In my practice, I see a lot of people struggle with some level of histamine intolerance, which comes with a lot of varied and incredibly frustrating symptoms.
So what is histamine intolerance?
First, let’s talk about what histamine is…
Histamine is a vital part of your immune system. It keeps anything it deems “harmful” out of your body.
A runny nose, sneezing, or watery eyes are your body’s way of flushing out those harmful invaders. While the symptoms are annoying, they are, in reality, protecting your body from infections.
Once histamine removes the invader, it’s no longer needed, and your body produces an enzyme called diamine oxidase (DAO) that metabolizes histamine. Specific gut bacteria also break down histamine. A deficiency in either makes it impossible to eliminate it from your body.
When your body can’t break down histamine, your body becomes overloaded with it. You are, in effect, not necessarily sensitive to histamine but rather have too much built up in your body.
Histamine intolerance can be difficult to recognize because it can manifest itself as a wide variety of symptoms and the response is cumulative and delayed, not immediate.
Here are a list of symptoms that can show up due to histamine intolerance:
Symptoms often appear several hours after eating high histamine foods, as the total level of histamine in the body gradually increases and overwhelms the ability for it to be broken down.
Because histamine is required for digestion and is released into the gut every time food is eaten, it may appear that you’re reacting to everything you eat.
So what do you do if you feel like you’re struggling with histamine intolerance?
If you suffer from histamine intolerance, the best way to address it is to get to the root cause.
Histamine intolerance does not have to last forever.
However, I do see a lot of people just trying to manage their histamine symptoms by avoiding high histamine foods (which is a BIG list) or taking a DAO enzyme.
This is not a long-term strategy. It’s very limiting.
The best thing to do to is to address the root cause and there are 6 underlying root causes for histamine intolerance:
1. Over-consumption of histamine-rich foods, release histamine, or block DAO
Some foods naturally contain very high levels of histamine or stimulate the release of histamine from cells. Others block the production of DAO enzyme or reduce its effectiveness.
If we constantly consume these, this can lead to symptoms of histamine intolerance.
2. Leaky Gut
When proteins escape through the gut lining into the bloodstream and the immune system attacks them, histamine is released.
3. Intestinal Damage
A healthy small intestine makes the DAO enzyme in the tips of the villi. If the villi are damaged (due to pathogens, bacteria overgrowth, gluten, etc), the body is not able to produce sufficient quantities of DAO. DAO is supposed to break down histamine.
4. Bacteria Overgrowth
Some bacteria in the gut can cause histamine to build up in the gut, causing a sensitivity to histamine-containing foods.
5. Candida
Toxins from candida can trigger histamine release.
I see a lot of histamine issues in my clients who have candida.
6. Nutrient Deficiencies
Vitamin C, Copper, Vitamin B6, folate, Vitamin B12, and Magnesium are all needed to help the body break down or deactivate histamine.
Many people are deficient in these important nutrients.
But we do not want to take these because taking too much of some of these can cause other issues.
So what do you do if you suspect histamine intolerance?
Test, don’t guess.
It’s the fastest way to know exactly what’s going on and getting on a clear path to addressing these things as well as getting past your histamine issues.
A faster track to…
- Enjoying the foods you love again
- Stop feeling like you’re reacting to every little thing you eat
- Not having to constantly manage histamine symptoms
Thankfully with proper testing, we can get to the bottom of what’s causing you problems & create a customized protocol to bring your body back into balance.
If you’re tired of feeling the way you do and want to get to the bottom of things – the root cause – let’s chat.
On this call, we’ll get clear on:
- what health issues you’re currently dealing with
- what your journey has been to address these issues
- and your health goals – where you’d ultimately like to end up
I can share with you wha
I think are the missing links in your journey up until this point and what I recommend to do to address them. If I feel like it’s something I can help with, then I can share what that process would look like in the Root Cause Method 1-1 coaching & lab testing program.
2023 could be the year that everything changes for you!
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