Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Lactose and Phlegm

Excuse while I bang my head against the wall.

So much misinformation.

I won't give any names, but here's a quote from an actress about problems acting during her pregnancy:
She also had morning sickness but kept it from interfering with her work by eating hourly, mainly the cheese that she craved--problematic because products with lactose can clog the throat.

No they can't. Lactose intolerance affects the intestines. Period.

According to this page, the myth that milk causes phlegm goes back to the writings of the 12th century rabbi, Maimonides, from his treatise On Ashtma. Who knew?

Modern medicine looks at it differently. It may be possible that certain people with cow's milk dairy protein allergies may produce more phlegm. There are a million reactions that allergies can cause.

It's much more likely that you simply don't get more phlegm from milk. You may feel a film if you drink milk, or eat cheese, or you may just have heard the myth and make a false association.

But lactose has nothing, but nothing, to do with it.

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