Talking Allergies

This is interesting:

http://www.consumerhealth.org/articles/ ... 1005222648

Whoa!!
Is she trying to say that milk allergies are a result of the cattle feed and the over processing of milk? Might some unsuspecting sole read her article and try milk?
Is she insinuating that unpasturized milk from happy cows is safe?
She hasn't even touched on what is in the food that causes the allergy. I think she might have meant milk intolerance?

She speaks about a cereal experiment in rats where they were fed a diet of cereal, nutrients and water and they died. She goes on to say you need to add fat to that diet.
This is probably why most of us eat our cereal with milk or a milk alternative (which has a fat content similar to 2% milk).

I couldn't read the article past the milk allergy paragraph.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

Yeah, I see a lot of these kinds of articles when I'm researching for articles. They make me nervous because they seem to be based on conspiracy theory - that big companies and gov't are hoodwinking us and purposely causing us ill health or allergies.

I agree Susan - if you read this and didn't know much about milk allergy, you might think raw milk was the way to go. However, I really hope people don't start experimenting with feeding raw milk to kids even if they aren't milk allergic.

The advocates for raw milk seem to forget that pasteurization came about 1860s because the raw stuff had so much bacteria,, mold, etc. that deadly pathogens could, and would, grow. People got seriously ill, many died from drinking milk before pasteurization became widespread. With the new wave of interest in raw milk, we are seeing more illness again today. http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2004/504_milk.html

Anybody who goes for the raw stuff should be pretty sure they know who's producing it, and how it's handled.

Also, when it comes to these kinds of articles and books, I honestly don't know how the authors can be so definitive and live with themselves. I saw one book in Chapter's by a so-called expert (an MD) who outright stated he could "cure" allergies through organic diet. I think Susan's right to suggest that, again, what's probably meant is intolerance. But even that's plenty debatable. These "experts" seem so blissfully unaware of the risks people with allergies/intolerances may be taking with their health if they follow this advice.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

I sent an e-mail strongly suggesting that they edit this article.
I won't hold my breath.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

From my own experience with milk, I would actually be thrilled to be able to find someone (who doesn't live hundreds of miles away) who would be willing to sell me some raw and/or unfortified milk on a regular basis. I grew up drinking milk each and every day. It wasn't until I was in my mid-twenties that I "suddenly" became extremely allergic to milk in addition to my corn allergy. Each time I drank some milk or had it with cereal, etc. I would develop a blistering, bloody rash (to to point where my bath water was blood red). Ok...so, no more milk for me. Years later when I was researching my corn allergy on the computer I came across a site that explained the use of corn oil as the vitamin carrier (A & D) for milk. This got me wondering and I called the dairies in my area and sure enough they all used corn oil in their milk. I was able to beg (since unfortified milk is illegal to buy or sell in Canada) some home-pasteurized (but unfortified) milk off of a local farmer to trial my so-called milk allergy. I had absolutely no reaction to his milk! My allergist at the time explained how I could heat raw milk and make it safe for my own use.

I still get angry and upset that I cannot have milk (or most other dairy) because it is contaminated with corn. I don't have the time or the energy to find a constant source of unfortified milk so I just use unfortified goat's milk which is readily available in my grocery store.

There might be other people out there who believe they are allergic to milk but it may be that (like myself) they are reacting to something added to the milk. A common source for Vitamin D (for use in milk) is sheep lanolin, which in itself is an allergen.

Corn allergies are hard. It is in so much of our food. I can completely understand why you would want to be able to purchase untreated milk.
I still think the article is misleading and that was my concern but I can see how you found it hopeful.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

I did not know they used corn in a significant level in processed milk. Huh.
That's awful about your reactions - I'm glad you figured it out.

Still, I'd be really careful around the unpasteurized stuff. As this author even says:

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

I haven't read the article Eldi mentioned (am trying to catch up on posts!), but I'm interested in the unpasteurized milk issue. After a farmer was in major trouble for selling unpasteurized milk, I recall someone tried to reopen the question of whether unpasteurized milk should be allowed to be sold (in Ontario/Canada? don't recall). When he started selling unpasteurized milk, he alerted the government to what he was doing because he wanted to draw attention to the issue. I think they just turned a blind eye but then one day they decided to take action.

This farmer claimed that unpasteurized milk *can* be safe in a very sanitary modern farm where cows aren't milked by hand. He wanted the government to test unpasteurized milk to see if his claims are validated and if so he wanted to see it regulated. I have no idea what I think about this . . . I would have been interested in further testing.

I think the argument for unpasteurized milk is that it contains enzymes which are destroyed in the pasteurization process and somehow make it less likely that the immune system will go into allergic mode (in the same way that "good bacteria" like that in yogurt might have a protective function). So unpasteurized milk wouldn't be protective against milk allergy in particular . . but atopic disease in general . . or so the theory goes.

I'm fairly certain I saw something on the allergic living website (i.e. not on the forum) supporting this view? Maybe in the section with the blurbs on new research, etc. I can't find it now.

I'm keeping an open mind on the issue. I wouldn't drink unpasteurized milk now, but I would like to see the gov't investigate its safety (seeing as farming methods have changed.)

[edited to add: I hope the above makes sense. I can ramble when I'm tired!]

I recently checked with the dairies in my area and they are still using corn oil as the vitamin carrier (Vitamin A & D) in their milk. It's not that I hate goat's milk, but I wish I could drink cow's milk again...sigh...

During my on-going research about corn allergy I came across this site that explains the use of corn oil and other corn derivatives in fortified milk. Someone once told me that they put anti-freeze into milk and I was sure they were wrong. This site, however, confirms the use of "propylene glycol" (anti-freeze) as one of the components of the vitamin carrier for some milk. Either way...water or oil based vitamins...there is still corn in your milk...(propylene glycol is made from corn).

Polysorbate 80 is also made from corn. It's no wonder I was having such horrendous reactions to milk!

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/54806 ... ption.html

That must be so incredibly frustrating to not be able to consume something like milk simply because it contains another allergen that it doesn't absolutely have to contain... I have a lot of sympathy for your situation.

K.

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Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma