Mental confusion can be caused by eating or drinking milk products if you are allergic. Mental confusion by itself with no other symptoms is not a direct result of a dairy allergy. You will always experience other physical symptoms in addition to mental confusion if you have eaten dairy products and are suffering an allergic reaction. Mental confusion and exhaustion can also result from lost sleep produced by dairy allergy symptoms.
Mental Symptoms
Mental confusion could occur along with serious physical symptoms of an allergic reaction to dairy products. The serious allergic reactions associated with genuine mental confusion include breathing problems, rash, hives and swelling of the mouth and tongue, all of which represent a health emergency. In this case, you should contact your doctor immediately. You can also feel lethargic over time and have difficulty focusing if you have lost sleep due to other dairy allergy symptoms that are not life-threatening.
Diagnosis
If you have a dairy allergy, you could react within minutes of drinking cow's milk or eating food with dairy-based additives, but it is more likely that a reaction will take several hours to develop. The delayed reaction to dairy protein often makes it difficult for people who are allergic to pinpoint the offending food. Your doctor will refer you to an allergist to help diagnose dairy allergy with a skin prick test and a blood test for reaction to dairy protein.
Treatments
The best treatment for dairy allergy is eliminating dairy products from your diet. Because dairy allergy is caused by a reaction to milk protein, many processed foods containing concentrated milk protein can cause a more severe reaction than drinking a small amount of milk. One example is "non-dairy creamer." Read food labels carefully to avoid accidentally eating additives containing concentrated milk protein. Sometimes anti-histamine medication can relieve symptoms, but anti-histamines can cause drowsiness and won't improve mental functioning.
Alternatives
Substitute foods that don't contain dairy to avoid an allergic reaction leading to many different mental and physical problems. Choose alternatives to dairy products or dairy additives like soy products, rice products, all-vegetable margarine, coconut milk and almond milk. Because many processed sweets and snacks contain dairy additives, try making your own snacks and eating fruits and vegetables for a healthy alternative.
References
- "Environmental Nutrition"; Ask EN. Got milk allergy?; June 2007
- "National Women's Health Report"; Stress management & healthy diets - strategies for allergy and asthma relief; Pamela Peeke; August 2005
- "Pediatrics"; Clinical aspects of gastrointestinal food allergy in childhood; Scott Sicherer; June 2003
- "Harvard Women's Health Watch"; Anaphylaxis - An overwhelming allergic reaction; September 2009
