I have a seasonal allergy although it does not persist for longer period of time but it causes me to sneeze, to cough and to wheeze a lot. Can anyone tell me what else can happen in allergies and what are the factors that can cause allergies??
Many people develop lactose intolerance as they get older and will need a lactose intolerance diet to manage the symptoms. Lactose intolerance is caused by the body not producing enough of the enzyme, known as lactase, which breaks down the lactose to lactic acid. Lactose is a carbohydrate that is present in milk and products made with milk. This results in the distressing, but not dangerous, symptoms which include diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, flatulence and gas. The condition also has a genetic component and is more prevalent for some races than others. For instance Native Americans, Chinese and Southeast Asians have an extremely high incidence (almost 100%) while for the Dutch and Swedes it is only 1%.
Although lactose intolerance is not a serious condition it can be distressing and cause a great deal of discomfort. The amount of lactose in the diet that can be tolerated by someone with this condition varies and the only way to find out your own individual tolerance is to eliminate as much lactose as you can then gradually add small amounts until the symptoms return. Although some people will need to strictly eliminate almost all lactose many people find that they can tolerate quite large amounts.
The main culprit is, of course, milk and products that contain milk but lactose is present in a wide range of goods that you might not think about. You will need to carefully look at the list of ingredients in any processed food you buy for whey, miulk by-product, curds, non fat milk powder and lactose itself. It is also present in many prescription and over the counter medicines.
A wide variety of processed foods contain lactose including many baked goods such as bread, pastries, cookies etc. Also look at breakfast cereals, instant soups, instant potatoes, meal replacement bars and powders, salad dressings, whipped toppings and non dairy creamers. Just because it says ‘non dairy’ doesn’t mean its OK!
Prescription medicines can be a problem as it may not be possible to find a non lactose containing substitute.
A diet for lactose intolerance should eliminate milk and other milk containing products. in many countries it is possible to buy milk that has been treated to decrease or totally eliminate lactose such as Lactaid (available in the US) or Lactofree milk (available in the UK). Although dairy products contain lactose cheese is virtually lactose free as the lactose is almost completely removed in the whey when the cheese is produced. During the maturation process the remaining lactose is converted to lactic acid, although modern cheese making methods do not usually include a maturation phase.
One product that lactose intolerant people can continue to enjoy is yogurt that has active bacteria present. These bacteria produce lactase and the yogurt itself contains lower lactose levels than milk as the bacteria have converted it to lactic acid. It must be yogurt with active bacteria however so frozen yogurt is not suitable.
If you cut down on dairy products you may be short of calcium and vitamin D in your diet so be sure to increase foods that contain calcium, such as eggs, liver or orange juice and take a vitamin D supplement or make sure that the foods you substitute are fortified with this vitamin.
Tablets that contain the lactase enzyme are available and can be used to supplement the amount of lactose you are producing. They must be taken before eating any lactose containing food. They are particularly good if you need to take medicines that contain lactose or for the occasional treat of a lactose containing food.
If you have lactose intolerance you will need to use a lactose intolerance diet to eliminate the distressing symptoms. Although not easy it is more than worth it to be rid of the distressing symptoms that you are experiencing.
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