Inside Health

Are too many babies being diagnosed with cows' milk allergy?


Listen Later

Rashes, a runny nose and weird poos are all common in babies. Parents are sometimes told these symptoms mean their baby is allergic to cows milk and are prescribed low allergy formula or advised to avoid dairy if they are breastfeeding. Marijke Peters cut dairy out of her diet to try and help the gut problems her new baby Eva was having - but it made no difference and she's still trying to find out why she has blood in her poo.

Dr Robert Boyle sees babies with allergies in his clinic at St Mary's hospital in London. Those with a cows' milk protein allergy can safely drink low-allergy formula milk - but Dr Boyle thinks that more than the expected 1% of babies are being diagnosed with the allergy. So he looked at the number of prescriptions for these specialised formula milks dispensed in the UK, Norway and Australia. In the UK he says that ten times the number you'd expect to see are prescribed.

Professor Paula Moynihan who's Director of Food and Health at the University of Adelaide says these formula milks could pose a risk to children's teeth because they contain different sugars than the type found in milk - which bacteria in the mouth can feed on, making it more acidic and potentially damaging the teeth. She says that any babies given the dairy-free formulas should have their teeth brushed twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and start seeing a dentist as soon as the first tooth appears.

Dr Margaret McCartney explains how long-Covid patients are going to extraordinary lengths to try unproven treatments in the hope that they will alleviate their symptoms. We hear how an investigation by the British Medical Journal uncovered how a special type of blood filtering called apheresis and hyperbaric oxygen therapy - costing thousands of pounds - are offered to long-Covid patients in European clinics but there is no evidence that they will help them. Margaret recommends instead signing up for NHS trials investigating potential treatments in a regulated way.

Gout is incredibly painful but many adults diagnosed with the condition aren't taking the recommended medication a year after they were told they had it. Dr Mark Russell from Kings College hospital in London found that only a third of people with gout were taking medication to help lower urate levels in their blood which can turn into crystals in the joints and organs like the kidneys if it is too high.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Inside HealthBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

73 ratings


More shows like Inside Health

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,724 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

880 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,039 Listeners

Woman's Hour by BBC Radio 4

Woman's Hour

400 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,541 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,815 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,828 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,062 Listeners

F1: Chequered Flag by BBC Radio 5 Live

F1: Chequered Flag

769 Listeners

Health Check by BBC World Service

Health Check

93 Listeners

The Food Programme by BBC Radio 4

The Food Programme

267 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

433 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

247 Listeners

All in the Mind by BBC Radio 4

All in the Mind

84 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

475 Listeners

The Liz Earle Wellbeing Show by Liz Earle

The Liz Earle Wellbeing Show

272 Listeners

The Doctor's Kitchen Podcast by Dr Rupy Aujla

The Doctor's Kitchen Podcast

643 Listeners

Food For Thought by Rhiannon Lambert

Food For Thought

205 Listeners

Sliced Bread by BBC Radio 4

Sliced Bread

148 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,167 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

755 Listeners

Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley by BBC Radio 4

Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley

201 Listeners

Cyber Hack by BBC World Service

Cyber Hack

1,639 Listeners

ZOE Science & Nutrition by ZOE

ZOE Science & Nutrition

2,078 Listeners

What's Up Docs? by BBC Radio 4

What's Up Docs?

111 Listeners