Dairy Making My Allergies Worse??

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LadyoftheIron
LadyoftheIron Posts: 16 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I just developed allergies a couple years ago. Nothing major.

This week I've eaten cheese, ice cream, dairy milk and LOTS of yogurt. None of which I eat on a regular basis, minus a couple T of cheese on occasion. (Read 1-2x/wk).

I cough after eating dairy, which I attribute to thickened mucus.

My BMs have been fantastic, but smell awful, heh.

But MY NOSE!!! Has been geting stuffed for no reason. I could be sitting watching a movie and it's suddenly so stuffed I can't breathe through it. And then, out of nowhere, it clears itself and just starts dripping out of my face, uncontrollably.

Any suggestions? Is this due to dairy?

Replies

  • sugarbeans
    sugarbeans Posts: 676 Member
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    Sounds like you have a sensitivity to Dairy. I would perhaps test it out by giving it up again for a bit and see if your symptoms improve.
  • guppygirl322
    guppygirl322 Posts: 408 Member
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    Stop eating it for a week or two. See how you feel. Then go back to eating it and see what happens.
  • petchonka82
    petchonka82 Posts: 156
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    It's a myth that dairy causes mucus. Many people confuse the temporary, slight thickening of saliva after drinking milk with mucus. There is no scientific research showing that milk produces mucus in the airways or the throat. It will not worsen cold or asthma symptoms.
  • twinkle1074
    twinkle1074 Posts: 35
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    Hi
    I am talking to you as an one time Asthma sufferer who developed that condition from years of neglecting my allergie symptoms. I started reading books on natural remedies because I refused to live on a asthma pump all my life or a nebulizer. The first I realized from reading about natural remedies concerning Asthma was that I was consuming milk and eggs which was causing my allergy and asthma symptoms to get worse. I would literally feel a hard lump in my chest from mucus build up whenever I ate cheese, milk or pizza. I decided then to switch my milk to Soy and Almond milk which has not only helped with my allergy symptoms but I no longer need to take Asthma medication...Remember I was taking Asthma medication due to my allergies so that option worked for me. If someone has Asthma from a young age then that remedy would probably not work. Try omitting milk products for a month and see if your symptoms lessen. If they do then you know you are on the right road. Good luck :smile
  • petchonka82
    petchonka82 Posts: 156
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    PS, My allergies have gotten worse this week as well. It's just a horrible year.
  • mama2reagan
    mama2reagan Posts: 23
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    It is indeed very possible that you have an allergy to Dairy. I myself have been tested and I am allergic to Dairy, Eggs, Soy and Wheat. From Dairy and Wheat I have stomach problems and have sinus issues. From Eggs and Soy I get Migraines. Once I went off of all of those things, all my problems went away. Now if only I would stay off those things....
  • idrewacat
    idrewacat Posts: 42 Member
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    I used to have terrible allergies that I had to take medication for. I went vegetarian 8 or 9 years ago (I forget) and stopped taking pills THAT MONTH. That's how big of a difference it made. I get a headache from sinus pressure maybe 4-5 times a year, but nothing beyond that.
  • LadyoftheIron
    LadyoftheIron Posts: 16 Member
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    Wow, thanks for all the replies!

    I didn't plan on checking back soon due to the fact that the other posts I've made in this forum have gone unreplied.

    Anyway,

    I just developed allergies two years ago (to cats specifically). Never had a real problem with anything ever.

    Claritin, then Zyrtec. Haven't taken anything since October because my allergies apparently went away with the season, and I wasn't living with a cat.

    As a teenager I had severe stomach issues when eating any dairy: ice cream, cheese, yogurt, pizza, even Doritos.

    Now, I just typically get gas when I drink dairy milk. Perhaps I've brought myself to be accustomed to it. I"ve also accosted myself with dairy this past week.

    There's probably more than one thing at play here. Seasonal allergies + exponentially increased dairy consumption.

    I will cut it out again next week. (I'm a miser... I bought food, I'm gonna eat it).

    Also track the local allergies for my area to see any correlation.

    I"ve decided this past week that it is time for me to be a vegetarian again. I lost 60 pounds one summer doing that. Gained 40 the next by bringing meat into my diet.

    And if I have to venture down some vegan road in order to not keep feeling like this, then that is what I'll do.

    Thanks for all your help guys!
  • jknoell
    jknoell Posts: 254 Member
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    I want to say thank you to all of you and especially to snowpines - I also get very mucusy and start coughing right after I eat dairy. I had bronchitis recently and thought it was just leftover from that. But I kept thinking in the back of my mind that my coughing gets worse right after I have dairy products. I think I'm going to cut way down on them to see if it helps. I already enjoy almond milk - which I highly recommend to others.

    Thanks everyone!
  • LadyoftheIron
    LadyoftheIron Posts: 16 Member
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    Here's a quick link explaining mucus and dairy: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/phlegm/AN01455

    While the petchonka82 is correct in that dairy doesn't cause an overproduction of mucus, it can and does cause a temporary thickening of the already existing mucus.

    Regardless of semantics, everyone understood what I was talking about. And thanks again for all the help :)

    And, I'm glad it's helped someone else.. Let me know hot it goes jknoell!

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