Cow’s milk, the largest cause of food allergies in children, can lead to persistent problems like chronic coughs and sinus infections, asthma, ear infections and dysentery. In their book ‘Allergies to Milk’, Dr Sami L Bahna and Dr Douglas C Heiner report that children who are allergic to milk “may have breathing difficulty, particularly during sleep, or an irritating cough associated with a postnasal drip, and excessive mucus formation. Such affected children are frequently diagnosed as having an upper respiratory infection, viral illness, bronchitis or pneumonia, and may be given unnecessary medications, including cough syrups, decongestants, or antibiotics. Relief, however, is not satisfactory until cow’s milk is eliminated from the diet.”