avoid all
milk- ALL the time. I look at the Kosher symbols on food label. If it doesn't
say "pareve," then I call the manufacturer. "Dairy free" might only mean
lactose free on some products. It might not mean casein (an example is cool
whip). So for me, it must say "milk free" as well as "dairy free" OR either
"pareve". If not, I call - always / every time.
It also helps me to keep a food journal listing all foods as well as
symptoms. That way I can go back to compare to see if I reacted to a certain food
before in the same way.
Hope this helps.
Judith
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