Milk Allergy Eased by Milk: New Study

If your child has a milk allergy like mine does, a new study has provided good news. Milk may be the answer to a milk allergy. According to a study done by the John Hopkins Children's Center (where they are doing alot of allergy studies) and Duke University, giving milk to children in small then increasing amounts may be the answer to helping them overcome a milk allergy.

Study: Children from 6-17 years old with severe and persistent milk allergies were given escalating doses of milk powder. Over the period of 4 months, the children were able to get up to 5 ounces of milk without any allergic reaction or only mild symptoms, such as itching in the mouth or minor stomach aches. Children that were in the placebo group were only able to handle up to one quarter of a teaspoon of milk.

Concerns: It is unclear whether these same children will maintain their tolerance overtime when not given milk regularly. They may slip back into an allergic reaction when the immune system is no longer forced to build up such a tolerance.

Milk allergies are the most prevalent type of food allergy in the United States. My son has been allergic to milk since infancy and we are hoping he grows out of it. He may not really be allergic but intolerant, because he can eat limited amounts of cheese without having a reaction. But yogurt and milk gives him eczema, indigestion & gas and an ouchie butt.