Lactose intolerance, also known as lactose malabsorption, is a digestive disorder that results from the inability to digest lactose, the primary carbohydrate in dairy products. People with lactose intolerance are unable to fully digest the sugar (lactose) in milk, which causes them to experience diarrhea, gas, and bloating after consuming dairy products. The condition is typically harmless, but its symptoms can be uncomfortable.
It is estimated that 75 percent of people worldwide suffer from lactose intolerance, making it a widespread condition.
Many people have low levels of lactase but are able to digest milk products without issues; however, if you are actually lactose intolerant, your lactase deficiency results in symptoms after you eat dairy foods. Lactase is an enzyme produced in your small intestine and is usually the cause of lactose intolerance.
Most sufferers of lactose intolerance are able to control their condition without giving up all dairy products.
Causes
Your small intestine produces insufficient amounts of the lactase enzyme, which is needed to break down lactose, causing lactose intolerance.
Normally, lactase breaks down milk sugar into glucose and galactose, two simple sugars that are absorbed into the bloodstream via the intestinal lining.
The signs and symptoms of lactose intolerance are brought on by an interaction between normal bacteria and undigested lactose in the colon, which occurs if you lack the enzyme lactase.
The lactase deficiency that underlies each of the three types of lactose intolerance is brought on by various factors.
Primary lactose intolerance
As children switch from milk to other foods, their lactase production typically decreases, but it still remains high enough to digest the amount of dairy in a typical adult diet. This is the most common type of lactose intolerance. People who develop primary lactose intolerance start life producing plenty of lactase — a necessity for infants, who get all their nutrition from milk.
Primary lactose intolerance is a genetic condition that affects a large percentage of people of African, Asian, or Hispanic ancestry, as well as those from the Mediterranean region and Southern Europe. As people get older, primary lactose intolerance causes a sharp decline in lactase production, making milk products difficult to digest.
Secondary lactose intolerance
The diseases linked to secondary lactose intolerance include celiac disease, bacterial overgrowth, and Crohn’s disease. Treatment of the underlying disorder may restore lactase levels and improve symptoms, though it can take time. This type of lactose intolerance happens when your small intestine decreases lactase production after an illness, injury, or surgery involving your small intestine.
lactose intolerance that is inherited or developed
Autosomal recessive inheritance means that both the mother and the father must pass on the same gene variant for a child to be affected, and it is possible but uncommon for babies to be born with lactose intolerance caused by a complete absence of lactase activity. Premature infants may also have lactose intolerance because of an insufficient lactase level.
Symptoms
After consuming or drinking lactose-containing foods or beverages, common lactose intolerance symptoms usually appear 30 to 2 hours later.
· Diarrhea
· Nausea, and sometimes, vomiting
· Abdominal cramps
· Bloating
· Gas
Risk factors
Your child’s or your own susceptibility to lactose intolerance may be influenced by the following factors:
·Increasing age.Since it is uncommon in infants and young children, lactose intolerance typically manifests in adulthood.
·Ethnicity.African, Asian, Hispanic, and American Indian people are the groups most likely to be lactose intolerant.
·Premature birth.Because lactase-producing cells in the small intestine don’t develop until late in the third trimester, infants born prematurely may have lower levels of lactase.
·Diseases affecting the small intestine.Bacterial overgrowth, celiac disease, and Crohn’s disease are a few conditions that can affect the small intestine and result in lactose intolerance.
·Certain cancer treatments.You run a higher risk of developing lactose intolerance if you’ve undergone radiation treatment for abdominal cancer or have experienced gastrointestinal side effects from chemotherapy.
HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES
There are many effective medicines available in homoeopathy for treating milk intolerance, but the choice depends on the individuality of the patient, taking into account the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health of the patient. Homoeopathy is a rapidly expanding system that is practiced all over the world.
AETHUSA CYNAPIUM 30—Aethusa cynapium is regarded as one of the best homoeopathic treatments for lactose intolerance. Symptoms of lactose intolerance include vomiting milk immediately after consumption or in large curds.
CINA 30—Cina is recommended for people with worm issues who have trouble tolerating milk and who experience nausea and diarrhea right away after consuming milk, especially mother’s milk.
Magnesia muriatica, which can’t digest milk and causes colic, flatulence, belching that sounds like rotten eggs, and persistent white froth rising in the mouth, is another successful treatment for lactose intolerance.
NATRUM CARBONICUM 30The stomach feels flatulent and bloated, and the abdomen is enlarged and distended. Natrum mur people have an allergy to milk, which makes their complaints worse.
SEPIA 30 — Sepia is also a successful treatment for milk intolerance, where symptoms include bloating and flatulence in the abdomen, nausea at the mere thought of or smell of milk, and worsening of complaints after milk, particularly boiled milk.
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