Klarinet Archive - Posting 000428.txt from 1997/08

From: "Diane Karius, Ph.D." <dikarius@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Sinusitis
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 01:32:44 -0400

> With milk products isn't it usually the lactose specifically, or can
> other things in the milk also cause problems?
>
Lactose intolerance is extremely unlikely to cause anything
other than gastrointestinal disturbances (since true lactose
intolerance is the absence of the enzyme which breaks the lactose
into glucose and galactose - since the lactose then cannot be
absorbed by the intestinal cells, it remains in the intestine and
keeps water with it, causing all the symptoms).
Allergies to ingested foods can occassionally cause respiratory
symptoms, although this is not the most common presentation (it is
still debated by allergists/immunologists). There are multiple
substances in milk (a whole host of proteins (e.g. casein) etc...)
which could elicit an allergic reaction in susceptible people.
It is a common experience that eating/drinking dairy products is
associated with increased mucus production. I have never found any
physiologically tenable explanation for this. The one I have heard
most commonly in music (more often from singers) is that milk "coats"
the vocal cords. Since that would involve some serious choking, I
don't see it as a tenable explanation.
More commonly, sinusitis is associated with allergies to various
airborn things (molds, pollens) etc...
Diane R. Karius, Ph.D.
Department of Physiology
University of Health Sciences
2105 Independence Ave.
Kansas City, MO 64124
email: dikarius@-----.EDU