Updated! We’ve received hundreds of personal stories over the years from people who have gone dairy free. Below are a few that really hit a chord with our readers. They touch on the wide range of mysterious milk allergy symptoms that often appear in adulthood.
This post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or make any medical or dietary recommendations. Always consult your physician before any change in diet.
Discovering it was a Milk Allergy, After 17 Years of Symptoms
Kim ~ I am not really sure where to start, but I would love to share my story with other people. Since I was 15, I suffered from severe migraines. After years of added symptoms which included dizziness, fatigue, swelling, heart palpitations, insomnia, sweating…. the list goes on and on….I decided enough was enough. Medical treatment’s and tests always came back perfectly normal, sometimes too normal. On paper I was in perfect health! MRI’s and ultrasounds all came back with normal results …
One day, after eating a meal containing cheese, I was sitting at my desk clearing my throat constantly. It was something I had done since I was 15. I decided to look up information on the internet about people with the same problem. Funny, but after my research, it caused me to basically diagnose myself. After stopping my intake of all dairy, I found within 3 days, no exaggeration, that all, I repeat, all of my symptoms disappeared. This was too good to be true!
The Official Diagnosis
I immediately decided to make an appointment with an allergist, just to see if I was right. After an allergy test was performed, I was notified I had an allergy to milk. Ta da! The weight was completely lifted off of me and now I currently have absolutely none of the symptoms I had carried with me for the past 17 years. I am now living a healthy and extra happy life without any medical problems whatsoever. It is truly amazing!
After conversations with my husband and family, I just feel the need to share my story with people in hopes that I may be able to help one person, two people, who knows. So many people out there are suffering daily and doing everything they can to feel better. Yet they know little about the potential effects of milk, and what general food allergies can do to your body. I am blessed to have found my answer. But had I known or had my doctor’s ever suggested a milk allergy, I could have been free from all of the medical burdens years ago. At least know I have the knowledge of what allergies can do to our bodies and I hope to pass this along so other people are aware as well. Thank you so much for allowing me to share my story.
Dairy-Free and Symptom-Free for 15 Years
Cari ~ When I was young I had multiple food allergies then they all seemed to go away once I hit puberty…or so I thought. After 4 years of being treated for what they thought were ulcers it turned out to be lactose intolerance. Once I pulled lactose out of my diet I noticed I was still getting sick so I pulled milk proteins out of my diet as well. The constant nausea, intestinal pain, vomiting, lethargy and asthma issues were gone!
I am completely dairy free and have been for going on 15 years. I was a label reader before it was cool (thank GOSH for the new simple allergy warnings!). And I’ve even have to educate doctors and pharmacist that even minute amounts of dairy in the coating of my prescriptions will set my insane intolerance off! I am so excited to have found this website where I can come and not hear “I couldn’t live without cheese!” Or “dairy, so you can’t have eggs either?” People who don’t eat this way just don’t get it. But they would if their body reacted like it had severe food poisoning if they ingested it like mine does! Stay strong my non-dairy friends!
Milk Allergy Caused My “Aches”
Lisa ~ I had chronic headaches and stomachaches for my entire life until the age of 28. I was misdiagnosed with an ulcer. Then had chronic sinusitus which almost resulted in sinus surgery. I also was on prednisone for flare ups. It wasn’t until I saw my third allergist/immunologist that finally tested me for an allergy to dairy. I cut it out for two weeks and was a new person. All of headaches, stomachaches and nasal issues completely went away. I have never been so happy in my life! My husband used to think I was too sensitive but now he feels bad because he realizes it was a real allergy.
72 Comments
May you please help me to find websites like yours, but for people with Glactosemia. I would appreciate it very much. Learning from others is very helpful.
Ohhhh my Gosh, thanks so much for sharing your story this has really enlightened me. I thought I was going crazy, I have similar reactions to yours and I just thought it was lactose intolerance …… thank you
I would just like to say for anyone that finds your post Alisa, that I learned back in 2017, as a stupid 17 year old, that I have a very mild milk allergy. I didn’t take it seriously since my father and mother were still alive, so obviously I’d be fine. Not only that but dairy had already become a part of my life.
Anyway, a few months ago I decided to stop eating it completely just to see how I’d feel. After only a few days every problem I was having melted away: depression, anxiety, racing/raging/screaming/suicidal thoughts, non-stop acne, trouble sleeping, gas, vomiting, unbearable periods, and random stools. (I was already a tooth pick before but I lost a few pounds) For once in my life I can site quietly inside and out.
I’m a super healthy 58 year old, except for the past 10 days. After 3 decades of only drinking (or putting on cereal) non-dairy milks – first soya, then almond, hemp, coconut etc – I decided to not bother with the trendy alternatives and just go back to good old organic whole milk. First I thought the headaches were withdrawal symptoms from the cocktail of ingredients for the alternatives, then the dizziness started. This morning, after walking out to get the paper and almost staggering from feeling faint, I wondered what the symptoms were for lactose intolerance. Can’t wait for the coming dairy-free days when I’m convinced my symptoms will disappear as suddenly as the day they started when I reached for that carton of milk. Thank you for your website and to everyone for sharing their stories!
I can relate. I’m 53 and lived in denial about my milk allergy until recently. I would claim that I have lactose intolerance even though I constantly had a rash and severe diarrhea immediately after consuming dairy products. But about a year ago, my symptoms suddenly worsened, causing anaphylaxis, which was absolutely terrifying.
My mother told me that I had a milk allergy, which almost killed me, when I was an infant. She said I had anaphylaxis, including throat swelling, and had to be in the ICU for weeks. The symptoms lightened up at some point in my childhood, but I never outgrew my milk allergy.
As a child, milk products always made me feel nauseous and caused severe GI symptoms so I avoided them, but no one seemed concerned about it. Back in the 60s and 70s, I don’t think doctors knew much about milk allergies. I wasn’t monitored the way that kids are now. I think they just assumed that I had outgrown it.
When I was in my 20s, I started getting a bad rash, which I had all the time, fatigue, shortness of breath, and severe joint pain. Every doctor I saw missed my milk allergy. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel, asthma, panic attacks, and more. I think all of these conditions were due to my milk allergy.
After going off of casein products six months ago, many of my symptoms stopped; however, I started getting casein withdrawal symptoms, including depression and insomnia. I’m still dealing with that.
I’m so sorry for all that you’ve been through BB! My story is actually quite similar. This isn’t medical advice or a specific recommendation, just for informational purposes – I regularly take high-dose rhodiola (and herb recommended by my doctor at a dosage of 500 to 2000mg) for anxiety and it works very well. It has helped many other people that I know, too, and is supposed to also be good for depression. I hope that everything resolves for you soon!
Your story sounds so like mine. At around 14 years old I began suffering with migraines, this was put down to hormones. I have struggled with these ever since ( I am 61 now) and IBS for the last 20 years also. I began getting heart palpatations two years ago but all tests came back fine.
I talked to my GP about the possibility of food intolerance, but was basically told that it was unlikely and would be too difficult to do an exclusion diet !
Then I discovered last year that my grandson was dairy and gluten intolerant and a light went on.
I cut gluten from my diet more than a year ago and dairy six months ago, feeling much better but still getting some migraines I went to see a nutritionalist and had a multi food sensitivity test.
The results showed eggs as my worst intolerance (which I had been eating daily) followed by all cows dairy and gluten (even though I hadn’t knowingly eaten it for a year). I am now egg free and feeling much better! My diet is much easier than I had imagined, I eat healthily and as organic as possible.
If only I had known this all those years ago.
Thank you for sharing your story Karen!
Thank you for sharing. I have been having symptoms for about 10 years. Hives all over my body. I had thought I developed an allergy to my pets. Then I thought it was maybe my sodium intake from edema and my skin stretching & becoming itchy. No one could tell me what was going on. I also would get swelling in the roof of my mouth and itchy ears, coughing sneezing and wheezing. I just figured seasonal allergies. I never put the two together. Then I did a fast. I didn’t eat for 10 hours and ate an vanilla ice cream on a stick dipped in chocolate. All the symptoms listed above just hit me like a ton of bricks. It it dawned on me… it’s dairy. I never thought it was dairy. I assumed being lactose intolerant was just stomach problems. Never correlated it with casein. So I gave up dairy… and anything that may have casien in it. I was so frustrated living with this for years. I was miserable! When I realized it was the dairy I was pretty upset. I love dairy. It’s a huge part of my diet. The thought of no cheese. No pizza. No ice cream… breaks my heart. But after going an entire day with no symptoms I’m ready to give it up. And reading your post gave me comfort. Made me not feel alone. Im also giving up gluten for a few days and I’m goin to introduce that at some point to.
You’re definitely not alone Kelly! And I promise you, it gets much, much easier with time. Cravings do subside and a whole wonderful world of foods you hadn’t thought of fill in the gaps 🙂
For years I was itching severely, all the time. I also has headaches, hives, body aches, stomach pain, insomnia, wheezing, sore throat and fatigue. The intestinal distress was so bad that I thought I had some sort of obstruction (i.e. intestinal cancer). I spoke to a million of doctors and they treated me like I was dimwitted. One day, I skipped milk in my tea and realized I wasn’t itching. I cut out all the dairy, which is one of the hardest things ever, and all the symptoms are gone. At 61, I feel like I have a new lease on life.
That’s amazing Barbara! Thank you so much for sharing your story and I’m so happy for you!
Your story has helped a lot coz I was having same problem & my doctor never could identify the fact the i have milk allergy.
I’m 32 years old and I had been having throat infection twice in a month for last 15 yrs. & my doctor had been putting me on antibiotics everytime. I also consulted many other doctors but no benefit.
And as soon as I stopped milk & dairy products intake; my throat infection problem disappeared magically…..
One more thing I realised that my sleep quality had also improved greatly. And that I realised only after experiencing that good quality sleep which i never had in my life.
One more thing I would like to share here that I’ve been diognosed with hypothyroid 15 yrs ago.
I also have read some articles on internet regarding connection between milk allergy & hypothyroidism; in which they say that hypothyroid can occur due to milk allergy too.
Thank you so much for sharing your story Prateek. I’m so happy to hear that you are finding relief!
I too have experienced a lot of what people are talking about. I’m 29 and had problems from about my mid teens up until just over a year ago. The chronic insomnia and exhaustion got so bad I suffered a collapsed lung on two separate occasions and went on sleeping pills for three months whilst seeing a sleep therapist (both a complete waste of time and money), not to mentions cameras inserted everywhere and visits to just about every doctor in existence! Only when I cut out dairy and gluten did my symptoms subside dramatically within about 5 days. I might well have ended my life over this and what for? Because of something that baby cows are supposed to drink, utterly ridiculous. It really held me back for so many years, all the way through college and university. However, now I sleep and eat better than anybody I know. On the odd occasion that I have dairy (maybe once every three/four months?), sleep is severely disrupted. Stay away from the white stuff!
I’m so glad you made it through all of that trauma and are doing so much better today! Thanks for sharing your story Aaron!
That is “utterly” ridiculous! haha. The way you word it there…. because of something baby cows are supposed to drink. That really does sound ridiculous!
You should thank your stars you don’t have trouble.
I have a question. I’m allergic to gluten dairy eggs nuts fish and wheat. What am I supposed to eat?! Doctors have zero suggestions .
Make a list of all the foods you can eat in detail – fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains, spices, sweeteners, etc. Then come up with a meal plan based on those items. When you start looking at all of the foods you can eat, it gets much easier. Things like rice bowls, tacos with corn tortillas, chili, and many other dishes start to emerge. If possible, try to avoid leaning on alternative products until you get settled in with the diet. Once your taste buds aren’t used to what the traditional items taste like, it’s easier to adapt to alternative products – to appreciate ones you enjoy the taste of, rather than constantly comparing them to what the traditional items taste like. My friend Megan runs a blog called Allergy Awesomeness with some great, everyday, free from recipes that I believe meet all of your needs -> https://allergyawesomeness.com/
Mrs. Fleming, I know your trying to help. But if I’m not mistaken; if your allergic to gluten, your not supposed to eat grains.
There are many gluten-free grains Ela. Such as rice, quinoa, millet, sorghum, oats (certified gluten-free if wheat cross contamination is a concern), etc. Gluten-containing grains (wheat, spelt, kamut) are only a small group of foods in the grain category.
Go carnivore. It seems to be the only thing you didn’t mention and it has cleared up many other people’s allergy issues as they cut out so many of those that set it off.
I’m a 47 year old woman and since May I have been experiencing nausea (but I don’t vomit), a feeling of being bloated and full when I only eat a little bit, diarrhea, insomnia (going to sleep right away but waking up in the middle of the night, usually for a #2), and even heart palpitations, anxiety and some joint pain. I’ve always been a healthy person. This all started soon after returning from a trip to China so I thought I picked up a bug, but tests have come back negative. I’ve worn a Holter monitor for 24 hours and my heart tested as normal. I had an endoscopy that did diagnose chronic duodenitis, but biopsies and blood tests came back negative for Celiac Disease and negative for h. pylori, and I don’t take NSAIDs very often so the cause of the duodenitis is unknown. A few weeks ago on a whim I cut back on dairy, and felt pretty good for about three weeks, but I also thought maybe I was healing from a low-acid diet I’ve been trying to heal the duodenitis. Yesterday I had cheese, yogurt, and cottage cheese and soon after didn’t feel well, which has continued somewhat into today. I now think maybe I am lactose intolerant. Looking back, I’ve always been a big milk drinker and I’ve had lifelong weird symptoms such as a chronic cough. My throat always felt mucous-y and it made me cough one or twice to clear it. I’ve had more bloating and gas the past few years. I had no idea that heart palpitations and feelings of anxiety could be related to a milk allergy. I’ve been praying for relief, I’m hoping that finding this forum will lead me to the answers. The doctors haven’t been much help so I’ll be searching for a naturopathic doctor for the first time.
Hi Traci, I’m so sorry for all that you’ve been going through. There are types of medically recognized food allergies (milk being a top offender) that occur through the digestive system and yet can have systemic symptoms. A well known one is called eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Many researchers speculate that there are other types of non-IgE allergies that have yet to be discovered, too. Conditions like EoE are very hard to firmly diagnose. They can do biopsies, but a reaction needs to be occurring when they biopsy (and in the location of the biopsy) to ensure results. Many GI doctors will diagnose conditions such as EoE based on symptoms, and will recommend allergy testing (often via elimination diet). Please note that this is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical or dietary advice.
Thank you for sharing. I am 45 and have the exact same issues. Ive gone to dr and had tests which didnt help much. I cut out all milk and cheese as an act of desperation and realized it has helped tremendously. I had cheese 2 days ago and was back with the heart palpitations and gut issues. I recommend this to others as well as cutting out alcohol except once a week if socially reqired.
Ive had digestive problems for over 30 years since I was 18, just kind of lived with it when I was younger, but as ive got older has become more difficult to live with. Ive had loads of tests, all come back normal so it has to be something I eat. Long process of elimination and hopefully im getting to the bottom of it. Currently its looking like dairy products. If thats the case then at least I can deal with it if I know the cause. 30 years of not feeling well with multiple mystery symptoms has affected my jobs and relationships and social life/holidays. Cant turn the clock back but at least I could see a brighter more positive future hopefully if the issue is as simple as cutting out everything with cows milk. Ive always been a big cheese eater all my life, never gave it a second thought. Fingers crossed eh.
Thanks for posting this, this has inspired me to get tested for lactose intolerance. I’ve been having all these problems, and I notice they are like 10 times worse when I eat pizza or something else cheesy before bed, or ice cream or chocolate or basically anything with dairy. I’m going to cut out lactose from my diet and see if it helps and go see an allergist to get tested for that among other food allergies.
It might be cows milk, and not just lactose, No good buying lacto free cheese as its still made from cows milk. Im hoping its the cause of my long term problems
Like someone else said above, I could have written this post. Lifetime milk drinker. Looking back I think some symptoms appeared in my teens, but I definitely started getting bad symptoms at 28. I believe the stress of the birth of my first daughter triggered it (wife and I were up for 60+ hours straight, 29 hours of labor and then emergency C-section). Had every test under the sun and every time “you are a healthy 28 y/o” … “you are a healthy 35 y/o” … “you are a healthy 40 y/o”. Stumbled on vitamin D last year which greatly helped with the shortness of breath but not entirely. Symptoms mysteriously got worse on the weekends – I was drinking more milk. Finally a few weeks ago (age 44) I realized I was feeling oddly better and looked back on what was different the day before. My schedule was off and I hadn’t been home so I didn’t drink any milk. So I didn’t that day, or the next, or the next. Almost 3 weeks now and I 97% feel like a different person. Phlem is almost gone especially on my vocal cords, no pounding heartbeat, no skipping heatbeats, no feeling like my chest cavity is full of fluid making it difficult to breath (asthma inhaler did nothing to help that but they always insisted it was asthma). I would be severely out of breath for 10 minutes after 1 flight of stairs, now I don’t even have to open my mouth. I’ve had cheese, ice cream, dairy-based soups, all w/o any symptoms so I think my trigger is just liquid milk. 16 years and I can’t believe all along it was the white stuff I drank every day!
That’s amazing Doug. As frustrating as it is at all the time spent mysteriously not feeling well, it’s wonderful that you have your solution!
So far still doing much better. I have triggered minor reactions at times, like when I ate a Cadbury egg on an empty stomach, which of course has milk-chocolate. I don’t think I need to go dairy-free, but certainly no more drinking it.
Glad you are doing better Doug and I hope it keeps up for you!
My Goodness, I can’t believe what my eyes are reading in this thread! I feel I should post my story to show there is hope. A little background, I’m a two time Combat Veteran of the Iraq war, and while I was deployed I contracted the H Pylori bacteria in 2009, and my life, until this point has been a near standstill. I began to experience terrible reflux, acid indigestion, bloating, diarrhea, Ulcers, belching, rapid heart rate (I had nearly 150 ER visits thinking it was a cardiac issue) and even went so far as to have a heart cath performed. They all came back as normal and healthy as you could expect a mid 30’s male could be. Then in Late December of 2015 I began to experience these issues with more ferocity than ever before. I was convinced I had an undetected cancer and was near the verge of death. I finally went to the VA and was given an secondary treatment for the H pylori infection. They performed CT scans, X rays, blood work, but could find nothing. For the shake of honesty, I even began to let my mind drift into the terrible realm of contemplating suicide. I was that sick. Then during the course of my antibiotic treatment I became severely dehydrated and was hospitalized with a resting Heartrate of 165, very low potassium and calcium levels. My body was beginning to decay. Then, my last resort (which should have been my first) I prayed and asked to be healed. The very next article I found on the Internet when I grouped my system was Lactose Intolerency. I cut dairy out and THE FIRST day I did that I didn’t experience the symptoms as strong. Now I’m just on day two, but I feel such a huge improvement that I had to share my story, in the hopes that in may help someone else. I’m Now excited about my life again. I hope this helps someone else, as I have seen a vast improvement in under 48 hours.
Thank you for you help
John
John, I’m so sorry to hear all that you have been going through. I hope that the upward motion in your health continues. Thank you so much for sharing your story!
Thank you for this forum!
Go you, John! Dairy’s the ONLY link in my life to constant headaches (missing sleepovers, parties as a kid)…canceling my birthday with a new boyfriend…(he took care of me all day, thank God) and lots of pain. So glad you figured your symptoms out. Blessings
Omg, thanks for sharing. I have been suffering for years from congestion, sneezing, heart palpitations, acne sweating etc and I recently found out it was the dairy. I have been dairy free for 1 month now and I can say its the most amazing change. I am now free of all the symptoms and have much more energy than my old tired self. Yeah I sometimes miss drinking milk but I am better off now.
I’m so happy you’ve found your solution Govind!
Hi, I have been on an extremely long road, when I look back my symptoms first started when I was 16/17 years old. I had recently moved in with my boyfriend and started consuming lots of tea with sugar and milk. I didn’t notice straight away but shortly after I started belching and I mean belching it was bad. I went to see my doctor she said it was nothing to worry about. So I went about my business for the next 22 years belching away. When I turned 38 I started getting really bad bloating had always had bloating but now was worse. stomach cramps and diarrhea. I also suffered with palpatations. Again I went to the doctors who said I probably had ibs. And stress related anxiety. Was given antidepressants. I didn’t feel depressed though. Well I did because I felt constantly unwell, I was starting to feel really tired al the time. I then started with tinnitus in both ears so again went to doctors, was told it was stress induced. I have in the past 12 months noticed that all my symptoms are triggered after consuming dairy usually with 20 mins. I have never done the 30 day dairy free as I miss it so much but think I will now have to be determined as tonight I have bloating, belching, palpatations, stomach cramps, diarrhea, tinnitus, and tingling around my lips and joint pain can life get any worse.. 🙁
Hi Sharon, I’m so sorry for the symptoms you’ve suffered – you are long overdue to feel good! I have some resources that I think will help. First, my Six Simple Steps to Going Dairy Free – be sure to really focus on number 1!! Also, this Diet & Healthy Journal is free and can help with tracking everything. Best wishes!
Hello ,
I have been diagnosed with high cholesterol two months ago due to excessive smoking. I left it right away the very moment, changed my diet. But due to deep depression, i cut all the dairy, meats in my diet with very less calories a day for about one month. I am 26, male and after a poor diet, i started feeling some fitness issues. I felt pain in the left arm, heart palpitations and extreme depression , i too get chest pains and excessive bloating. ECG done for multiple times, but it all came out normal.
Fifteen days back, i analyzed my issues, started working on good diet, added chicken and now dairy. There were times, when even walking for one minute could have caused my heart to beat like 90-100.It really scared me as i do get little stinging mostly pointed pains in left arm. Then i realized that i have deficiency of B-12. Currently i am gaining my health back, but i do feel some discomfort in left side of heart if i do extra exercise. With all the things above, is it possible that i have done some damage to my heart in any way although ECG came out normal still. Thanks!
Hi Muhammad, I’m so sorry to hear about all of your health troubles! It’s good to hear that you are finding your way back to health. I couldn’t answer you on the heart issue, but your physician should be able to address this.
I am writing this comment out of an array of feelings (frustration, ambiguity, despair), and I’d love some feedback. I have been to 4 different specialists, all of them saying my symptoms are due to something different (for example, stress, milk allergy, stomach ulcer, etc.). I find myself really hopeless. I am so tired of the symptoms, and I am so tired of trying something new to fix them. I am also really tired of going to countless doctors and getting no definitive, objective answer. I’d just like to know what the problem is. I’d like to share my story on here and see if anyone can help me.
For the last few years, I have had consistent GERD problems. I have also had occasional eczema. Sometimes my burping gets so bad that I can’t leave the house. It all started 5 years ago when my wife and I were living in China. I drank some milk one evening and immediately began burping. My mouth swelled. My teeth hurt. I belched 1k-2k throughout the night. Since that event, I can’t have milk without similar symptoms. I assumed I was lactose intolerant and would only drink milk infrequently. I continued to eat other things with dairy (butter, cheese, etc.). The symptoms were manageable.
Unfortunately, the symptoms have got worse, the main ones are still burping, gas, and stomach pain with occasionally skin itching an eczema. I am sure there any many more symptoms that I simply refuse to acknowledge. What can I say, I am a stubborn, successful man who hates admitting that I might have a problem. One doctor says its stress related. I will admit that I do better when my stress is down. On the other hand, I went to an allergist a couple months ago. He did extensive food allergy testing. All of the testing came back negative, but he said without a doubt I am allergic to cow’s milk since I immediately begin burping within minutes after consuming milk.
I have tried to go 2-3 weeks without any dairy products, but find it extremely difficult. I end up losing the will power to continue since the doctor’s results are not definitive. I also find it hard because it seems like everything contains butter, especially at this time of the year.
I know I am being stubborn. I don’t want to accept I have a problem with milk because the drastic change it will require. I want to believe its something else. When my symptoms do start getting better after not having milk for a couple days, I tell myself its just a placebo effect. I also tell myself its just LI and not a milk allergy, which means to me that I can still eat baked goods and pizza (how could anyone give up these things????).
Anyways, my story seems insignificant to the symptoms others have, at least I feel it is insignificant. Yet, I still fill disappointed, somewhat depressed. I’d just like an answer. It’s hard for me to get out of the denial stage and move to the grieving and accepting stage because I am a man of science–I need objective results.
Hi Jacob, nothing is insignificant about what you are going through. Those are real symptoms affecting your quality of life. It sounds like the problem is, you have the solution, from your doctor and your own observations, but you’re mentally blocked. I recommend that you read this post I put together, and really focus on Step 1: 6 Simple Steps to Going Dairy Free for Good. Transition that stubbornness to your benefit (being determined to feel good and do what it takes rather than as a crutch for fear). Also understand that MILLIONS of people eat dairy-free around the world – it may seem daunting, and truthfully can be tricky at first, but once you get into your groove, it really becomes second nature. You also get to discover so many new indulgences that you had no idea you were missing. Trust me. And stop stressing so much! Also, keep in mind that symptoms can mean underlying damage that is happening – damage that may affect your long-term health. Finally, go to my Newbies page to help gain your bearing and confidence. Also, for allergies, the definitive answer most often lies in an elimination diet (such as going dairy-free) – this is actually the gold standard for doctors. All he can definitely test you for is an IgE-mediated allergy. However, there are several types of non-IgE-mediated allergies (also called cell-mediated), which are far more difficult to test for and often inconclusive. Cell-mediated allergies almost always involve gut symptoms, but can also bring other parts of the body into play, like causing eczema. Just a quick note on the science 🙂
Alisa, thanks so much for the information and the science lesson. 🙂 The six simple steps are very helpful. My wife and I are going to try a 30 day dairy free diet and see if that helps. I appreciate your insight.
Good luck Jacob, I hope it works out very well for you. I have a free journal download for tracking symptoms that may be helpful for you – https://godairyfree.org/the-dairy-free-challenge – 2nd tab.
I too had GERD for over a year and could not figure out why. It usually hit me in the middle of the night so I couldn’t make any connection to a specific food. I did all the “proper” things like not eat late, avoid spicy food and alcohol, etc. Nothing helped. One day, for unrelated reasons, I decided to go on a gluten-free diet. Within 3 days my GERD was gone. I mean GONE! It had plagued me nearly every night but now, a year and a half wheat-free I am also still completely GERD-free! I too had allergy tests and was told I was not allergic to wheat. But what a difference it has made to cut wheat from my diet. So perhaps dairy is not your problem. Try going wheat-free for a few days. They have a lot of good-tasting gluten-free products these days, including pizza! 🙂
I’m glad I stumbled upon this story! For 10 years now, I’ve been having stomach trouble, hives, insomnia, anxiety, heart palps, and other symptoms..I had tests done which just like you, came back normal…the docs keep saying it’s just ibs, or worse, it’s all in your head…what really stuck out to me is when you said ‘clearing my throat’ because that happens to me after I eat all the time! That, and stuffed up sinuses! Within minutes of drinking milk, I get sick, but I was too stubborn to admit that it may be the cause of all of my symptoms! Thank you for this article, I’m going dairy free
Good luck Jill! I hope it helps you tremendously!
I have just this week “diagnosed” myself with allergy to dairy. I thought I was lactose intolerant and for a while the lactose tabs helped. I have had palps off and on for more than 20 years and was able to figure out what caused them such as certain medications, but recently have been having very debilitating episodes. When I read that palps can be a symptom of anaphylaxis, then I related it to allergy. Today was the first day in a week that I have not had palps, headache, upset stomach, excessive sinus drainage, and diarrhea! No dairy for two days! Finally, after months, I think I have found the answer to my problems. Wonder how many are suffering and don’t know why.
I’m so happy to hear that you are finding relief Carol! I know, if only it were even easier to share these successes with others 🙂 I know your comment and story will help though!
I could have written this article! As I got older my symptoms got gradually worse. To the point where my night sweats meant I had to put a towel under the bed sheet. My wife would have a duvet over her and I would have a thin cotton sheet – I was always so hot. I snored loudly. I had all the other symptoms too. I was getting very concerned. I was about 40 when I self- diagnosed, and cut out call dairy. Within 3 days the symptoms disappeared. I stopped snoring. For the first time in 15 years of marriage. For the first week or two my wife kept waking me up a couple of times a night because she thought I had died! Stopping dairy literally changed my life. I told the doctor. I live in France. He looked in his medical dictionary and lactose intolerance isn’t even recognised here! I always carry lactase enzyme tablets and take them whenever I eat out. I still get caught out from time to time but at least I know what is causing the symptoms, which helps enormously.
Thank you so much for sharing your story too Tom! This is so helpful to others, and I’m so glad that you found relief without dairy!
Super late to the party, but this is me when it comes to whey. So for instance, dairy products made of goat’s milk don’t give me night sweats, but any product with added whey will, on top of any dairy product that is cow-milk based. And whey is in a lot of things you’d never assume! Nutella, Doritos, many boxed meats, it’s shocking. Of course when I eat things where ingredients state “may contain milk products”, the whey dosage is so low that I don’t get any reactions to it. But like you, cutting out the source of it (whey) was night and day. I spoke to my doctor multiple times about my night sweats and not once did she mention it might be a food intolerance issue. It took a couple accidental experiments of my own (taking whey-powder protein shakes before bed) to confirm what it was.
Thanks for sharing!! I have had trouble with swelling in my face and stomach for years, and I also was having heart troubles. I actually started to make the connection that milk was hurting my bowels. After a night of what felt like giving birth, I stopped milk. Drank soy for a couple of weeks and my face slimmed down and I hadn’t look that pretty in ages. Amazing. But soy is expensive, I ran out, and mixed a cup of milk with the last of my soy. I instantly had bowel trouble and swelling in my face and neck. That’s all I needed. Dairy never again.
So sorry to hear about all that you went through Amber, but wonderful that you have a solution now! Thanks so much for sharing your story.
Wondering if you craved dairy even though you were allergic?
That definitely seems possible if you have had dairy before!
Keep in mind you can have an igg response and not allergy, but still have all these symptoms. I have the igg response but not ige. If I eat dairy, my throat is tight, heart flys, skin breaks out, I get very constipated, gas, bloating, joint pain, bloating, and headaches. My body clearly doesn’t like milk!
Same thing happened to me, I was diagnosed with lactose intolerance( apparently no such as milk allergy then) as a baby, they assumed I grew out of it. My entire life I have migraines battled insomnia , chronic allergies, chronic bronchitis, heart palpitations and snoring. Last year I started a diet (to loose weight) cut out everything but white meat/seafood and non-starchy veggies. All disappeared within 1st week. After 7 months on it I added dairy and fats back, bam it all came back(most within 20 mins) . I finally made connection and removed dairy again. Been a week without it and almost back to normal. I am 27, took this long to finally get answers. Dr. thinks I don’t need test since diet proves it, but got blood test anyway. Got 4weeks till confirmation.
Thanks for sharing your story Jade. A long time coming, but wonderful that you finally found the culprit!
My heart pounds after I drink milk. Its happened for the past few months.
I’m sitting here crying because I love cheese!
I’ll skip dairy for a week and see if anything changes because so far my slight anemia and iron supplements haven’t made that much improvement….
I read this post sometime last year searching for answers on how to get rid of my heart palpitations (PVC), which were getting worse and worse: affecting my work and quality of sleep. They had been bothering me from 7 years and heart specialists were clueless. It would take me two hours to fall asleep as my heart kept skipping and I kept trying to find a nice upright position that would ease the symptoms… somewhat.
After reading this post I got tested for milk allergies, but I came out negative. Even so I was following a GAPS elimination diet and eventually also eliminated dairy and now I’m so much better. Thanks for putting this post up as I’m 95% sure my palps were related to dairy. I’ve tried raw goat milk, raw milk, home-made kefir, hard cheeses, and ghee and they all seem to re-introduce my palps. I think I can tolerate a few teaspoons of ghee and there might be a few cheeses I could do, but I’m afraid to experiment.
Once I get palps it takes days for them to completely dissipate – up to about a week, which is why I’ve never been able to associate my symptoms with any particular food.
Hope this helps other poor souls out there and don’t give up on eliminating dairy even if you test negative. There might be an intolerance issue, which triggers a similar result? Who knows.
That is an amazing story TK, thanks for sharing!
I get heart papitations at least every ten days I find out if I eat frozen pizza I get them the same nite or drink milk or eat string chese wondering if this is my issue please email me. now my doc wants to put a tiny monitor in me to monitor them don’t know about that either please he
Hi Caroline, can’t advise you medically, but you may want to mention this correlation to your doctor.
Wow! Thanks for posting your experiences TK! I can totally relate to your every word. I’ve been experiencing annoying palps for years and had recent suspicions of a food allergiy/sensitivity as the cause. My palps also worsen when laying down…weird. Not sure how this is relative to a food allergy though.
Are you still able to manage your palps by eliminating your dairy consumption? I will definitely give dairy free a try and see how I feel. I’m willing to eliminate dairy if it means eliminating my palps!
Hi Stacey,
Your story (and TK’s) sounds just like me as well, including palps getting worse for a few minutes when I lay down. I’m curious if going dairy free eliminated your palps? I’ve been doing an elimination diet after my alternative medicine nutritionist said I’m allergic to dairy, gluten and beef. (Insert sad face here…esp for the dairy.) I just added dairy back in last Friday night and began having issues again today. Dang it. 🙁 (The stuffy nose and drainage began the day after adding it back in, but heart palps just resumed in force today. Ugh!)
Just hoping for a “cure.” Now I’ll be back on dairy free…sigh…
Good luck with everything Melissa. If dairy does turn out to be a problem for you – have no fear, it gets much easier!!
Im curious as to the extent of your insomnia? I have discovered that if I eat daily then I awake at approximately 3am in the morning with stuffy sinuses. Also discovered that for me dairy causes blackheads. My allergy test did not confirm allergy to dairy though. thanks for posting.
Kim~
Your story is so encouraging! I just found out last week that I am allergic to all dairy (including goat’s milk) and have been quite ill for a long time and am hoping this is my answer!
hugs~
Denis :o)