It definitely can be a food intolerance. My youngest had a virus every 4 weeks it seemed for a year until we did food testing with Immuno.We tested my girls and removed the foods that showed to be issues. After four months of avoiding those foods we started adding them back in one at a time. This has been amazing for my children. They are both so much more healthier. No more viruses all the time. It was the toughest thing I have ever done (not a betty crocker here) but I grew a lot and the girls do not have ear infections anymore. The only food we have not added back successfully for my youngest is cheese....she will still get an ear infection (this was a later onset symptom) which was the culprit in the first place. It has been two years so we are going to try cheese again and see what happens. The benefits of doing this were well beyond the ear infections: clarity in speech, clearer cognition, awesome immune systems (instead of the monthly virus she always got).
I never could have determined the source of the issue without the test. At the time of the test, there were 19 foods that were challenging her system, so no diary would have helped me. We also reduced vaccinations per our pedi's recommendation to help her system heal. After we got her 'healthy' we started again very slowly.
I ONLY recommend Immuno Laboratories due to the accuracy of their results; not the cheapest, but the results can be trusted. Seen many people use various labs and end up with issues still. I have personally seen this work for 10 or so people, not all with ear issues, most are for GI issues.
Kiddos being sick all the time is NOT normal. Go with your gut. I love Dr. Bain and how she thinks differently than most.....she has changed our family for the better for sure.