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Step 1
Know the difference between a milk allergy and lactose intolerance. In both cases your body is reacting negatively to a substance found in milk, but lactose intolerance is far more common. In this condition lactose (milk sugar) isn't being digested properly due to your body's lack of enough of the necessary enzyme, lactase. Lactose intolerance can cause bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea and nausea, all of which will resolve when you remove the offending lactase from your diet.
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Step 2
Know the culprit in milk allergy. Milk allergy is caused by a reaction to one or more of the proteins found in milk. Essentially, your body is viewing the caseins or whey (or both) as a toxic substance and creating antibodies (IgE) to fight off the toxicity. The IgE then releases histamine into your system which creates a constellation of allergy symptoms.
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Step 3
Decide whether your symptoms fall into one of the three established patterns of milk allergy symptoms. Type 1 symptoms are usually skin reactions (hives, rash, eczema) and occur immediately after ingesting a small amount of cow's milk. Type 2 symptoms are primarily gastrointestinal in nature and manifest within a few to several hours of ingesting milk products. The main Type 3 symptom is diarrhea, which occurs nearly a day after ingesting milk. Type 3 may also involve skin symptoms.
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Step 4
Look for continual symptoms as well. Though you may know the pattern that your body follows after a known ingestion of milk, there are other signs that are related to ongoing exposure to milk proteins in other foods. Signs include: stuffy or runny nose, ear infections, dark allergic circles around the eyes, respiratory symptoms and, in some cases, failure to thrive in infants.
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Step 5
Speak to your doctor about a definitive diagnosis so that you can begin to manage your allergy. He may do blood tests in conjunction with skin prick tests as a way to confirm the diagnosis and the severity of your allergy.
