Gluten Sensitive? Casein?

[pickupfix]

Starting about 4-5 years ago I started getting skin problems around my eyes and was eventually told it was eczema. It's typically very red (to the point where people have asked if someone has punched me haha) and very painfully sensitive to moisturizers. This eczema has gotten worse in that it now appears around my mouth and upper arms and usually worse in the winter. I've also have had persistent acne issues along with my brothers who are now reaching their young 30s. On top of this I've felt more and more lethargic and typically pretty tired throughout the whole day with my mood always being pretty low. At first I attributed to being in college and not having a set schedule and always being in a state of constant stress but now that I've graduated these symptoms still persist.

My brother about a month ago decided to do the Cleanse diet with his wife as a way to refocus their diet (eliminating the food known to give people problems for 3 weeks). So after hearing this and reading about the problems that certain foods can give people I decided to give up gluten for two weeks that also coincided with a major reduction of diary as well. I definitely felt different my energy seemed to spike up and my bowl movements went from 5-6 times a day to only 1-2 (still was consuming a good amount of fiber and food).

Fast forward two week or so I decided to start eating gluten again because I had made an appointment with an allergist and eating gluten again did seem to give me quite a bit of bloating and gas. The biggest reaction was when I ate a lot of cheese one day and that night I was terribly bloated and gassy. Also, the next day I had a big red inflammation on my face. On top of that when ever I would consume yogurt after that point with an hour I could feel my energy drain from my body.

Today I went to the allergist and got the standard skin test which didn't show the skin sensitivity to wheat or dairy (but I am highly allergic to dust) and the doctor wouldn't really entertain the idea of a sensitivity unless I was under a lot of intestinal stress. He did say I should try to give up dairy again to see what happens.

My question: do my symptoms point towards either a gluten or milk sensitivity? should i approach my general practitioner asking for specific gluten/milk antibody tests since the allergist wouldn't entertain the idea? i just don't really know where to go next with this

thank you for any insight!

[RollingAlong]

Your symptoms could be caused or aggravated by dairy and/or gluten.

If you want more testing, be sure to get it for gluten before you take gluten out of your diet. Testing could be important for you, your family.

You could take the dairy out right now, per your allergist's suggestion. You paid for that advice, and it is good advice. Plenty of anecdotal reports about improvements for skin issues, particularly eczema, with the removal of dairy. So, it could definitely help your skin, and surely won't hurt!

The yogurt comment is too vague to be informative. Did you eat the yogurt alone, or with a meal? What sort of meal? What sort of yogurt? Skim milk, and sweetened or full fat plain yogurt?

On the other hand, perhaps you would tolerate goats milk dairy better? I've had some pretty tasty goats milk yogurt and the cheese is very good. You might also tolerate ghee, which is cow's milk butter that has been melted and the casein (protein) removed. Ghee from grass fed dairy, is a very good source of vitamin K (you get one kind from plants and the other from animals or fermented soy called natto. You need both kinds for bone health.)