Dairy Intolerance : County Osteopaths : Cranial Osteopathic Clinic : Joanna Young, Lynette Topham & Jonathan Mussen : Osteopath Worcester, Malvern, Birmingham, Droitwich, Pershore, Bromsgrove, Evesham, Tewkesbury, Kidderminster, Redditch, Halesowen, Stourbridge

Symptoms may include excessive catarrh production (showing as glue ear, a constantly runny or blocked nose, recurrent sinusitis or chest infections), skin problems such as eczema, acne, rashes or dryness, headaches, tiredness, constipation or diarrhoea, bloating and indigestion. Sufferers may show only one or several of these symptoms as there is a huge variation in the degree of intolerance. Some people (and babies) may only be slightly intolerant and can cope with small quantities of dairy whilst others are so intolerant that they only really feel well if they totally avoid dairy products altogether. Sufferers often dislike milk and may already instinctively avoid dairy products out of preference, although it is relatively common for dairy intolerant people to be "addicted" to cheese.

In babies symptoms may include vomitting, posseting, green poo, eczema, severe milk rash, poor weigh gain, tummy pain, unsettled behaviour and excessive crying (there are, of course, other causes for excessive crying in babies, please see the FAQ entitled Crying Babies for more information). As for older children and adults your baby may show only one or several of these symptoms as there is a huge variation in the degree of intolerance.

Dairy intolerance runs in families so if you have it, it is likely that your children have it and conversely, if you discover your children have it then you probably do too.

Is lactose intolerance and dairy intolerance the same thing? Not quite. Lactose is the name of the type of sugar found in milk. Some people are only lactose intolerant and some are intolerant to other things in milk as well, such as the milk fats and milk proteins.

If you think you or your child may be suffering from a dairy intolerance you could try a dairy-free diet for a trial period of two weeks (for babies see below). If at the end of this trial period you have noticed an improvement in your health or theirs then you have identified a dairy intolerance. If there is a dairy intolerance you will soon learn how strict you need to be to keep your/their symptoms at bay. For instance, glue-ear and catarrh sufferers may find they can get away with a bit of dairy until they get a cold and then need to cut it right out until they are better. It is a matter of establishing how strict you need to be by experimenting.

Here is a list of items to avoid during a dairy-free trial period:

• cow’s milk

• cow’s yoghurt (some people can tolerate this as the lactose in milk is changed by the yoghurt-making process)

• cow’s cheese

• ice-cream

• cream

• crème freche

• butter made from cow’s milk

• fromage freis

• milk chocolate

• margarine – unless it states it is dairy-free

Also read labels and avoid foods and drinks containing the following dairy constituents:

• whey, milk solids, milk protein, casein, caseinates, lactose, milk powder

The above list is not an exhaustive one; please consult a Nutritionist or Food Intolerance Tester for further advice.

There are a variety of alternatives to dairy products and these alternatives may be substituted for dairy foods to ensure you still have all the nutrients you require and a varied and interesting diet. Some people who are intolerant to cow’s milk products may be able to tolerate goat’s milk products. This may seem strange but goat’s milk is known to be easier to digest than cow’s milk and has long been the milk of choice for sensitive children and eczema sufferers. Goat’s milk, butter, cheese and yoghurt are widely available at supermarkets. Another alternative group of products to try are Soya-based ones. Soya milk, margarine, yoghurt and Icecream are widely available. For even more options visit your local independent health food shop and ask to be shown their dairy-free section.

If cutting out dairy from your or your child's diet does not help but you still suspect a food intolerance, consider getting yourself or your child tested for other food intolerances. Remember intolerances are inherited so you might be able to work out which foods / drinks your or your child are intolerant to by working out what the you or other close relatives have difficulty digesting. Being tested for food intolerances cuts out the guess work involved in an exclusion diet and some people prefer this. There are many forms of testing available, look in the Yellow Pages and learn more about each option before deciding which avenue to pursue.

In babies if you suspect a Dairy Intolerance there are various ways of dealing with it depending on whether your baby is breast fed or bottle fed. For breast-fed babies the mum should cut out dairy foods (see the list above for what to cut out) or you could try "Colief" click here to go to the information on Colief but be aware that it only deals with lactose so will not be the answer for babies who are intolerant to other substances in milk for instance, milk fats and proteins. For bottle fed babies it is important that you understand that all ordinary formulae are based on cow’s milk unless otherwise stated. However, many dairy free formulae exist. Goat’s milk and Soya milk formulae are available and their are lactose-free and hypallergenic formulae of different types. Goat’s milk formula can be ordered direct – ring 0800 328 5826, purchased in Waitrose or ordered at Boots. The soya based formula Wysoy is available off the shelf in supermarkets and SMA LF, a lactose free formula can be bought at pharmacies without a prescription. Hypoallergenic formulae of various types can be prescribed by your GP but they are more for allergies than intolerances. Colief can be used in ordinary formulae to break down the lactose in them but as stated above this will only help if your baby is only lactose intolerant and not intolerance to milk fats or proteins. Choose one of the alternative formulae and, provided your baby appears to get on with it, stick with it for about 5 days without changing anything else to see if it really helps. If after this period there is no difference try another one for a period of 5 days and so on.

For severe vomitting or diarrhoea and for any other symptoms that concern you see your GP and talk to your Midwife and Health Visitor.

An intolerance is a very different thing to an allergy. The two are not linked please see What are the differences between Allergies and Intolerances?

Should we be worried that we may be missing out on important nutrients in cutting out dairy products? I recommend Stephen Walsh's book "Plant Based Nutrition and Health" to help understand what other sources of calcium are available and to read about how the high protein and high salt intake in our western diet may be causing our high incidence of osteoporosis and not a lack of calcium in our diets.

Vomiting due to dairy intolerance will be cured by switching the baby’s diet to Soya or goat’s milk formula or for breast feeding mothers to switch their diet to Soya or goat’s milk (and milk products) instead of cow’s.