While conventional wisdom would have you believe that milk is good, especially for growing children; in this article, Dr Chan shares the latest research findings that show that cow’s milk is neither nutritionally necessary nor beneficial for your health. Even if you’re not lactose intolerant or diagnosed as having an allergy to milk, the casein in cow’s milk will elicit immune sensitivity, elevating the levels of circulating IgE and IgG antibodies in your body, which mediate Systemic inflammation and nasal congestion. The constriction in your airway due to milk sensitivity may, in fact, be the primary reason for your chronic sinusitis, pressure headaches, grinding and sleep apnoea. This is why at MyDental Care and TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre of Sydney, we recommend a milk-free diet to help you breathe, sleep and develop better.
Dr Louis Chan is the principal dentist at MyDental Care, a leading holistic dental practice in the City of Ryde, and the Director of TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre of Sydney. Complementing his clinical dexterity, Dr Chan has extensive knowledge, training and experience in orthopaedic orthodontics, neuromuscular full mouth reconstructions, dental sleep medicine and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. He is committed to helping people live pain free, sleep soundly, breathe better and lead healthier lives. Dr Chan believes it is important to educate his patients on what is the right diet that will minimise inflammation and maintain long-term health. In this article, he provides frank answers to some of the most common questions around the benefits of a milk-free diet.
“As passionate as I am about creating beautiful smiles,I am equally as passionate about breathing, sleeping and eating right.“
What’s wrong with milk?
How do I know if I am sensitive to milk?
Can milk really trigger nasal congestion and headaches?
Does milk consumption affect my sleep?
Can milk consumption be the reason I’m grinding my teeth?
Is there a link between asthma and milk?
Would I still be able to meet my recommended calcium intake if I cut out milk?
What would you recommend in place of cow’s milk?
What about other dairy products like cheese, cream, butter and yogurt?
References:
Better Health Channel. Lactose intolerance. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/lactose-intolerance Accessed February 5, 2016.
Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA). Food allergy. http://www.allergy.org.au/images/pcc/ASCIA_PCC_Food_Allergy_2015.pdf Accessed February 6, 2016.
McGowan EC, Bloomberg GR, Gergen PJ, et al. Influence of early-life exposures on food sensitization and food allergy in an inner-city birth cohort. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2015;135(1):171-178.
Kristjánsson G, Venge P, Hällgren R. Mucosal reactivity to cow’s milk protein in coeliac disease. Clinical and Experimental Immunology. 2007;147(3):449-455.
Rubicz R, Yolken R, Alaedini A, et al. Genome-wide genetic and transcriptomic investigation of variation in antibody response to dietary antigens. Genetic epidemiology. 2014;38(5):439-446.
Mullin GE, Swift KM, Lipski L, Turnbull LK, Rampertab SD. Testing for food reactions: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Nutr Clin Pract. 2010;25:192–198.
Guo H, Jiang T, Wang J, Chang Y, Guo H, Zhang W. The value of eliminating foods according to food-specific immunoglobulin G antibodies in irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea. J Int Med Res. 2012;40:204-210.
Severance EG, Gressitt K, Halling M, et al. Complement C1q formation of immune complexes with milk caseins and wheat glutens in schizophrenia. Neurobiology of disease. 2012;48(3):447-453.
Severance EG, Yolken RH, Eaton WW. Autoimmune diseases, gastrointestinal disorders and the microbiome in schizophrenia: More than a gut feeling. Schizophrenia research. 2014;14:319-313.
Severance EG, Gressitt KL, Yang S, et al. Seroreactive marker for inflammatory bowel disease and associations with antibodies to dietary proteins in bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorders. 2014;16(3):230-240.
Wendy H, Sherriff JL, de Klerk NH, et al. The relation of breastfeeding and body mass index to asthma and atopy in children: a prospective cohort study to age 6 years. Am J Public Health 2004;94(9):1531–1537.
Cumming RG, Klineberg RJ. Case-control study of risk factors for hip fractures in the elderly. J. Epidemiol. 1994; 139(5):493-503.
About the Author
Dr Louis Chan
Dr Louis Chan has a special interest in holistic dentistry and is a certified provider of Myobrace, Insignia, Rapid Smiles and Invisalign.