HISTAMINE & YOU
the little chemical that may have far reaching effects for your health
The story of this little chemical, histamine, is getting a lot of attention at the moment.
Histamine is well known as many people either suffer from hayfever or know of someone who does. The most common association we have with histamine is the allergic immune response to dust, pollen, grasses, and animal hair. Consequently antihistamines are a common over the counter medication.
However, histamine is related to much more than hayfever.
HISTAMINE can drive PMS symptoms - anxieties, headaches, nausea and vomiting, and more…
Before you jump on the wagon and self-diagnose that histamine must be your problem, let’s look at histamine in its entirety. You will see that there are many factors at play that influence the effect of this chemical compound - histamine. And it is not just about histamine, but is more about how your body deals with histamine.
Let's take a closer look at what histamine is, where it comes from, how the body deals with histamine, what it can do in the body, and why histamine can become a problem.
Histamine is a chemical compound called an amine that you can
consume in food - one source is produced by microorganisms in food that has spoiled, aged, or fermented food (ie the reason for exclusion in Low Histamine diets).
also produced in the human body as an allergic or inflammatory immune reaction.
Histamine is stored in our mast cells, cells of the digestive system, some lymph nodes and certain neurons. And, there are histamine receptors all throughout the body that influence all systems.
Histamine therefore has far reaching influences:
hormone regulation, inflammation, smooth muscle contraction, vasodilation, gastric acid secretion, excitatory neurotransmitter, the reproductive system - ovaries, testes and endometrium.
There are 2 main enzyme pathways that ‘process’ and clear out histamine so that we are not overwhelmed with histamine. Problems can occur with these pathways due to
gene DNA alterations, or
nutrient deficiencies which are needed for these enzyme reactions. This may be caused by liver disease, inadequate intake or absorption due to gut dysbiosis
I have had several clients suffering from MCAS - mast cell activation syndrome, which results in constant and continual ‘histamine dumps’ into the body/system that result in a number of unpleasant symptoms.
Clues that Histamine may be a problem for you are symptoms that occur around ovulation and premenstrual such as:
Painful periods, heavy periods, ovulation pain, PMS symptoms at ovulation; poor libido; sore breasts, fluid retention, weight gain;
PMS and PMDD symptoms such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks; short term memory loss; headaches, migraines; nausea, vomit, appetite changes
cycle related allergies - peaking at ovulation & premenstrually, skin changes;
interstitial cystitis;
muscular pain & fibromyalgia.
There is a relationship between histamine and oestrogen, so it is at these peak oestrogen times that if you have trouble with your histamine clearance pathways then your PMS symptoms will be exacerbated.
So what can you do if you think this is you?
In Naturopathic Clinic we can undertake blood tests to assess your reproductive hormones, especially oestrogen, plus other markers to determine what your unique picture is and which steps to take for your oestrogen and histamine clearance support if needed. This could entail antihistamine herbal medicines and nutrients, liver detoxification support, gut dysbiosis correction, and methylation nutrients to support enzyme pathways.
What you can do now to ease or resolve your symptoms:
start tracking your symptoms in relation to your menstrual cycle to see if there are patterns
Treat underlying conditions such as bowel health and liver health
Undertake a low-histamine diet to alleviate symptoms. A low histamine diet will assist in reducing the influx of histamine if in a ‘flare’ state
I look forward to seeing you soon in Clinic if you think this may be you.
NATUROPATHIC CLINIC
Naturopathic clinic can support your health by determining your unique health picture - methylation processes and capability, liver detoxification processes, and gut health with tailored dietary and lifestyle guidelines, and, specific herbal and nutritional medicine for your presentation. Reach out if you have any questions.