Under the Surface: Histamines
It’s that time of year again when all of the trees start to bud, flowers begin to bloom, pollen floats on the gentle breeze, and allergies come to plague your sinuses.
Perhaps you’ve been told that seasonal allergies are just a fact of life and that you’d best manage them with a Zyrtec.
Have you considered that allergies are just a symptom of something going on deeper under the surface, and that once you learn to read your body’s clues and address those root causes, you can overcome them?
This applies to the seasonal allergies that tend to hit most people this time of year, but you can also quell histamine reactions of all sorts by applying the same principles… Seasonal allergies, pet allergies, food allergies and sensitivities, and even more complex histamine issues like Mast Cell Activation that can show up as headaches, flushing, itching, hives, low blood pressure issues, gastrointestinal distress, swelling, and even difficulty breathing.
Maybe you ditched Zyrtec a long time ago in favor of something more holistic, but you can’t seem to figure out the magic solution to not react in the first place.
Perhaps you’ve tried the DAO supplements, herbal antihistamines, homeopathic sinus sprays, generalized gut health protocols, or even a histamine-free diet.
While some of these methods may be more helpful than others, they all fall short of addressing your root causes and can only offer short-term relief at best. I would like to help you uncover the real reason for your symptoms so that you can live your life without the headache (literally and figuratively) and enjoy spending time outdoors year-round!
Could I help my reactivity with a low-histamine diet?
Foods that are considered to be higher in histamine include fermented foods, aged cheeses, bone broth, citrus, dried fruits, cured meats, vinegar, deli meats, artificial colors, kombucha, green and black tea, prepackaged frozen and leftover foods, and more. As you can see, many of these foods are incredibly nutrient-dense and part of a balanced diet. So what gives?
Low-histamine diets have the potential to help manage symptoms but are rarely worth the stress and nutrient deficiencies that come with them.
Histamines live in our mast cells, which are white blood cells that help fight off foreign invaders. Histamines are chemical messengers that belong to the same family of neurotransmitters as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. They are a part of the immune system’s response to allergic triggers, but they won’t show up on a typical allergy test.
Think of your body like a bathtub, the histamines like the water, and your body’s ability to break down those histamines and get rid of them like the drain. If your drain is malfunctioning, or the water is filling the tub too quickly for the drain to keep up, it will begin to spill over and that is when we experience symptoms of histamine intolerance.
It’s hard to know how full your “bathtub” is or how much histamine you can handle before experiencing symptoms, which is why low histamine diets can feel a bit like a crap shoot.
Depending on how full your “bathtub” is on any given day, you may have more “room in the tub” for a higher histamine food and not react at all, or you could be spilling over already and any amount of histamine in your diet will set you off. Just like what I always tell my clients about food sensitivities, it’s not the fault of the food, it’s your body’s environment (or terrain) and ability to handle it.
Ultimately, the drain in your bathtub can be influenced by multiple factors, including genetic mutations, DAO insufficiency, toxic burden, and gut dysbiosis.
Could my allergies be related to my gut health?
Leaky gut syndrome is caused by repeated inflammatory damage to the intestinal lining that affects the absorption and processing of nutrients from food. This inflammation can be caused by a variety of factors such as a poor diet, poor water quality, toxins & chemicals, stress and poor lifestyle choices. This mounts an inflammatory immune response that can show up in a myriad of inflammation-related symptoms.
The ingestion of certain foods (e.g., gluten) and/or the presence of pathogens in the gut can signal the release of a molecule called zonulin, which triggers the opening of “tight junctions” between the cells of the gut lining, making it more permeable (like cheesecloth). This allows partially digested food particles, pathogens from the gut flora, and toxins to leak into the bloodstream where they do not belong, causing inflammation. The foods that “leak through” and cause food sensitivities are often the foods you eat most often, adding to the frustration!
It is important when evaluating intestinal inflammation to consider that although continuing to eat foods that your body is sensitive to will perpetuate this inflammatory cascade and avoiding those foods may temporarily but necessarily help to quell your symptoms, we will not ultimately heal and seal the gut lining until we identify and remediate the root cause, which oftentimes is an infectious trigger such as a pathogen or parasite.
What’s the connection between allergies and parasites?
Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is an antibody that plays a very important role in the body's allergic response. When you are exposed to an allergen, IgE binds to that allergen and triggers the release of histamine and other inflammatory chemicals, escalating until you experience symptoms of an allergic reaction.
Toxins disrupt the microbiome and cause bacteria in the body to alter themselves (or pleomorph) into harmful forms, shifting the body’s terrain, and making it more inviting for parasites. Parasites weaken the immune system and set off an immune response in the body, which triggers the production of IgE antibodies and inflammatory cytokines. When this occurs, the body cannot regulate immune responses and IgE reactions increase causing allergies to foods and other triggers.
Studies have demonstrated higher IgE levels and more allergic reactions in people with parasitic infections. The good news is that we can eliminate these parasites from the body, reducing IgE levels and subsequently reducing allergy symptoms.
Although parasites are notoriously difficult to test for, one lab marker that you may see elevated with parasitic activity is a type of white blood cell called eosinophils. These are measured on every Complete Blood Count which is very affordable, and their elevation very commonly indicates parasitic involvement. Many doctors won’t address it unless these numbers are completely off the charts, or they’ll simply brush it off as allergies and tell you to take your Zyrtec.
What should I do to get rid of my allergies?
This is where foundational medicine shines. We begin by addressing your terrain and toxic load by first opening up your elimination pathways, supporting the gut and immune system with parasite cleansing, and then finally supporting the detoxification of environmental toxins, heavy metals, radioactive elements, mold, and mycotoxins. Any of these things can contribute to a full histamine “bathtub” and a malfunctioning drain, therefore it makes the most sense to address them all with a comprehensive approach.
The Gut Connection Blueprint course is that comprehensive approach, combining these foundational medicine protocols with nutritional science and lifestyle medicine. I’ve designed this program with everything you need to tackle your stubborn symptoms from the real root causes, to reset your body’s terrain and boost it’s innate healing potential.
I highly suggest that you begin with opening up your elimination pathways and implementing self-care techniques such as dry brushing for lymphatic drainage, castor oil packs, epsom salt baths, and plenty of sunshine.
If you’ve never practiced any of these techniques before, I’d love for you to download my FREE Detox Essentials Guide to get started!