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
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,412 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,855 Listeners

F1: Chequered Flag by BBC Radio 5 Live

F1: Chequered Flag

789 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,812 Listeners

Science Weekly by The Guardian

Science Weekly

411 Listeners

Health Check by BBC World Service

Health Check

84 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,779 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,079 Listeners

Science In Action by BBC World Service

Science In Action

341 Listeners

More or Less: Behind the Stats by BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats

904 Listeners

The Food Programme by BBC Radio 4

The Food Programme

263 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,070 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,054 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

245 Listeners

All in the Mind by BBC Radio 4

All in the Mind

63 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

397 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

471 Listeners

The Liz Earle Wellbeing Show by Liz Earle

The Liz Earle Wellbeing Show

246 Listeners

The Doctor's Kitchen Podcast by Dr Rupy Aujla

The Doctor's Kitchen Podcast

629 Listeners

Sliced Bread by BBC Radio 4

Sliced Bread

125 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

763 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,034 Listeners

Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley by BBC Radio 4

Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley

221 Listeners

ZOE Science & Nutrition by ZOE

ZOE Science & Nutrition

1,925 Listeners

A Thorough Examination with Drs Chris and Xand by BBC Radio 4

A Thorough Examination with Drs Chris and Xand

36 Listeners