Red wine. Aged cheese. Citrus fruits. Sauerkraut. Bacon. These foods are frequently consumed by those on a healthy whole foods diet, and are often found in a variety of Paleo-friendly recipes and meal plans. Even conventional doctors frequently recommend including many of these seemingly unrelated foods daily as part of a healthy diet. After all, even a raw vegan probably wouldn’t argue against eating foods like oranges, spinach, or cinnamon.
It may surprise you to learn that these and other popular foods are capable of causing numerous symptoms in certain people, including migraines, hives, anxiety, heartburn and GERD, and nasal congestion, just to name a few. If you’re experiencing strange reactions to certain foods that most would consider healthy, you may be suffering from a little known but not uncommon cause of food intolerance and disease: histamine intolerance.
Still having strange symptoms on a real food diet? You could be suffering from histamine intolerance.
Never heard of histamine intolerance? You’re not alone. This food intolerance is difficult to diagnose, has a multifaceted symptom profile, and is often confused with a variety of other conditions. Many doctors and nutritionists have never even heard of histamine intolerance, and often treat the symptoms without ever addressing the underlying cause. In my practice, I see it especially with headaches and migraines, skin problems and mental health issues. It’s a fairly common, yet poorly understood, food sensitivity.
Histamine Intolerance: Not Your Typical Food Allergy!
Deficiency in the DAO enzyme system, found in the intestinal mucosa, has been suggested as the most probable cause of histamine intolerance. (2) There are likely genetic variations in individual enzyme function, but when activity of either of these enzymes is insufficient, the resulting excess of histamine may cause numerous symptoms resembling an allergic reaction. Common symptoms of histamine intolerance include: (3)
- Pruritus (itching especially of the skin, eyes, ears, and nose)
- Urticaria (hives) (sometimes diagnosed as “idiopathic urticaria”)
- Tissue swelling (angioedema) especially of facial and oral tissues and sometimes the throat, the latter causing the feeling of “throat tightening”
- Hypotension (drop in blood pressure)
- Tachycardia (increased pulse rate, “heart racing”)
- Symptoms resembling an anxiety or panic attack
- Chest pain
- Nasal congestion, runny nose, seasonal allergies
- Conjunctivitis (irritated, watery, reddened eyes)
- Some types of headaches that differ from those of migraine
- Fatigue, confusion, irritability
- Very occasionally loss of consciousness usually lasting for only one or two seconds
- Digestive upset, especially heartburn, “indigestion”, and reflux
Histamine intolerance is unlike other food allergies or sensitivities in that the response is cumulative, not immediate. Imagine it like a cup of water. When the cup is very full (high amounts of histamine in the diet), even a drop of additional water will cause the cup to overflow (symptoms activated). But when the cup is less full, it would take more water (histamine) to cause a response. This makes histamine intolerance tricky to recognize.
In addition, histamine intolerance is closely related to SIBO and dysbiosis, which suggests that curing the latter may alleviate the former. Many integrative practitioners, including myself, believe that a primary cause of histamine intolerance is an overgrowth of certain types of bacteria that make histamine from undigested food, leading to a buildup of histamine in the gut and overwhelming the body’s ability to catabolize the excess histamine. This causes a heightened sensitivity to histamine-containing foods and an increase in symptoms that are commonly associated with allergies.
For more detailed information on histamine intolerance, including causes, symptoms, and treatment, check out this article by Dr. Janice Joneja, a Ph.D. in medical microbiology and immunology and former head of the Allergy Nutrition Program at the Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre.
What to Do If You Have Histamine Intolerance
Histamine intolerance can be a challenging diagnosis to manage, since many foods contain histamine and for some patients, their gut bacteria is producing the excess histamine that is causing the symptoms. Fermented foods are some of the biggest culprits, since even beneficial bacteria produce histamine during fermentation. In fact, reacting to fermented foods is a classic sign of histamine intolerance, especially if probiotic supplements are well-tolerated. Other foods that are high in histamine include:
- Seafood: shellfish or fin fish, fresh, frozen, smoked or canned
- Eggs
- Processed, cured, smoked and fermented meats such as lunch meat, bacon, sausage, salami, pepperoni
- Leftover meat (After meat is cooked, the histamine levels increase due to microbial action as the meat sits)
- All fermented milk products, including most cheeses
- Yogurt, buttermilk, kefir
- Citrus fruits – eg. oranges, grapefruit, lemons, lime
- Most berries
- Dried fruit
- Fermented foods: sauerkraut, kombucha, pickles, relishes, fermented soy products, etc.
- Spinach
- Tomatoes- including ketchup, tomato sauces
- Artificial food colors and preservatives
- Spices: cinnamon, chili powder, cloves, anise, nutmeg, curry powder, cayenne
- Beverages: Tea (herbal or regular), alcohol
- Chocolate, cocoa
- Vinegar and foods containing vinegar such as pickles, relishes, ketchup, and prepared mustard
Individual sensitivity varies tremendously. I have one or two patients that cannot tolerate any amount of histamine in food, and others that are only sensitive to the foods highest in histamine.
In order to improve your tolerance to histamine-containing foods, it is crucial to heal the gut and address any dysbiosis or SIBO issues that may exist. I recommend working with a qualified practitioner who can help you address any bacterial imbalance and create a treatment plan that is tailored to your needs.
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What Can You Eat on a Low-Histamine Paleo Diet?
You may be feeling overwhelmed by the list of foods to avoid – I don’t blame you! It can be especially challenging to eat low-histamine foods on a Paleo diet. There aren’t many resources available for this condition, and everyone reacts in their own unique way to excess histamine and certain high histamine foods. For example, a person may do fine eating berries and citrus fruits, but they may have horrible reactions to wine or sauerkraut. If you’re dealing with histamine intolerance, you will need to determine your own trigger foods, and reduce or eliminate them accordingly.
For help figuring out what to eat, those with histamine intolerance may want to check out my Paleo Recipe Generator. It contains over 600 Paleo-approved recipes, and allows you to exclude many high histamine foods from your meal plan, including fermented dairy, eggs, tomatoes, eggplant, fruit, certain spices, vinegar, alcohol, and seafood.
Of course, you’ll have to pay attention to whether or not the recipe contains cured meats like bacon or sausage, other spices like cinnamon or cloves, and certain fruits and vegetables like citrus and spinach. Some of these issues can be addressed by excluding fruit and pork from the meal plan, which isn’t necessary but can help make your low-histamine recipe search a little easier. You’ll still need to double check the ingredients of each individual meal, but this search function makes it much easier!
Once you’ve made your selections for foods to exclude, you can plan meals for a full day, a week, or simply find a recipe for a single meal. Even with a histamine intolerance, you can still enjoy many delicious Paleo recipes: Lamb Roast with Fennel and Root Vegetables, Beef Brisket with Mushrooms, Sourdough Buckwheat Pancakes, and even Chicken Pot Pie, just to name a few.
There are few other online resources for low-histamine meal plans, and most are not Paleo compliant. The Low Histamine Chef has a “Low Histamine Diamine Oxidase Boosting Recipe Book” which some people may find helpful, though many of the recipes contain less-than-desirable ingredients such as grains, legumes, and sugar. It’s important to focus on healing the gut and identifying your specific trigger foods in order to reduce symptoms without indefinitely following a strict low histamine diet. Just remember, individual results will vary!
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hi !! i would like to know if can cook red meat and then store it in the freezer.It is hectic to cook at each meal.
Yes Rodrick, you can do that. Freezing halts the formation of histamine. But make sure when you defrost the meat, do it quickly and consume it as soon as possible.
Sue
http://www.low-histamine.com/
First of all, thanks for this wonderful article.
Is it ok to take fish oil and/ or krill oil if you are histamine sensitive? I have many problems with sardines, salmon, shrimp, etc. But I really need my Omega 3 fatty acids, so I figure my last option are the pills.
I would like to know this too. Sardines and fish make me feel really bad 🙁
Use flax seed oil, Phil and PC.
Fish oils can definitely be a problem for people with histamine intolerance.
Sue
http://www.low-histamine.com/
But isnt flaxseed poorly converted in the body? I also read it is a thyroid inhibitor, so I stopped taking flax. When I used the seeds in cooking I didn’t feel very well at all.
Do you know if you intolerance to histamines can increase with your normal hormonal cycle? I have noticed that during, or just before, my menstrual cycle starts that my reaction to foods goes through the roof. Also my chest breaks out in a crazy rash that spreads to my stomach and sometimes my back as well. Wasn’t sure if this was all connected or what. My doctor is stumped.
Yes Stacy, this is definitely the case. Histamine is closely associated with hormones. Histamine levels fluctuate alongside hormone levels, especially estrogen, at ovulation and just before menstruation.
Try the diet in this book, http://www.low-histamine.com/ for four to eight weeks. The symptoms should subside, after which you can gradually re-introduce your usual diet, while still being wary of those high histamine foods.
I read somewhere that there was a connection between the production of the hormone progesterone (both oestrogen and progesterone are produced during the cyle) and a histamine ‘allergic’ reaction….you could google it…
Hi,
I’ve experiencing these problems since an early age. These feelings come and go but lately I’ve having these feeling almost on daily basis.
I havent gone to a doctor as I’ve no way of trigerring it myself.
I’ve changed my soap, deo, clothes etc, but nothing works.
One thing that i’ve noticed for sure is Heat triggers it for me or it could me an after effect of it as well. I feel really hot when i get this feeling of Pin pricks and I just cant stop scratching myself all over. Along with this, i get red rashes as well, even at places where i dont scratch.
This is really annoying me as if i’m talking to some, or in a meeting, or
while driving the car, or if I step outside and its quite sunny, it gets triggered all of a sudden.
Is it really a B12 deficiency, as I’ve taken Vitamin tablets earlier, but just for vitamin compensation rather than for curing purpose.
Please advise, as this is really making things difficult for me.
When I get this, Ii apply cold water all over, or step outside in the cold, which helps subside the feeling. Because of this I cant even wrap up my self on cold days, as even if my body gets a lil warm, it gets triggered.
Should I see a neurologist or a dermatologist or a chiropractor?
Please please please advise.
Durgesh, what you are suffering from is called ‘Prickly Heat’, otherwise known as Miliaria. It is caused by blockage of the sweat glands.
According to Wikipedia and other sources, ‘Prickly heat can be prevented by avoiding activities that induce sweating, using air conditioning to cool the environment,[7] wearing light clothing and in general, avoiding hot and humid weather. Frequent cool showers or cool baths with mild soap can help to prevent heat rash.’
Also, ‘It has been suggested that the use of topical antibacterials (including the use of antibacterial soaps) may shorten the duration of symptoms… Other topical agents which may reduce the severity of symptoms include anti-itch preparations such as calamine or menthol or camphor-based preparations, and topical steroid creams. However, caution should be used with oil-based preparations (ointments and oily creams as opposed to water based or aqueous lotions) which may increase blockage to the sweat glands and prolong duration of illness. Other agents have been investigated including supplemental vitamin A and C and vitamin A based medications, but it is worth noting that there is little scientific evidence supporting any of the above treatments in terms of actually reducing the duration of symptoms or frequency of complications.
In most tropical areas the local dispensaries sell Prickly Heat Powder, a talc admixture containing drying milk proteins (Labilin) and Triclosan to fight any infection. These include cooling menthol to help alleviate difficulty getting to sleep. This is an effective treatment — the powder stays on the skin longer and treats bacteria dispersed into bed linens, providing a reasonably dry refuge area for healing.
Regular talcum powder will not reduce the rash but can alleviate burning and itching.
In cases where the rash has developed into open blisters or pustular lesions a doctor should be consulted since more aggressive, medically monitored treatment may be required.
@ Sue, Thank you very much for your help.
Just want to tell you all i have started taking a medicine called Apis mell 30 and its amazing its like a miracle, i got 70% of relief after taking this medicine.
Taking one drop 4 times a day
Glad to hear you’ve found a solution, Durgesh!
I have Hashimoto’s, Interstitial Cystitis, and Histamine intolerance and suspect I have SIBO and yet to to the test. I have found that MSM helps reduce histamine and Reishi mushroom has links to it’s actions as a natural steriod. There are numerous sites that refer to these here are a couple http://developinghealthyhabits.com/anti-allergy-benefits-of-reishi-and-maitake-mushrooms/
For those of you who are VERY VERY VERY sensitive to histamine, what do you eat in terms of veggies/greens that works? The new book, “Is Histamine Making you Sick…” has recipes with grains and gluten so another disappointment for me for sure. Can anyone who is VERY sensitive to histamine eat gluten?
What is the best source for listing high histamine foods? I read yesterday where someone eats cucumbers. Cucumbers are one of the worst foods for me in causing histamine intolerance. Do cucumbers have more than histamine that they bother me so much. Tomatoes and cucumbers are tops for the worst for me. I would appreciate anyone’s guidance…
Cucumber seems to be on a lot of low-histamine food lists, Alice, so that’s a tricky one. Are you having salad dressing on the cucumber? Are you washing off the pesticides before you eat it?
It’s easy to see why tomatoes would bother you – they’re just about top of every high histamine list.
As for gluten – gluten intolerance and histamine intolerance are two different things. People with ONLY histamine intolerance and no other issues, can definitely eat gluten.
However, it’s possible that you could have both. Have you been tested for gluten intolerance? That’s an easy one to test for. (Histamine intolerance is very hard to test for. )
I’d recommend getting tested for coeliac disease if you’re having problems with grains.
Yes Sue, I have tested gluten intolerant and am 100 percent off of gluten and all grains. I am also off of all the high histamine foods, Cucumbers bother me so much so they have to be high in something that does not work for me. I have tried them a number of times at different intervals and every time I had a bad reaction.
Alice, It sounds as if you also have either oral allergy syndrome or salicylate sensitivity. From whatallergy.com: ‘Oral Allergy Sydrome (OAS) is an IgE-mediated immune response, which is sometimes called a “true allergy”. The body’s immune system produces IgE antibodies against pollen; in OAS, these antibodies also bind to (or cross-react with) other structurally similar proteins found in botanically related plants.
So basically, somebody with hay fever to certain pollen may also react to one or more fruits, herbs or vegetables which have a similar protein structure. The body recognises the food as an allergen and can cause tingling around the mouth, lips and tongue.
‘People with hay fever to ragweed pollen may also cross react with: banana, cantaloupe, cucumber, green pepper, paprika, sunflower seeds/oil, honeydew, watermelon, zucchini, echinacea, artichoke, dandelions, honey (if bees pollinate from wild flowers), hibiscus or chamomile tea.
‘This reaction may come and go and be more severe during the hay fever season.
‘So, basically, yes you can have an allergy type reaction to cucumber but it’s likely to be caused by oral allergy syndrome and not be a true, life threatening allergy.
‘Salicylate in cucumber
Cucumbers also come under the umbrella of foods containing salicylates which are chemicals which occur naturally in many foods, the skin of some fruit, tea and aspirin. If you are sensitive to salicylate you may experience wheezing and urticaria. Different foods contain different levels of the chemical. Visit the Anaphylaxis Campaign website for a full list of foods that contain high levels of salicylates.’
I hope this helps!
Response to Kristy..I have Celiac/Hashimoto’s and have been sick for 2+ years. I also tested negative for skin allergy tests but when I would eat certain foods I got bad reactions..diarhea and rashes. I have had 9 doctors and no relief from any. They don’t seem to understand autoimmune and it’s afflications. After searching diligently for answers I have come to one conclusion: All sickness stems from toxicity of some sort. Find out what is ailing you (toxin-wise) and detox and overdose on nutrition. I had 12 mercury fillings removed In October 2013 and just this past week have noticed some significant changes in my body…namely..my fingernails are beginning to turn pink (yay) and I am continuing to eat paleo and eating tons of nutrient-rich food (kale..broccoli..collards). You need to figure out what is safe then rotate your food every 4 days so you won’t react as much. Keep a diary or you won’t remember what you ate. If you can’t eat meat and dairy make sure you keep your B12 up and make sure your not low on Vitamin D. The ranges should be in kept in the high normal for you to have optimal health. Also get yourself a juicer and on those days where you just can’t eat food…Juice…juice..juice..but only low sugar vegetables and not the ones with lot of goitrogens. Hope this helps. Keep the faith.
Kristy, make sure that the B12 you take is methylated B12, also called Methylcobalamin. It absorbs best.
I’d like to buy that book as an ebook. Is it available anywhere in that format?
(Sorry, I’m such a kindle snob 🙂
Ruth, when you’ve got such a serious histamine intolerance problem, you really need to go STRICTLY low histamine, and I mean even avoiding a tiny squeeze of lemon juice on your food, avoiding fish oils and substituting flax seed oil and really being 100% clued-up on what to eat. This book is the only one that seems to give details of a really stringent low histamine diet http://www.amazon.com/Food-Making-You-Sick-Histamine/dp/1925110508/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393810734&sr=1-1&keywords=strictly+low+histamine
Go on the diet for 4 to 6 weeks and see what happens.
Also have you been tested for allergy to apis mellifica and bee products?
I have urticaria and have been suffering for months, with hives. I was on prednazone for a week and the hives disappeared as soon as I was off they came back. I am now taking quercetin, apis mellifica and omega 3. Should I also take a probiotic? How long does it take for these homeopath meds to take affect. I am also watching my diet very carefully.
I also see from my waist down where I now seem to have the most hives (on my legs) that my skin has a purplish hue. Help!
I am glad I have found this blog as I need someone’s help ASAP. I am in much suffering as I have been so allergic that at this point I am unable to eat hardly anything. I have quit all the foods in the list ( of the article) already but I still get very sick if I eat. I am under potato, rice and apples only. My gastroenterologist told me to use these only when I get diarrhea so I do as I was told. But now it is not working. I must starve to be able to avoid diarrhea. I have been developing allergies over the years, I began with dairy allergy , then soy, eggs and gluten added up. I have Hashimoto Thyroiditis and I have already had an autoimmune attack to my brain throat and who knows where else . There aren’t many doctors willing to find out what is wrong with me. The situation is becoming overwhelming, and my labs are now out of range with low and high levels of different things specially amino acids . One of the doctors I have seen told me that I do seem to have problems with histamine trigger foods and slowly I am trying to get closer to answers to my problem. I recently spoke to a nutritionist who after a long interview told me I could have Mastocytosis. I am already looking for a specialist to rule out a possible Mastocytosis . Does anyone knows any good specialist? I would like to know what I can eat or what medications I can take to alleviate the symptoms of diarrhea, stomach cramps, headache, sinus congestion, hives, and mostly intolerance to almost all foods.I cant take over the counter antihistamines as they contain lactose and I am allergic to it. I am allergic to most if not all over the counter medications , generics, and to many things along with food. I do have a history of Leukemia in the family, my Dad died of Lymphocytic Leukemia and he had similar allergies. At the end he was intolerant to all foods as I am now.
I welcome any suggestions for doctors in NY , CT and Boston that could help me find a diagnosis. I just had a histamine lab test yesterday and my allergy test for foods are already confirmed positive. What other warnings I must look for ? I need to be educated so I can lead doctors into the right diagnosis. These days I haven’t find doctors willing to got out of their regular exams to truly help me. I am sending this plea for help, I just hope someone listens to it.
Oh my lord, Kristy, my heart goes out to you. My daughter was suffering terribly like you, for many years, and I was beside myself trying to figure out how to help her. It turned out she had Crohn’s colitis – have you been tested for Crohn’s Disease or colitis? But you also have the complication of Hashimoto Thyroiditis.
I myself have histamine intolerance and I think my daughter may have that as well. I am on a wonderful diet from this book, Strictly Low Histamine, and most of my symptoms are gone, all the worst ones anyway, and the others are starting to improve. I don’t know whether it will help you, all I know is my own experience, but I will pray for you and my best wishes are with you for your recovery.
Dr. Anne Maitland in Tarrytown, NY is familiar with mastocytosis. 914-631-3283. There’s mastocytosis, mast cell activation disorder and histamine intolerance. She’s an allergist. All cause the mast cells to degranulate, which triggers all the reactions we have- mine: seizures, fainting, hives, anaphylaxsis, angioedema- all of which are now controlled. I have found many of the foods that caused my problems have seeds or come from foods with seeds (wine, vinegar, eggplant, tomatoes). I would cut out the potatoes. Also, tea was a major problem for me. Are you a big tea drinker? it’s not the caffeine, it’s the benzene. I only drink water and decaf coffee. Start googling the following and just read up: Low histamine chef, Dr. Theoharides, Dr. Cassells, Dr. Akin. Dirk Buddha in Britain. Remember, medicine is a business, and what business owner doesn’t want to sell you his/her product of service? Who ever sends you to a competitor?
Also, Kristy, remove all irritants from your environment, such as feather duvets, woolen clothing, shampoos and personal products that contain fragrances, laundry detergents other than just plain soap, etc. One of my triggers turned out to be shampoo, so now I’m using QV shampoo and conditioner. And I can’t wear perfumes.
I forgot another major trigger of mine-change in barometric pressure, which I can do nothing about. I was fortunate enough to be in front of Dr. Maitland when there was a major pressure change and she watched me get sick. She put me on an inhaler, which I’d prefer not to use again because it amped up anxiety, but I would not have made the connection had she not explained to me why I got sick. I had gone through the same thing in front of another allergist a year earlier and he sent me to the ER. Dr. Maitland knew what was happening. That and waves of sunlight also trigger problems.
Have you been tested for MTHFR? It’s inexpensive and ay help you tremendously. Ask your doctor to test 677 and 1298.
My 6 year old began having itchy skin and hives periodically (and now itchy eyes). After visiting a pediatric allergist, all food allergy skin tests were negative. We suspect he is lacking DAO in his body and producing elevated histamine. Is there a definite test to confirm abnormal levels of DAO in the body?
Our doctor suggested we give him Histame to address any histamine from foods. Adult directions are to take 2 Histame 15 minutes prior to ingesting food. What amount do you recommend for a 50 lb. 6 year old?
Ann, I think you should call your doctor and ask him what the dosage is for a 6 year old weighing 50 lb. Good luck!
Sue
I’ve always been an allergic-type person, I had hives as a child.I got stung by a bull ant a couple of years ago and soon afterwards I started getting serious stomach pains after food which I used to eat without trouble. That problem eventually disappeared, but recently I got stung by a wasp and then the same thing started happening. Fortunately I found out about histamine intolerance and went on a low histamine diet. Since then I’ve been free of stomach pains and I stay aware of what I’m eating, so I am VERY glad I found out.
Is this related to methylation mutations (MTHFRC667T)? Would bypassing this mutation ease histamine intolerance vs. changing your diet to a low histamine diet? It just seems like you wouldn’t eat much.
I know that histamine intolerance is linked to under-methylation, CLN, but I don’t know about methylation mutations, sorry. I can assure you, though, that you can eat quite a lot on a low histamine diet. There are heaps of recipes available. I went on the Strictly Low Histamine diet for a couple of weeks and got rid of my worst symptoms pretty much immediately. Still working on getting rid of some of the minor irritations, though. When they are gone I’ll go back to eating normally, but just being careful and aware of histamine rich foods.
Hey guys I have a question…
About a month ago I ended up relocating to a new location. This is the first time I’ve been somewhere extremely cold for an extended period. About two weeks ago I began to develop an uncontrollable itching feeling in my feet and hands. I thought it was because of either the new soap I was using or because of the relocation. Since then, my torso began to break out in hives. They look like tiny goosebumps and theyre all over. Anytime I stress, or anytime my body temperature raises just slightly, the uncontrollable itch comes back. I can’t even stretch longer than 2mins without itching really bad. The goosebumps have continued to spread and now cover my entire body. Sleeping has been very uncomfortable. I wake up every hour itching badly. The only thing that seems to calm the reaction even for a moment is extremely cold showers. The itch feeling that I’ve been speaking of almost feels like pricking. Or like pins and needles. As a bit of background information, my dad does have a less severe case of lupus. I’ve never had any known reactions and have always had a fairly good diet for a 23 year old. Meaning I’ve been a vegetarian for the last 8 months.
Can anyone she light on what this may be? Or is there anyone that has experienced similar symptoms? If so, what did you do to cure it?
Fyi.. I went to an urgent care and they had no clue what it was. The prescribed me a steroid that may have been working slightly. But as soon as I ran out, the issue became 10 times worse.
Brian, I live in a cold area and I have this same problem too- usually for me it happens as the seasons are changing- from winter to spring or fall to winter, if I am hiking outside or just walking and it happens on my thighs and on my hands. It’s terrible! No one knew what it was for me either. Two years ago I started a paleo diet. I haven’t had a chance to go hiking for various reasons so I have to see if it has gone away soon. I think you could try eating a lower histamine diet and see if it helps. Paleo is not low histamine but so many of my other random crazy issues went away with it that I am going to see what happens. Best of luck. You are not alone.
Also you could google the Low Histamine Chef for ideas.
Thank you for your reply. Do you have any experience with allegra, zyrtec or claritin? To either get rid of the hives and itching or just to make working out bearable. I would really like to begin working out again. And with the ways things are when increase my body temperature this has not been possible. Any suggestions?
So, I don’t like to take stuff like that. But I did find this great supplement called Quercetin Complex at our local health food co-op. It helped me when I had what I assume to be a histamine response to eating a huge amount of almonds. I know Solgar makes a Quercetin complex and you can order it on amazon. The one at my local coop is a little different but the other one should still work.
In 2009 I started passing out. I would have a pain in my sternum area and then within seconds/minute I would pass out. It would happen anytime and sometimes it would be immediately after eating.
I was taken to the hospital, had test for heart, GI, etc. Doctor ordered a series of “Compliment Test which tested positive for Angio-EdemaI. My insides would swell and squeeze the vagus nerve causing me to pass out. After leaving the hospital I was sent to an Allergy-Immunologist Doctor and he confirmed I had intestinal Angio-edema. This was caused by the high blood pressure medicine I was taking and had been on for the past 15 years. My bp meds have been changed numerous times. Many of the bp meds have side effects causing Angio-Edema.
I have never had any swelling on the outside of my body. Although, my daughter who is asthmatic and has lot’s of allergies will swell very badly on her mouth and also internally.
Allergy test did reveal I am allergic to lot’s of foods including ‘nightshade’ vegetables, potatoes, eggplant, meats, etc.
Years ago I did order, from Swanson Vitamins, the Diamine Oxidase called DAOSIN and it does help.
Has anyone experienced Angio-edema from taking blood pressure meds? If so please tell me what you are doing/taking for your BP. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Does anyone work with a qualified SIBO / primal nutrition practitioner in the San Diego area?
I listened to the whole PaleoCon, I listened to the whole Future of Nutrition conference. I am convinced that my gut needs healing.
I keep researching practioners based on their web presence and I get the feeling I’ve learned more about SIBO, histamine build-up, and primal nutrition than they do.
OVer the past 6 years I’ve seen 3 ND’s in town and they did great things that supported my health at the time. One or two referred to my leaky gut, one tested me for gut IGG response to gluten and I was off the charts.
But I walked away after treating with each for more than a year or two without actually healing my gut.
I am totally doing this on my own, just about to order some Alcat food sensitivities lab tests (and complete stool analysis) if I can get my MD to sign the lab order slip.
Anyone? San Diego region? Do any practitioners actually have half of the frame of reference than Chris Kresser does on gut issues?
Hi Chris,
My question is regarding the diet and breastfeeding. My son, who is 18 months, seems to have histamine intolerance. He has been exclusively breastfed with solid introduction at 12 months. We thought he had food allergies with random hives but tested negative on RAST and skin tests. Then we found histamine intolerance, which has made a lot of sense. Now the question…. how do I figure out what foods are triggering him? There seems to be no rhyme or reason and he is still have occasional hives. (we have been eating low histamine since Jan 1) I am thinking of adding some of the probiotics you speak of to my diet. Any suggestions or information? He obviously is not verbal enough to help with finding offending foods. Hives are the only indicator we can objectively use.
Also any ideas anyone has for quick ready food would be very appreciated. Toddlers are not so great with waiting while I cook when he’s hungry or needing a snack.
Thank you so much for any information!
Kerrie
similar question from me too! any advice for breastfeeding- symptoms in child-eczema, cradlecap, itchy eyes, hyperactivity…..
Kerry there’s a whole section in this book dedicated to quick snack foods for histamine intolerance sufferers. http://www.low-histamine.com/book.html The book gives you a basic very strict low histamine diet to stick to for 4 – 6 weeks (or more if you need it ). After your symptoms have gone, you can introduce new foods slowly one by one, waiting between each one to see how the new food affects you. That’s how you know which foods are causing the problems.
Other than a giant comment thread on this blog post, is there a good forum where people chat about histamine intolerance and share experiences? The salicylate folks and sulfur folks have great forums, but I haven’t found one for histamine folk.
Thanks for any suggestions,
Mike
try Low histamine Chef’s site and look at the mastocytosis site, there seems to be overlap.
Has anyone found any supplements to be helpful, like copper, vit c, b6, etc.? If so, please share your experience.
It’s nice to figure out that I appear to be histamine sensitive, but I’d like to know what to do about it!!!
Thx
Mike
I was low on B12, B1 and D3.