How to manage High Histamine Levels
Optimal health and wellness is achieved when we align our environment, body and spirit as one. Through an integrative approach, I give you the tools to begin your journey to a new you—the real you. Find out more below.
HISTAMINES
Where does this histamine come from?
One source is when the amino acid histidine loses a carboxyl group. Some bacteria can facilitate this conversion too. So if you have a bacteria overgrowth, it may be using up histidine and converting it to more histamine. Another big source is directly from foods. Some people may have a problem eliminating histamine from their foods and this causes reactions which LOOK LIKE allergies, but are not true IgE mediated allergies. You may see a histamine reaction which is just too high levels of histamine and not because an antigen caused an immune reaction to something.
What are histamine containing foods?
Notice that many of the foods are often considered "phenol" foods even though they are not high in salicylates or phenols. They are high in amines/histamine. There are also foods that trigger a histamine reaction. This means that they directly cause a release of histamine - in some people, this includes the natural salicylates or other common additives:
Egg, strawberries, cocoa, chocolate, bananas, citrus, pineapple, pork, soy, benzoates, sulphites, nitrates, food colours, MSG.
The similarity with this and the Feingold program is very interesting.
If someone has low methylation (maybe B12 deficiency or metal interference, etc.) then you may have high histamine levels and a problem eliminating the additional histamine from foods. You would also have more chemical running around in the body triggering histamine reactions.
What lowers histamine?
Taking an antihistamine is one way. Antihistamines typically work by either inhibiting the release of histamine (like during an immune reaction) or blocking the uptake of histamine (like from food). Magnesium and vitamin C are natural anti-histamines. Vitamin C can destroy histamine directly. This is why these supplements are recommended when you are sick for any reason.
What does histamine do?
Histamine is located throughout the entire body. In many instances, it causes inflammation, runny nose, itching, hives, sore throat, coughing, flushing, headache and all those other typical allergy reactions. In the gut, it signals the production of gastric acid. This is why some remedies for acid stomach are really antihistamines. In the brain, it functions like a neurotransmitter. A couple of functions include affecting hunger or feeding, and also sleep/wake cycles (the circadian rhythm). A bit more histamine keeps you awake, and lower histamine levels help you sleep. This is why many antihistamines make you drowsy.