Although people sometimes use the terms interchangeably, a milk allergy and an intolerance to dairy are two different things. A milk allergy is caused by your body reacting to what you're eating. This can appear in the form of respiratory symptoms, such as difficulty breathing or a runny nose. Skin reactions are also common. Milk intolerance means your body lacks the enzymes necessary to digest milk. If you consume dairy products, you will experience gastrointestinal issues, such as diarrhea, abdominal pain and gas.
Step 1
Try a self-test first. Fast overnight and then eat a yogurt or drink a glass of milk when you wake up the next day. Write down any symptoms that develop within the following five hours, no matter how mild they are. Pay attention to your skin, breathing and digestive system. Don't drink or eat anything else during those five hours, just to make sure any reactions you have are definitively from dairy.
Step 2
Ask your doctor to perform a lactose tolerance test. If you are worried about a serious reaction, it might be better to do the test in a hospital setting. The test is similar to the home test in that you fast and then drink a lactose-loaded beverage. Rather than simply observing and waiting for symptoms, your doctor will then draw blood several times during a period of two hours to see how your glucose levels are affected. If no changes occur, it means your body cannot effectively break down lactose.
Step 3
Talk to your health care provider about a hydrogen breath test. This test measures the amount of hydrogen in your breath and does not require a blood sample. Again, you drink a liquid that contains lactose and then breathe into a special tube at regular intervals. If you have lactose intolerance, your body will produce more hydrogen after you drink lactose, and the test will be able to detect this. Choose this test for children who are afraid of needles.
Step 4
Test to see if your children suffer from lactose intolerance through a stool acidity test. This test measures how much lactic acid is present in the stool. People who are lactose intolerant will have a high amount of lactic acid in their stools.
Step 5
Request a skin test to determine if you have a milk allergy. During this test, your doctor will place a special milk protein extract directly on your skin and wait to see what reactions occurs. People with an allergy are likely to develop a red patch, itchiness or a raised spot.
References
- Columbia University's Go Ask Alice!: Difference Between a Milk Allergy and Lactose Intolerance
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Lactose Intolerance
- Auckland Allergy Clinic: Lactose Intolerance & Milk Allergy
- Food Reactions: Diagnosis of Lactose Intolerance
- Kids' Health: How Can Doctors Tell If It's a Milk Allergy?
