It is very definitely hayfever season right now and my nose is tickling away. It has been said that this is one of the worst hayfever seasons for a long while this year – however my own is the best it has ever been, hardly any so far :). I know some of you are suffering though, so here are a few things to help.
First, we have been discussing histamine generally on the Facebook groups so Christine has captured a lot of helpful bits and put it into a file for you there. I know some of you are not on Facebook so I have copied it in full for you below. Although, when you read that, you’ll see the quality of the discussions we have there! Do join!
Christine has also found us an excellent natural anti-histamine to go with the others mentioned in the resources below. Take a look at Histo-X, a mix of butterbur, nettle, mangosteen and ginger. You can read more about it here and get it in the UK via Amrita here – please use my name when registering and we hope it helps!
Other things to read include these two posts from Ruth at What Allergy which contain some really useful tips. First, one about the current spike:
50% more people have hay fever this year
and another giving lots of tips for tree and grass pollen hayfever:
20 things you can do to reduce hay fever symptoms
Then, this useful post from Yasmina on DAO:
How To Naturally Boost Production Of The Histamine Degrading DAO Enzyme
Our Facebook discussions and links:
Histamine Intolerance
I have picked out a few comments from various threads and put them all together here for reference. You can also read about histamine intolerance here and read the article here about how histamine intolerance can be triggered by hormones.
Micki has done a blog post about antihistamines here and for a more in depth blog post about antihistamines, read this.
Antihistamines are okay taken occasionally but not for a long period of time. They totally block all histamine, but the body needs a certain amount of histamine to function, so if the histamine is blocked, the body will react by making more and more histamine, so you could end up worse than before.
One member wrote “that’s true – I was taking anti-histamines all year round as an anti-allergy tablets for some time in the past. then I was literally unable to quit them, as every withdrawal was causing itchiness, extreme nervousness and other symptoms. meds are not the way”
Another member wrote “I think you take antihistamines for a long period you get other problems – I took Clarityn one year for six months during a really bad hayfever year and ended up getting palpitations and was sent to get an ECG – I also noticed increasing weight around the tum – as soon as October came and I stopped taking them the palps went as did this horrible weight around the tum – I looked at the instructions and sure enough long term use said both of these”
Also, antihistamines only block the histamine from causing symptoms. The body still has to break the histamine down and get rid of it, so you need good methylation for that. I take folate, B12, B2 and B6 (well I take all the B vitamins for balance) but they are the main ones for methylation. I also take TMG as a methyl donor and I find that helps tremendously.
Antihistamines (except Benadryl) also block the formation of DAO (the enzyme produced by the body to break down histamine in food)
You would be far better off taking natural antihistamines. I have read that quercetin and bromelain are as effective as the drug antihistamines without the side effects. Also according to this article, ginseng is as effective as Benadryl. Vitamin C is also a natural anti-histamine.
There is a supplement called NeuroProtek which may help with histamine and mast cell issues.
Also, have olive oil, as this has been said to boost DAO production, as do pea seedlings grown in the dark
You also need to have adequate levels of vitamins B6 and C and copper in order for the body to make DAO (some people have gene mutations, which makes this more difficult). Also low zinc levels may allow histamine to build up (see https://draxe.com/zinc-deficiency/), and magnesium deficiency makes histamine intolerance more likely also.
The supplement DAOsin should help a lot with breaking down histamine from food (you may need more than they say though and take before each meal.) Please note that DAOsin contains rice and corn and is not suitable for vegetarians.
You need to make sure that you are not taking any histamine raising probiotics such as Lactobacillus casei, L.paracasei, Lactobacillus reuteri, and Lactococcus lactis, and instead take histamine degrading ones, such as lots of the bifidobacteria species, but particularly Bifidobacterium infantis and also Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus gasseri.
It is also possible that pathogens in the gut can cause histamine levels to rise in the body, especially citrobacter bacteria, e-coli and chlostridia, as well as some parasites etc, so you may like to have a gut test done to check for those.
You need to make sure that everything you eat is very fresh and freshly cooked (no leftovers). This is probably the best histamine list to go by.
Including lots of anti-histamine foods, such as blueberries and sweet potatoes and anything mentioned at this link in the diet may help, and here is a list of natural anti-histamine alternatives. Monk fruit is also an anti-histamine. See here. The more antihistamine foods you have in your diet, the better. For the Top 5 anti-histamine herbs, see here.
If I get a histamine reaction, I just have ginger tea or chamomile tea or nettle tea, as they are natural antihistamines.
We have, what is known as, a histamine bucket and when our bucket is full, we get symptoms, so it is possible that you may react to something one day, but not the next, depending on how much histamine you have been exposed to that day.
Here is how one member lowered her histamine bucket:-
“I lowered my histamine bucket by removing getting rid of all household chemicals, fragrances, essential oils and toiletries. I went down to Oliva olive oil soap and deodorant. Even stopped dying my hair. This helped me so much I was able to introduce and increase anti histamine foods and then even high histamine foods. I also meditated, breathing exercises and hypnotherapy as in Micki”a Healing Plan. I don’t have asthma but was blacking out with histamine reactions, constantly covered in hives and lost all foods for over 2 years so it’s an overall strategy for histamine rather than specifically for asthma”
and:-
“The henna, toiletries and make up can all add to the histamine bucket though which is currently overflowing due to puppy gate. Have you thought about some hypnotherapy with Julie?”
If your histamine problems are being caused by airborne allergens such as pollen, dust, mould etc, then you could also wear a mask or nose filters to help, and get an air purifier, such as Blue Air or a steriliser such as Airfree or here is a another suggestion from a member:-
“have you tried the Medinase – light therapy done with two probes up the nose for about 4 mins – this really does work for hayfever etc. and is also known to help asthma” “I’ve got one and it does work – I do get a bit hayfever but compared to what I used to be like I’m tons better”
If you want to increase IgA levels or lower histamine, listen to Mozart!!
The act of digesting itself causes histamine release (see https://healinghistamine.com/wondering-why-you-react-to-everything-you-eat/)
Don’t eat burnt foods, because they release Heterocyclic amines and histamine intolerance usually includes other amines as well.
In case it helps, another member very kindly gathered together lots of histamine/mast cell links here in Files on the TrulyGlutenFree group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Trulyglutenfree/89700283039233 6/
Phew, that should give you plenty to go at. Hope it helps!