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The trouble caused from a dairy allergy can range from annoying to life threatening. Understanding the symptoms of such an allergy can help reduce the chances of having a reaction.
A dairy allergy is really an adverse reaction to the proteins in cow’s milk. This response is usually seen as affecting the digestive tract, the skin, or the breathing of the person affected.

A person who has a dairy allergy might experience:
•    diarrhea
•    stomach pain
•    constipation
•    vomiting
•    rashes
•    sneezing, wheezing or lung congestion
•    anaphylactic reactions
•    colic (in infants)

Some people say they have a dairy allergy when in fact, they have a condition called lactose intolerance.
Lactose intolerance has many of the symptoms of diary allergy, but it is in fact a food sensitivity issue stemming from their body’s lack of production of the enzyme lactase. Lactase is necessary to digest the sugar in milk and doesn’t have to do with an allergic sensitive to proteins in dairy products. What this means for the sufferer is that lactose intolerance occurs when the person has consumed much more dairy products than it would take to cause the same effects on a person with a milk allergy.

For someone with a true dairy allergy there, can be more problems than simple discomfort such as anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a severe life-threatening reaction in which the sufferer might have difficulty breathing and a sudden drop in blood pressure. Anaphylactic shock can result and without immediate medical attention, this can cause death.
For most people with dairy allergy simply avoiding foods containing milk products can keep them healthy. This means having no food containing yogurt, whey, casein, butter, butter flavoring, cheese and cream. Also, watch for products which list lactic acid as an ingredient since this often contains the proteins which will cause a dairy allergy reaction. Even some processed food products listed as non-dairy might actually contain enough milk proteins to cause a problem.

There are many food replacements for those suffering dairy allergy such as those containing:
•    Rice milk
•    Soy milk
•    Oat milk
•    Almond milk

Many fruit juices and replacement foods have calcium added so these can be a reliable source of this dietary need. Being watchful of what a sufferer eats can eliminate most symptoms of dairy allergy. If accidental ingest of dairy occurs antihistamines can be taken for those suffering a typical reaction such as rashes or congestion.