How to test for a dairy allergy?

[Cadam]

Can a blood test tell me if dairy is causing some of dd's mood swings, aggression, oppositional behavior exc?

My dh is afraid of me getting all obsessed about diet things for no reason so he is not up for us doing an elimination diet thing. A test at a dr. office would be great. Will the dr. test only tell me if she has severe physical reactions vs. the emotional reactions? Anyone know?

[Kathy in MD]

control problems (and therefore his temper problems) can only be done by an elimination diet. Luckily the dairy test only takes 2 weeks and the counter test (adding dairy back to the diet) only takes 4 days. The counter test takes 4 days because the effect of the cassein takes that long to build up in the system and cause a re-action.

Unless you frequently add cheese or other milk products to your meals, your dh will notice only a minimal difference in the diet during the testing period. It's the food shopper who will suffer the most because that's the individual who has to read. every. single. label. And if you have a Trader Joe's nearby, they take a lot of the pain out by having both dairy-free product lists and reasonable prices. The big adjustment would be using rice milk or a nut milk (avoid soy milk because of the quantities of milk drunk.)

[5knights3maidens]

We took dd off of everything that had milk for 3 wks. (recommended by the doctor). Then we introduced it back in...it took only 1 hour/less to see the extreme mood change. Also, if your child is really allergic, don't be surprised if she looks/searches for it. The dr. told me some kids will search out what the body is craving. And that the body craves what it can't have.
HTH.