When I first learned that my kids and I might have Histadelia, our symptoms were making us miserable and we were going to have to wait 6 weeks to have a blood test done to check our histamine levels. I began researching online to see if there was anything we could do to get some relief in the meantime. I was surprised to find information about a low-histamine diet and thought it might be worth a try. Our improvement on the diet was so dramatic after only 10 days that I decided I wouldn't believe the blood test if it didn't show elevated histamine levels!
Many people have asked me about this diet and I will do my best to outline it below. In general, I haven’t been thrilled with the quality of information online about histamine in food or what constitutes a low histamine diet, so I have done my best to put the pieces together in a way that makes sense. If you follow some of the links below you will notice that some of the information is conflicting. This is an extremely complicated issue and I am learning more about it all the time. In my opinion, the diet is not a long-term solution, but a very effective stop-gap measure to bring relief while the underlying causes of the condition can be figured out and addressed. Of course, none of this is meant as medical advice, and if you can enlist the help of a knowledgeable doctor or nutritional biochemist than by all means do.
Treating Histadelia with a low-histamine diet:
There seem to be several categories of foods to consider on a low-histamine diet- foods that contain histamine themselves, foods that mediate the release of histamine (some do this in a general way and some in an immediate way), and foods that a person is allergic to.
These foods contain histamine and should be avoided: spinach, eggplant, lunchmeat and processed meat, and anything fermented, cultured, or aged (includes soy sauce and many soy products, vinegar, cultured and pickled veggies such as sauerkraut and pickles, sourdough bread). Fish, unless it is gutted and cooked immediately, should be avoided. Some people report problems with beef because it is routinely aged (I have also heard that beef is often treated with MSG at the time of butchering, and many amine sensitive people are also sensitive to MSG). Histidine is an amino acid (part of protein) that converts to histamine by microbial action, often pretty quickly, so some people can’t tolerate leftover meat. Here is a quote from this site
Histamine occurs in food as a result of microbial enzymes converting the amino acid histidine (present in all proteins) to histamine. All foods subjected to microbial fermentation in the manufacturing process contain histamine. Included in this category are cheeses, fermented soy products, other fermented foods (e.g. sauerkraut), alcoholic beverages, and vinegars.
Foods exposed to microbial contamination also contain histamine in levels determined by the extent and rate of action of the microbes. Histamine levels reach a reactive level long before any signs of spoilage occur in the food. This characteristic has important implications in fin fish, where bacteria in the gut are particularly active in converting histidine to histamine. The longer the fish remains ungutted, the higher the levels of histamine in the flesh.
Additionally, there are foods that can cause the release of histamine and may be problematic even though they don’t contain histamine themselves. Foods that may cause the body to release histamine include milk, wheat, eggs, chocolate, berries, fish, shellfish, nuts, and tomatoes. Foods that are reported to cause the direct release of histamine from mast cells are uncooked egg white, shellfish, strawberries, tomatoes, fish, chocolate, pineapple, and alcohol. I haven’t seen this mentioned anywhere, but it makes sense that foods to which a person is allergic should also be avoided for obvious reasons.
Much of this list is from the book Dietary Management of Food Allergies & Intolerances: A Comprehensive Guide, by Janice Vickerstoff Joneja. 1998. J. A. Hall Publications, which I came across on the website for the International Chronic Urticaria Society (this site also has information about a low salicylates diet). I personally felt that the suggested diet on this site didn’t make sense based on the information about food that it gave, but that the information itself was worthwhile. It also included info about some food additives and dyes that also cause the release of histamine. Here is a quote:
In addition, a number of food additives such as azo dyes and preservatives mediate the release of histamine.
Some of these chemicals such as benzoates occur naturally in foods, especially fruits, and may have the same effect as the food additive in releasing histamine.
Here is a list of foods containing amines (including histamine and other amines) from Allergy Dietitian:
This list also includes avocado, pumpkin, and banana, as well as quite a few spices, and yeast and yeast extracts. This site lists other amines as well, and some histamine sensitive people seem to react to other amines too so that might be worth thinking about.
To implement this diet, you will need to do an elimination diet followed by challenge tests for each food. I would suggest cutting out as many of the foods mentioned above as possible. Follow the diet strictly for several weeks, or until you feel that you have improved and stabilized enough that you would recognize any reaction clearly. Different people will reach this point at different times, but you should feel some improvement within several weeks. If you see no improvement, and are confident that you are following the diet strictly, you may not have high histamine levels or you may need additional restrictions (that will be covered in a future post). At this point try each of the foods that you have removed one at a time and notice whether or not you react. You will probably be able to eat some of the foods with no noticeable reaction, while having various degrees of reactions to others. You will have to experiment to see what works for you. Also, drinking a lot of water during the elimination period helps to flush out the excess histamine.
When my family began challenge tests with these foods we quickly realized that certain foods caused immediate and sever symptoms and others weren't a problem. Eggs, nuts, avocado and banana didn't seem to be a problem whereas berries, salmon, shrimp, and some others caused very intense reactions. To complicate things, we also noticed that different foods caused very different reactions, so we had to think holistically to determine whether we tolerated a food. My reactions range from severe depression from cooked tomatoes, to anger from salmon, to a racing heart and agitation from chocolate, to weepiness, dizziness, and exhaustion from many other foods. Roo's only noticeable symptom at the time was irritability, while his brother gets hyperactive, talks constantly and stutters, has to pee frequently, has nightmares and fears, and is prone to intense mood swings and rages. Over time we have noticed many more reactions but those are the ones that we saw immediately upon challenging foods.
These sites have more info about implementing a low histamine diet:
This site was put together by someone who uses a low histamine diet to control Meniere’s Disease:
http://goldbaum.net/balance/Low_Histamine_Diet.html
Here is a list of amine content of food (it includes amines other than just histamine)
http://www.zipworld.com.au/~ataraxy/Amines_list.html
This is a factsheet from the Food Intolerance Network about Amines:
http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/factsheets/Factamines.htm
Here is the homepage for the Food Intolerance Network, which has a lot of relevant information:
http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/
General information about Histadelia:
I have noticed that there is a lot of discrepancy between various lists of signs and symptoms, and it seems that different people will have different symptoms, and while some will have only a few others will have nearly all. One of my sons is a “textbook case” while the other has almost no signs at all (he even has counter indicators), yet his blood levels were actually higher. I personally don’t have many of the symptoms and have an extremely high level. I have found these lists to be interesting and to raise a lot of questions, but I’d be cautious in using them to either diagnose or rule out Histadelia. Common symptoms include depression, anxiety, strong fears and phobias, obsessive and compulsive tendencies, crying easily, being highly sensitive both emotionally and physically, problems with balance and dizziness such as vertigo or car sickness, and being very sensitive to pain. It seems to be more common in families in which there is a history of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia or other mental illness, or substance abuse. Histadelia is estimated to occur in about 10% of the population, but about 20-25% of the ASD and schizophrenic population. Studies looking at substance abuse have found that nearly all people addicted to drugs or alcohol are Histadelic.
Major Mental Illness Biochemical Subtypes:
http://www.nutritional-healing.com.au/content/articles-content.php?heading=Major%20Mental%20Illness%20Biochemical%20Subtypes
This post on a forum sums up some interesting info:
http://forum.lowcarber.org/archive/index.php/t-64775.html
This page has info about abnormal brain histamine (includes info on both Histapenia, which is low histamine levels, and Histadelia):
http://www.healthrecovery.com/HRC_2006/Depression_06/D_roller_coaster.htm
This is an article entitled “Comparative Physiology of Histamine”
http://physrev.physiology.org/cgi/pdf_extract/52/3/778
Resources from the Health Research Institute:
http://hriptc.org/supporting_research.html
Hello:
ReplyDeleteI find your articles on your blog most interesting. It confirms to me that exploring wide and far to find a solution that helps a condition is so necessary.
I am dyslexic and hypelexic and found that refined sugar was causing a lot of my confusion. So were my emotions. And, then I discovered that some of my reflexes that nornally develop in utero were under-developed. Using the Masgutova Method http://www.masgutovamethod.com in tandem with my emotional issues, the switch from chaos to calm was made. I also used the LindamoodBell, http://www.lindamoodbell.com process for improving my comprehensions skills.
If you want to learn more about my story go to www.dyslexiadiscovery.com.
All the best.
Ann Farris
Hello,
ReplyDeleteThanks for this info. Have you tried something like Histame (a diamene oxidase supplement), and, if so, did it work?
I haven't read through all of your blog, but in researching histamine intolerance recently, it appears that people with this intolerance are low in this enzyme, and that people with damaged gut linings (from celiac disease, food allergies, etc.) produce less of it (which begins to feel somewhat circular; that is, a vicious cycle).
I'd been stuffing myself and my family with fermented foods (high in histamine) to try to heal us from allergies and autoimmune disease and am now stopping that for the time being. But I feel sort of boxed into a corner, since I also feel that probiotics are important. What are your thoughts?
Hi Helen, I've read that too about the DAO enzyme (there are at least two others involved too). I recently tried Histame and it does work well, I love it, but it's expensive, so it's not a complete solution (for me). It's great for treats though. I've been meaning to write a post about it.
ReplyDeleteMy theory is that the DAO enzyme is produced at least in part by good gut flora so it can be restored. My family has been on the GAPS diet for over a year and we are now able to tolerate a moderate histamine diet with few symptoms, so we are healing. It's tough about the fermented foods. What we did was avoid them and use probiotic supplements until we healed enough to tolerate ferments again. Now we eat all the ferments we can and it is helping.
Certain bacteria, such as Clostridia, pump out histamine when fed grains and sugar so avoiding those is IMO central to healing. I'll write a whole post about this soon, thanks for your comment :)
This is so helpful -- thank you! I'd like to know, though: what DO you eat? What's a typical breakfast/lunch/snack/dinner for you?
ReplyDeleteI'll give a few examples of things we ate, but first let me say that we are healed now of the underlying cause of this and now can handle a quite a lot of histamine in the diet. Basically the problem for us was caused by gut dysbiosis- there are pathogenic microbes that pump histamine into the body, and friendly microbes who process it, so f the balance is altered towards the pathogenic ones you can image what happens. We healed by doing the GAPS diet which I will cover in another post, but for now I'll say that it is grain, starch, and sugar free. Much more restrictive then low histamine!
ReplyDeleteOkay, low histamine breakfast- eggs, gluten-free pancakes, waffles, muffins, etc, homemade sausage patties, omelets, granola with nut milk on it.
Lunch and dinner- soup, stew, gluten-free sandwiches, hamburger, pesto pizza without cheese, baked chicken, steak, pretty much any meat and low histamine vegetable.
Really there are so many options. Even without grains and starch we had so many options. The standard American diet has become unnaturally narrow and restricted.
Hi Sierra,
ReplyDeleteSorry this comment is for quite an old post. It made me curious as to why I'm not tolerating fermented foods with a strange set of symptoms, mainly more brain fog, increased salivating and a little more depression. This reaction is fairly chronic and occurs with just 2tsp's daily of fermented veg. I do have significant gut dysbiosis and am attempting to heal with the GAPs diet.
similar to the poster above, without tolerating fermented foods and dairy it seems tricky to heal the gut. Therefore unless the gut heals hitamine will still be a problem!
Was there a process by which you managed to progress with the GAPs diet and getting onto fermented foods eventually? Without tolerating kraut and any form of dairy, even kefir, ghee etc I can't see how I can expect any healing.
I guess it could likely be something else, but it's hard to pinpoint whether it's die off/salicylites/amines/phenols/sulphur etc etc!
Many thanks,
When we started GAPS we were still so histamine sensitive that was didn't tolerate any ferments at all- no kraut or SKJ, no kefir, and only a little ghee. There are so many aspects of the diet that are healing though so we did eventually heal enough to add in all of those things. I think we got butter after about 4 to 6 months, kraut at about that time too, but no kefir at all until about 9 months in. One year later is when Roo didn't have ANY diary sensitivity, which used to be awful for him. I think if you stick with it and are patient you will see a lot of healing form it. Healing can take time. In the meantime, are you using Biokult or other probiotics?
ReplyDeleteI'd love to know more about what were you eating when you started GAPS. We started GAPS and then stopped and switched to a low amine and phenol diet. I want to restart, but am unsure of how to proceed with the ferments and broths. (I was assuming that broths are also high in amines.) It sounds like you did no ferments, but did probiotics. Did you eat broths or organ meats? Also what supplements did you start with - I saw you were using vitamin c and calcium for histamines, but I thought that vit c became an oxalate. Would love any advice going forward!
ReplyDeleteWe didn't seem to have an amine issue with the broths. There are many different amines in addition to histamine, and different people seem to be sensitive to different ones. What I was concerned about with broth is that bone broth (broth made by simmering bones for a long time, usually more than 24 hours, is high in glutamate and bothers some people). For the first few months of GAPS I made only meat stock which is meat, bones and connective tissue simmered for less time, usually 2-4 hours. Maybe the amine content is less this way too? This is actually following the GAPS book to do it that way.
ReplyDeleteRoo never ate broth or soup, he simply refused to. His brother ate small amounts but not nearly as much as the diet suggests. Instead we ate boiled meat and veggies for intro (meatballs and meat patties boiled in broth went over well), egg yolks (we had previously been mildly allergic to eggs), I probably introduced avocados a bit early because Roo likes them, and we kept adding per the diet instructions.
Interestingly, at some point (maybe 18 months in?) Roo's brother began to like soup and broth and ask for it. I take this as a sign of healing. Now that we are transitioning off of GAPS and tolerate rice well periodically, I may begin making rice cooked in broth because I think that the benefit from the broth will outweigh the non-ideal rice. Even though we implemented the diet a bit differently then the protocol calls for, we still g9ot tremendous healing from the GAPS diet. I think it is ideal to follow the protocol if possible, but if that is not possible then doing a modified version can still be tremendously beneficial. I would like to write up a version of GAPS modified for low histamine and low oxalate needs.
Hi
ReplyDeleteJust found out yesterday through a kinesiology test that the 3 year rash on my leg and the constant sneezing every morning was caused as a result of too mush histamine in my body and I need to reduce it. I am trying to put together a list of high and low foods. But I find many foods are on both lists really as some foods on some sites are on the good list and some on the bold list.
Is a gluten and dairy free diet free diet the best way to go to avoid confusion and also excluding the main ones like tomatoes, vinegar etc...
I’m very confused.
A gluten and dairy free diet is not the same thing as a low histamine diet. Yeasted baked goods should be avoided, regardless of the flour used, and dairy is only a problem if it is aged or fermented (like cheese or yogurt) or you are allergic to it. Which foods are you confused about?
ReplyDeleteSome examples my test said I cold have venison and chorizo and yet they are on the no list on web sites.
ReplyDeleteI’m not allergic to dairy as in have no reaction that I know of but I was told to stay away from it (twice Reiki healer told me to stay away from that and yeast also)
Yeast free products are they ok? like yeast free coconut macaroons are they a treat I could have or yeast free brown bread is that ok?
Whether or not you test allergic (or sensitive) to a food is totally different than whether or not it has histamine and will contribute to a histamine reaction. What works for many people is to remove ALL suspect foods for several weeks, or until you feel better enough that you would feel it if symptoms came back (so sometimes longer than 3 weeks). Then, you try each food one by one (with several days in between adding new foods) to see how they affect you. This is called unmasking.
ReplyDeleteIt is really common to need to avoid a food that you have no acute reaction to. Many foods, especially ones that you eat frequently, result in long-term chronic issues because the food stays in your system. Some foods will lead to an immediate reaction, and those that don't now might cause acute reactions after you clear it out of your system.
Fresh dairy (non aged or fermented) may be a problem for several reasons. If you do have elevated histamine levels you have other problems with your gut as well. Many people with histamine sensitivity don't react to fresh meats such as venison, but do react to processed meats (especially with spices such as chorizo). There is no test that can tell you if you *can* tolerate a food other than avoiding it for several weeks and then trying it.
I thought you might like to read this lady's blog about how she has almost beat ASD in her girl.
ReplyDeletehttp://paleofreedom.com/about-me
http://paleofreedom.com
Thanks, that is great to read. The big post that I haven't gotten around to yet is that we did a similar diet called GAPS, which is like Paleo but has more to it in order to really focus on neurological health, and this not only cured us of our histamine issues but has led to tremendous healing in both Roo's autism and my ME/CFS. It has been incredible. Paleo is a great start but I would suggest doing the full GAPS diet if you are addressing severe gut health issues that have neurological consequences.
ReplyDeleteHi! I am Rachel, the afformentioned lady doing paleo :) I highly recommend starting with GAPS, also. Glad you are doing so well!
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel, your daughter's story is amazing! Thanks for posting! We've pretty much transitioned off of GAPS to more of a Paleo approach (still low oxalate) so I'll look around your site for more resources. I really need to do some posts around this and I hope you don't mind if I link to your site :)
ReplyDeleteI've just started reading through your site (after being recommended it by Jamie over at ThatPaleoGuy.com). I'm extremely grateful for the time you've taken to put down in writing such detailed information.
ReplyDeleteAs a long term coeliac with continuing symptoms, the HIT angle has been a bit of a breakthrough for me, and after some promising results from using Histame, I feel it is at least part of the answer.
I wanted to ask you about your experiences with pork and beef though. I react horribly to both - I believe pork contains a histamine liberator and beef can contain histamine due to aging. This compromises my diet even further, and I wondered if you had ever had problems with these meats.
I have also always wondered why probiotics give me a terrible reaction, but your explanation about gut bacteria clears that up for me. The question is, how on earth to go about healing the gut. I guess chicken broth could be a start...
Hi Roger, glad you like the site! As for your meat question, some histamine sensitive people do react to those meats. I've had the same thought about beef, that it's the aging process that causes the problem. As for pork my guess has been that it's high in another amine like tyramine but your theory is interesting- is there a reason you suspect that? And we're talking about fresh pork here right, since bacon and ham are high in histamine because they are cured and aged?
ReplyDeleteWhat are the other factors limiting your diet, other than avoiding gluten? Maybe I can help you brainstorm some ideas. When we did the GAPS diet we lost our sensitivities to many foods so our diet got much broader. It also healed our histamine sensitivity so now we are back to eating pretty high histamine and doing well. There is hope!
Have you tried starting the probiotic at a very tiny dose and working up to a full dose slowly? This helps many people tolerate probiotics. Also, you can do several things to support your body during the die-off reaction, including taking Epsom salt baths or taking pectin or activated charcoal if the symptoms are really bad.
HI Sierra
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your reply.
On pork, the info I got came from here:
http://www.histamine-intolerance.info/resources/HistamineIntoleranceFood.pdf
Pork is also listed as a histamine liberator at your allergydietician link above. I can only assume it is this aspect of pork that is causing me problems.
I was referring to fresh pork only, in fact I have tested several times with the freshest I could get hold of, with results varying from poor to awful.
Around the time beef and pork became a problem, I had a raft of bloods done which highlighted a copper and B6 deficiency, which I believe are involved in DAO enzyme formation. However, supplementing these for nearly a year has seen no difference, apart from seemingly becoming more sensitive.
Food wise, I have been eating non-dairy, no-egg, no-nuts paleo for several years, which made a big difference, presumably from reduced insult to the gut. You can imagine the loss of pork, beef and now fish and shellfish has made things somewhat tricky!
Interestingly, when I stopped drinking coffee at the end of last year, I had around 5 days of perfect health. I repeated this as an experiment. This has led me to think that the coffee, although making me unwell, was acting as a 'drain' on my histamine levels, and I therefore had spare capacity when I stopped drinking it that stopped the histamine 'overflow'.
Anyway, I am feeling rather like I'm turning this into a personal consultation, which is hardly fair, so I'll stop now!
All the best
Roger
That is all very interesting Roger. I had forgotten some of the details about histamine (we aren't sensitive anymore). Your diet sounds great, but yes I can see how losing more meats woudl be very limiting. Do you also take probiotics? I tink that helped us tremendously before we could tolerate fermented foods. Also interesting about the coffee- many people find that coffee helps reduce histamine levels (it is an antihistamine). I wonder if this means that one piece of your histamine sensitivity is low adrenal function? That can be a major piece for many people. Also, what quality of coffee where you drinking? Coffee is one food that is often contaminated with mold. Other than that, I don't know.
ReplyDeleteWow... it's wild hearing other people's stories and battles through allergies. It makes me sad that there's not more awareness on this topic! For me, it took 10 years to get diagnosed with an allergy to amines.
ReplyDeleteBecause of that, I started a low amine recipes blog, and am trying to build a community around this issue. I wonder if you would be willing to add my site to your blogroll? I'm hoping it will help others out there with my problems.
You can check it out here:
Low Amine Recipes
http://aminerecipes.com
Take care, and good luck!
Best!
Michelle Ferris
im going to start a low histimine diet but am unsure if some of the food items i will eat are suitable for this type of diet.any help on whether these foods are ok would be great.
ReplyDeleteFor breakfast i will eat shredded wheat with sunflower seeds and linseeds.
For lunch i will have smoothies with grapes, apples, pears,blueberries.i will use cranberry juice from a carton with this.
For dinner i will eat diced plain beef, chicken fillets, fillet steak, plain pork.
I will make stir fries with fresh noodle, bean sprouts and fresh vegetables.I will have organic potatoes.
I am unsure if you can use prepared stir fry mix or prepared vegetables.do the vegetables have to be root vegetables or can you use pre packed vegetables like green beans, baby corn, mangetout?also can you use bean sprouts or have boiled rice?
If anyone is aware of this diet can you please help me with my questions above.
Thanks
John
The first thing is that I would strongly recommend avoiding gluten, or at least wheat, when you do this. Gluten/wheat bother so many people and are pro-inflammatory. Rice is fine. Not sure why the linseeds, I would choose something else, like coconut oil, that is also not pro-inflammatory. The blueberries and cranberries are likely to be an issue unless used occasionally and in small amounts. Potato is low histamine, but high oxalate, which releases histamine in some people, so maybe keep an eye on that one.
ReplyDeleteAs for meat, some people who are histamine sensitive (or sensitive to other amines) don't do well with beef or pork, so pay attention when you try those. Beef is aged which is probably why it can do this, so maybe choosing meats that aren't aged will help.
I'm not sure about your question about vegetables- are you asking if it's okay to use frozen instead of fresh? That should be fine as long as nothing is added to them. Stir frys may not be a great idea as soy sauce is high histamine and VERY high in free glutamate, which histamine sensitive people often react to. I'd focus on fresh flavorings such as grated ginger, lemon or lime juice (if citrus doesn't bother you), or low histamine spices.
Upon reading about Histadelia, I believe I may have suffered from it for years. I have read a good deal on the "high histamine diet" and saw to avoid vinegar. Does anyone out there know if this includes Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar that is purchased in health food stores? If you know anything about the product, you know that it is not like the traditional cooking vinegars you find in the grocery store and has many health benefits. I thank you so much for your assistance!
ReplyDeleteThe thing about histamine in food is that this is an independent issue then whether or not the food is "healthy" in some other way. Many high histamine foods are very healthy, such as sauerkraut and berries. If the histamine is a problem for you then these foods are a problem for you. It's more a question of whether a food is a good fit for your individual biochemistry than whether it is "healthy" in an abstract way.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I'm pretty sure that the histamine content of apple cider vinegar is very low compared to other vinegars. I'm pretty sure I saw a measurement of this somewhere. If I can find the info I'll post it.
Sierra:
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for replying to my question. If you have time, I have a few more questions. Thank you VERY much for your patience.
1) I've read where histamine-sensitive people should avoid fish. Does this include fish oil? It sounds obvious, but I thought I'd ask you and other readers for experiences you may have had. I've been taking it for about 2 months for depression, but fear it may be doing more harm than good. I believe I will stop it.
2) I read somewhere that Rice is a natural source of histadine and should be avoided. Do you know if this is correct? I've already eliminated most grains due to gluten, but I would hate to lose this option.
3) What about Coconut Oil?
4) I had a neurotransmitter test performed via urine and it showed high levels of histamine and lower levels of serotonin. The physician is thinking that it is food-related and is leading to the mental problems I've been experiencing. Have you heard if the urine analysis of histamine is as accurate as blood analysis?
As mentioned, I've been experiencing mental issues. I've dealt with it for several years, but the last few months have been really bad. I'm afraid that certain food and supplements I've been taking has aggravated the situation. I also believe that environmental stress (moldy house), emotional stress (sick mother) and my 10 amalgam fillings have made the condition even worse. I believe getting off of the antidepressant (in which I was on for 8 years) in February has left my body overwhelmed neurologically because it needed the serotonin due to the high histamine levels in my body being so high and possibly suppressing it. Because of my current "natural health" approach, I HATE to take the medicine, but I believe I am going to have to go back on it until I can get my body leveled out from the low histamine protocol. In addition to diet modifications, I am going to try the Histame.
Besides the mental problems, I also experience neck and jaw pain, as well as some fatigue. However, I do not experience breathing problems, rashes, IBS, etc., that are listed as common symptoms. I'm not sure if I am experiencing Histadelia, but it sure makes sense. What I really found interesting was the chart listed here (http://www.nutritional-healing.com.au/content/articles-content.php?heading=Major%20Mental%20Illness%20Biochemical%20Subtypes) made up from Dr. Carl Pfeiffer's work. I seem to have many (but not all) of the characteristics listed under Histadelia. Two exceptions being my musical/artistic ability and season allergies. However, I suffered many years when I was young from the allergies. I've found the greatest relief from the Apple Cider Vinegar I previously mentioned.
Sorry for my ramblings. Thank you again for your time.
rw
wow what a site!
ReplyDeletehow would you know if you had a histamine or oxalate problem?
and is fermented cod liver oil allowed as its considered to be a great supplement? (recommended on GAPS i believe)
I think the best way to tell if you have a histamine or oxalate problem is to see if you match the symptoms, and then try the diets and see if they help. There are tests for high histamine, but oxalate is harder to test for. You would do an Organic Acid Test from Great Plains Lab and then submit it to Susan Owens of the Low Oxalate group for evaluation (the lab doesn't interpret it properly). As for fermented CLO, it is a great sup if you can tolerate it. I do think it is very high in histamine, and we haven't tolerated it in the past. Now that we aren't histamine sensitive anymore I want to try it again. Glad the site is helpful to you :)
ReplyDeleteSorry forgot to add to my question about fermented cod liver oil -- is chicken allowed? as i saw it was forbidden in a list somewhere of high histamine foods.
ReplyDeleteIf chicken is forbidden then im stuck as i cant eat fish due to getting flare ups with my rosacea skin (maybe something to do with mercury)
and i dont eat beef or pork either :(
My Rosacea only came about in my late twenties and my skin ever since is constantly red and im beginning to think it is because of mercury poisoning as it was around the same time my tooth with a mercury filling broke off and my mouth smelt like metal for a while.
some things that i think make my face more red are eggplant, pickled veggies,Fish, tomatoes
My skin expert says rosacea is not affected by food and also refuses to refer me to have a food allergy test
its so difficult to monitor my food since there are so many ingredients in the meals i have like spices that come mixed as a paste from a jar.
but recently in the last year, i have beeen getting more and more stomach upsets after my meals.
i am getting stomach upsets on some days even after having my morning oats which didnt use to happen.
Eggs give me a big stomach ache. I also noticed i dont feel that great after pineapple and sometimes some fruit like banana
I hardly have bread but i enjoy brown rice once a week and corn cakes.
I have tried to eat more healthily by adding virgin coconut, butter, organic chicken but it only helps a little it seems.
After Oil pulling, I have a banana first thing in the morning with either a mango or figs. I used to have apples but after a couple of months apples started giving me a stomach ache
Then half hour later i will have my cornflakes (I used to have Oats) with flax seeds in water as i dont drink milk.
Lunch for example i will have chicken meat in a yellow curry soup with potatoes. Sometimes i will have a little salad
Dinner i will have left overs from my lunch food
I wanted to add fermented cod liver oil as it sounds very healthy
I dont know if i have a histamine or oxolate problem. Can you please help as this is the first site i've come across that actually seems to be the missing link between GAPS, Body Ecology, Primal, Paleo etc
Sorry for the random order of this post, i am so upset and frustrated.
I dont know how to diagnose myself with these problems i have had.
I have given up on my doctors advice and prescriptions over the last few years which has always done more harm than good
There is so much information to take in its overwhelming. Dont know where to start :(
32/male
I hear you that this is frustrating and overwhelming, and about the doctors not helping. My family and I have only really gotten healthy when we stopped seeing conventional doctors (we do see a naturopath who is an autism specialist who has helped us). Rosacea can be caused by high histamine levels, which in turn can be caused by mercury poisoning, so I think you are on to something. Almost every food that you listed as causing you problems is a high histamine food, and the others are grains, which are hard on the GI tract if it is injured.
ReplyDeleteYou could start by eating low histamine, which would mean taking out the spices. Chicken shouldn't be a problem. The foods that you have added in to help probably will help more if you can go low histamine, and especially if you can remove grains, as these can be causing problems that can be masking the help that they are giving you. Oxalate can cause the release of histamine as well, so if going low histamine doesn't help as much as you would like, you could also go low oxalate. You may also want to look into the Andy Cutler chelation method, which is what we are using to remove mercury. It is safe and you can do it without a doctor. I will be posting about it soon.
I hope that you are able to get some help, I know how hard it is to be confused about what to do. I did have mild rosacea which mostly went away from going low histamine. Feel free to ask more questions as they come up.
Hi
ReplyDeletesorry been not able to reply sooner,
thank you for all your feedback
I am also happy to hear that you and your family have gotten healthy! :)
thank you for your much appreciated advice
so if rosacea was caused by mercury and you took out the mercury from your body does that mean you can cure it?
I ask beause my doctor said there is no cure for rosacea! that is depressing news. After more than 25 years of no skin prolems you get rosacea and its meant to stick with you for life? i dont get it at all :(
is there a substitute for fermented CLO that has similar benefits? I dont take vitamins although feel i should maybe vitamin c?
Are all spices bad? because i am taking an organic skin supplement which i quite like and which purifies the blood which is made of neem + turmeric + licorice + indian sarsaparilla + gotu kola + manjishta + aclipta alba. It is also meant for people with rosacea and other skin problems (i know whereit helped someone else who had skin pigmentation after taking it for a while)
i look forward to your article about chelation as i follow your guide :) is it expensive? how long do you have to do it for? also does chlorella or mud bath help chelate? and is it safe to chelate when you still have mercury filling in your mouth?
I am based in the UK. Do you know or can anyone recommend somone in england that is a good naturopath who is an autism specialist?
also i forgot to mention one thing.. in the last year i developed 4 patches on my head where i have had hair loss and a patch on my arms as well. Not sure why?? or how to treat it. i had one on my head 2 years ago but that regrew. i am a bit concerned about these new patches
Thank you once again its great to hear someone with experience and is listening
sorry been not able to reply sooner,
ReplyDeletethank you for all your feedback
I am also happy to hear that you and your family have gotten healthy! :)
thank you for your much appreciated advice
so if rosacea was caused by mercury and you took out the mercury from your body does that mean you can cure it?
I ask beause my doctor said there is no cure for rosacea! that is depressing news. After more than 25 years of no skin prolems you get rosacea and its meant to stick with you for life? i dont get it at all :(
is there a substitute for fermented CLO that has similar benefits? I dont take vitamins although feel i should maybe vitamin c?
Are all spices bad? because i am taking an organic skin supplement which purifies the blood which is made of neem + turmeric + licorice + indian sarsaparilla + gotu kola + manjishta + aclipta alba
i look forward to your article about chelation as i follow your guide :) is it expensive? how long do you have to do it for? also does chlorella or mud bath help chelate? and is it safe to chelate when you still have mercury filling in your mouth?
I am based in the UK. Do you know or can anyone recommend somone in england that is a good naturopath who is an autism specialist?
also i forgot to mention one thing.. in the last year i developed 4 patches on my head where i have had hair loss and a patch on my arms as well. Not sure why?? or how to treat it. i had one on my head 2 years ago but that regrew. i am a bit concerned about these new patches
Thank you once again its great to hear someone with experience and is listening
I am just starting to look into additional food sensitivities. I have Rosacea, and reacted strongly this summer to a Venetian dish called, "sardine e saor" which is picked sardines. I thought the sardine issue was "niacin flush", and wondered about spinach & niacin, but since I also react to red wine, now I am realizing histamines may be an issue for me. Someone wrote into the "People's Pharmacy" section of the paper recently that magnesium can be very beneficial. She was taking it for leg cramps for a few months & her rosacea went away.
ReplyDeleteRegarding tomatoes and berries, I also have Psoriatic Arthritis, and found out recently that when I eat nightshades (tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes & peppers), that I have severe pain reactions. Some people react to nightshades with gastrointestinal discomfort.
I recently learned there are certain non-nightshade foods that share the same glycoalkaloid called solanine. These are blueberries/huckleberries, apples, artichoke and okra). When I was having a very severe flare-up of arthritis pain this fall, I put together that I was eating lots of nightshades and that I had just gone apple picking, and had added several apple servings a day. Also, due to their antioxidant value, we pick and freeze 75-100 lbs of blueberries each summer for smoothies and sorbet. Not any more!
More information about the affects of nightshades/solanine can be found at the Arthritis Nightshade Research Foundation website, particularly in the discussion forums. The website is a bit antiquated. It was started by a Dr. Childers who developed GI problems and arthritis years ago. He cured both by eliminating nightshades. He died at 100 this past spring. I urge anyone with food sensitivities or concerns about damaged GI tracts to take the time to read this information. Discovering the impact of solanine has been my magic bullet to resolving my pain.
Of particular interest is the book by Michael Fowler (avail as free eBook) and a blog journal by a woman named Jenifer who has a complete list of all sorts of "hidden" nightshades.
I also found excellent information about additional food sensitivities in Dr. Neal Barnard's book, Foods that Fight Pain. He tackles different medical illnesses in each chapter, discusses what foods might be triggers, what foods might help, and backs each chapter with a long list of references from clinical studies. He also fully supports the anecdotal reports of many patients who have food sensitivities, refreshing since in general, the medical community does not.
Frequent urination has also been a problem for me and I have come to realize it is triggered by food sensitivities. And for several years in a row, I had a month of intense bladder pain, but never tested positive for bacteria. I recently found information that too much strawberry and citrus can cause cystitis to flare. This pain always showed up in late Spring...strawberry picking season in CT!
I am currently on a much more comprehensive Elimination Diet than ever tried before and am feeling & moving so much better. I am eating a plant-based diet, full of greens, other vegetables, some fruits, and beans, seeds and nuts for protein. I eat starch in the form of rice, certain whole grains (not gluten) and sweet potatoes. It will be hard to also eliminate high-histamine foods (partic spinach, mushrooms?, sunflower seeds & nuts) but hopefully, if I restrict other histamine triggers, I'll be ok and can keep these in my diet. We'll see.
Thanks for an excellent post. I appreciate that you weed through the misinformation on the internet. There is so much bad info out there. Could you please actively forward to anonymous/34 yr old male? I spent years suffering and tried everything before I stumbled on my dietary sensitivities, and if nightshade/solanine restriction also works for him, it would be great that he gets this info early.
Jennifer- thank you so much for all this information! The nightshade family has not been an issue for us (at least that I have been able to figure out, I have tried restricting it for us, including those additional foods). If it's alright with you I would like to repost your comment as a guest blog post if you would be willing to edit and expand it a bit. I think this is information that could help a lot of people.
ReplyDeleteAs for your questions- it makes sense that magnesium would help with Rosacea as it stabilizes mast cells so they are less likely to release histamine. I suspect it helps in other ways as well but am not thinking of them right now.
One of the issues with food chemical sensitivity (the sensitivity to certain components of foods, such as solanine or histamine, rather than simply an allergy to specific foods, such as eggs or peanuts) is that many foods are on many lists and many lists are very similar so it can be tricky to identify exactly which components you are reacting to.
Almost all of the foods that you list as being sensitive to are high in oxalate, and cystitis is one of the classic manifestations of oxalate sensitivity. Oxalate can also mediate the release of histamine so people who are histamine sensitive often need to reduce oxalate as well.
Your current diet is very high in oxalate (plant-based diets tend to be). It is common for people to react to certain high oxalate foods acutely but not others, but this does not mean that the oxalate is not doing damage. Also, sometimes when the intake of oxalate is higher than the body burden, and oxalate is being stored, person may feel a remission of pain and some symptoms but this is temporary.
Many people have found that by reducing oxalate some of their other food sensitivities either go away or become milder (oxalate seems to put some people into a "reactive state"). Also, reducing oxalate can help the body heal so that these food sensitivities are lost. Food chemical sensitivity is largely a result of gut damage because a robustly healthy gut has mechanisms in place to keep these molecules out of our blood streams and so not able to cause the reactions they do. Oxalate embeds itself in damaged tissue and limits its ability to heal.
It sounds like you have your hands full, and I know this probably seems overwhelming, but if you are interested in pursuing this I would join the yahoo group about oxalates that I link to in another post about it.
This is a response for the man with rosacea, sorry it took so long to get back to you. Yes there are people who have reversed their rosacea and lost it, so it is curable. Many things can be healed when mercury is removed CORRECTLY and safely. Chlorella and mud baths do seem to help many people feel better, and may detoxify some things, but have not been shown to be effective or safe mercury chelators despite how many people claim that they ar5e. The only chelation method that I feel is safe is the Andy Cutler protocol. It is very iniexpensive and is something you do at home yourself. It is not complicated or hard,. although it feels that way at the beginning. Here is a post from a fellow blogger about it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.regardingcaroline.com/andycutler2
Here is another:
http://whatidontknow.net/blog/eight-years-and-counting-my-chelation-story/
I do not know any docs in the UK to recommend, I would find an autism biomed UK group or list, I'm sure they can give you lots of good feedback.
Not all spices are high in histamine and oxalate, but many are. This can unfortunately include some that we love and that woudl otherwise be healthy for us. I can't say if your product is okay for you- maybe worth trying with or without? Skin isues are often about the liver, and some of those do support the liver, so that may help.
I am 64 yr old woman who has had either hives or severe itching without rash for 1.5 years. I also have had one severe asthma attack a year ago that put me in hospital. I have also been having spells where I totally lose my sense of taste and smell. I have been to allergist - no allergies; to an ENT - no polyps or nose issues. I am wondering know if I have a histamine problem. Has anyone else had the loss of taste??
ReplyDeleteHow do you even start to figure out what to cut out of your diet? I thought maybe I would start by stopping all the foods listed on the Top 10 foods containing histamines and see if that helps?? I am currently on Reactine and Zantac - 2x day to keep the itching in check. Thanks!
If you suspect that you have a histamine issue (which it sounds like you probably do)then you would remove all the high histamine foods and see how you feel after a couple weeks. The loss of taste implies to me that there is more going on. People rarely have "one thing" going on with their health. That sounds like nerve damage, do you have mercury fillings?
ReplyDeleteIf you mean silver fillings, yes I do..in fact I think I have 2-3 crown over old amalgam fillings. Any suggestions on the TYPE of doctor to see - I have now been referred to a neurologist but what kind of doctor would be able to sort through all these symptoms that somehow seem related to "above my chest"!!
ReplyDeleteSilver fillings are 50% mercury and leak mercury into your body so you may be mercury poisoned. That would explain your symptoms, and mercury is probably a major cause of histamine issues. Also, do you get flu shots? Those contain a lot of mercury unless you specifically ask for mercury-free.
ReplyDeleteAs for a doctor, that's tough. Very few doctors can help you with figuring out neurological symptoms. Your best bet is to find someone who practices functional medicine, orthomolecular medicine, or who is a DAN! doctor (someone specially trained in the biology of autism, which will be the same kind of things that are underlying your symptoms. I plan to do a post soon about mercury poisoning and how to heal from it.
I will look for your posting with interest.
ReplyDeleteSierra : What kind of probiotics did you use? What supplements worked best (I take vitamin C, magnesium, zinc, calcium and quercetin).
ReplyDeleteI do very well when I eat low protein, and eat only meat, veggies, coconut oil and some ghee. I eat some carrots and some apples now too, but will stop eating apples because I'd rather eat more quality food.
I have been following this diet for 6 months though I ate eggs for 4 months (I was taking an antihistamine all the time). Now I'm doing everything through diet and hypo-allergenic vitamin supplements.
Thanks for the info! Lots of great people at PaleoHacks.com if someone wants personal help.
Hi Sierra,
ReplyDeleteThank you soo much for this post. I can’t tell you how helpful all this information has been to me!!!!! I am in “managed recovery” (your term :D ) of severe migraines using what I now know is a low-tyramine/histamine diet + adrenal support. I have other issues and started GAPS 6-7 months ago, which is helping, but I still have some issues that just won’t budge.
One in particular is faint, nausea, anxiety and shakiness at around 11 am that presents as low blood sugar. Also, my head will feel swollen when I stand up sometimes or when I eat certain foods. Low blood sugar and adrenal issues have been ruled out and it is not related to what I eat (protein/carb/fat wise). I am suspecting low blood pressure as during these “shaky” episodes as it tests much lower than when I am feeling normal. I read about this first on NCM GAPS FAQ and it stands to reason that since I improved so much with the low histamine diet for migraines, perhaps histamine is a major issue? I have been to all over the country to different practitioners and no one has a clue. I don’t have “textbook” symptoms of histadelia but you mention that most don’t. I could not go anywhere near anything fermented until 2 years on WAPF diet.
I know if high histamine is my issue, GAPS will heal it. But recently I have been struggling with GAPS though I think it may be related to going too low-carb as I have never been able to tolerate even high fat/low carb.
From your research, does this sound reasonable that might be histadelia? If so, what’s your advice? Do low histamine GAPS and possible low oxalate? Or as per NCM just keep working on the diet and it will heal? Any tips on how to “target” high histamine on GAPS?
Thanks for any insight,
Dee
Sierra - can please ask why you looked into the chelation of mercury if you were restored to health following GAPs diet. thanks Sarah
ReplyDeleteGAPS significantly improved our health, and did eliminate some of our symptoms, but it was not enough to completely restore our health. No one thing is, health is very complicated. The mercury poisoning is at the root of our health issues and GAPS can't address that, although it does help tremendously with the symptoms. GAPS also did not heal our oxalate sensitivity.
ReplyDeleteHi and THANKS for sharing your wisdom!!! I'm looking for your advice on testing.... first some background:
ReplyDeleteMy daughter (11) has not been definitively diagnosed but has been seen by numerous medical professionals and we've danced around with OCD, ODD, ADHD, pos mild aspergers... blood sugar issues thyroid... etc etc... nothing seems to quite fit and meanwhile her behavior is irritable, controlling, obsessive with fits of anger and even violence.... all mixed in with being self-critical, extreme nurturing/understanding/intelligent and wonderful... anyway... I think you get the picture. I recently read Joan Mathews Larson's Depression-Free Naturally and became aware of histadelia and pyroluria etc.. I've found a holistic MD here in Asheville that takes insurance (Yay!) and am preparing for various tests from Great Plains Lab... We've been 90% gluten free for a few years so it won't be too crazy when we get results and I suspect have to make some dietary changes, etc... I'm satisfied with the tests that have been ordered (OAT w IgG/candida, stool analysis, kryptopyrroles, gluten/casein peptides..) but I don't see a test that includes histamine specifically (although I do see l-histadine). I'm wondering if I should pursue a specific serum level test of histamine or just move ahead with these tests and then be free to get on with diet changes (GAPs type)... I really wish we'd had more quantitative support for going gluten free a few years back... it would help to be 100% and not have to constantly battle family members who seem concerned that I'm the quack/problem.
THANK YOU for this site. I came searching for a low histamine diet plan and found a gold mine instead.
ReplyDeleteWe are well versed in the mercury & metal toxicity issues (both my girls are recovered) now it's my turn. Chronic hives is driving me nuts, but thankfully we have a wonderful DAN! doctor who is also seeing me.
I begin chelation this week (although I have 2 mercury filling to remove still) and I am also going to try Gastrochrom this week as well as an anti-fungal. I pray these help because I'm so tired of feeling this way.
I will be spending much time here browsing your site. :)
how long were you on the introductory GAP diet for?
ReplyDeleteI am a little bit confused...you mention being on the GAP diet but it says the opposite..."keep in mind that about 85% of everything your patient eats daily should be made out of meats, fish, eggs, fermented dairy and vegetables (some well-cooked, some fermented and some raw".....the info seems to be a little conflicting.....especially the fermented part....I do believe i have a histamine intolenrence but really just became apparent after being on valium for 5 months...which is known to lower the DAO enzyme ......i am not doing well at all, my health is poor now...i am now off of the valium but am suffering the consequences. i am very sensitive to everything...i saw a holistic doc and she was not helpful at all.also think i have mecury poisoning, and have also had a lot of radiation exposure due to various tests over the year. I desperately need help. i am having terrible headaches and can barely function. i have to be careful with everything i take, defintely no herbs, everything affects me very oddly. i am becoming increasingly depressed, it does not help that i live alone and am coming over off medications.(benzodizopines) and my central nervous system is in shock. my brain doesnt function well, some days i cannot leave my home. would love to have more examples of recipes. also have gastro problems so that doesnt help. would like to take probiotics but have heard that they ferment foods, which i now cannot tolerate anything fermented, not even apple cider. this is so overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI am reading all your posts and you all have similiar skin issues to mine over the last three years. I started having skin rashes intermittently and then when on a course of Augmentin, I had a very bad reaction to it. Very bad rash with very bad dizziness in fact I had to call an ambulance to my home because I thought I was having a stroke....anyway, pcn is derived from mold. Then I noticed skin rashes becoming worse, always around my face and neck and back, when I would watch my children swim in indoor pools. Now I cannot stand to be in an indoor pool at all, I get the rash, feel very funny, etc. Then I started eliminating bread from my diet, since I heard that microscopic molds can grow on foods and I thought a pattern was developing. Started noticing that chocolate, wine, cheese and items containing yeast would either make my tongue tingle or my rash would come back to the point where I would have to take a benadryl. I also noticed leftover foods (anything in the fridge for more than a day would bother me). Then beef recently gave me the rash with the same funny feeling, to the point where I had to take Benadryl. Now, I only eat frozen turkey burgers minus the bun, frozen broccoli, sometimes spinach, shredded wheat, soy milk and turkey breakfast sausage, rice and plain pasta. I am curious about the mercury fillings--I had one all my life and about 6 months ago had it removed. How long after removal, if I have some mercury poisioning, would it leave my body in your opinion? Also, dining out is very difficult and awkward. It is difficult to explain to people. Also, my symptoms flare up at the hair salon when I sit under the steamer (small reservoir collecting mold) and I also gave up coffee since I was nauseous every morning after having my morning cup of coffee. I think the reservoir is not completely free of molds, which the water sits in.
I have been allergy tested and am positive for egg, sesame, cantaloupe, yeast, slightly to corn, and mushrooms. That is no surprise to the mushrooms, but I was surprised at the other diagnoses.
Thanl you all for sharing and for your advice!
What you are describing here sounds like you were already an under-methylator and that was exacerbated by liver damage from the augmentin. I had the exact same reaction to Azythromycin last year, and it was from liver damage. Methylation occurs in the liver so liver damage could worsen it. Under-methylation predisposes a person to have a hard time processing molds, as well as many chemicals, so that could also be why the hair salon is bothering you. It also makes you more prone to reactions from high histamine foods.
ReplyDeleteThe food allergies is related but also slightly different. Most food reactions are not the kind that woudl show up on an allergy test. I would highly recommend removing all gluten from your diet, as well as the spinach. Addressing your liver health and healing your gut should help a lot with this. It will hard at the beginning, because your food choices are already limited, but it will help you get foods back, and as you say you already have many issues around eating. Skin rashes and other issues are very often about the health of your liver and gut.
Hi Sierra, thank you for a wonderful site! Ive been looking for answers ans finally your site pops up with exactly what Im facing.
ReplyDeleteI have gut issues, high histamine....my main symptoms is shortness of breath and brain fog issues.
My biggest search has been for a list if foods that we CAN eat when doing the modified gaps, low histamine and low oxalate diet. Do you have a list of yes foods posted anywhere?
Thank you again!
Hello Sierra,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing all of your knowledge. I have had a life time of this issue and today at the age of 45 I see myself. For years I have told doctors all of this stuff only to have them look at me in disbelief.
Spring is here and another round of fatigue as the pollen flood the area and I am again taking naps because I just cannot stay awake.
This all started when I a toddler. I am not sure how many vaccines I received but I proved allergic to penicillin after receiving an injection that almost killed me. I developed eczema around the same time. As of today it has returned again to my hands as usual.
I had food allergies from also about the same time. Cinnamon and citrus gave me hives and still bother me if I have too much in my diet so I avoid them. I have always hated eggs and to this day will eat boiled eggs maybe once a year to the detriment of my family. I wont go into details.
About the age of eight I developed cramping. The cramps were so bad I would curl up in a ball and cry for hours. I remember adults pulling on my legs telling me to relax. I don't have the prolonged cramps today but if I have something that bothers me the cramps bring out beads of sweat. I know once my bowls clear it goes away. MSG runs through me. If I am able to digest the food, my fingers swell and I become sensitive to light and sound for a period of time.
Around twelve I developed and intolerance for red meat. To this day I cannot eat more than a bite at a time or I start having the symptoms again, swollen eyes, irritation of the gums, gut issues, sore joints. I have had pain in my feet so bad it is difficult to stand.
When I was twenty six I finally went in for allergy testing because I could no longer tolerate my job. I was working as a hair stylist. The environment was more then I could tolerate. I have described how I feel for years in this way; I feel like a bucket that is filling up and then it just spills over. Never a hundred percent relief, but enough to get me up again. The doctor who did my tests looked am and asked me how I did it? I asked what, and he said get up in the morning. I told him it is a life time of avoiding things that make me feel bad. I tried his shots and they made it worse. After learning about this, I see why. He diagnosed me with chronic fatigue and several food allergies. I am also allergic to adhesives and latex, both have gotten much worse with age. I am also very allergic and reactive to mold.
Twenty eight was when I could no longer tolerate wine and beer. This was when I just started giving up and going with what worked for me. I have always used healing alternatives; acupuncture, homeopathy, herbs and food to feel better. As well as probiotics. I avoid dieting, but have modified my foods.
After my fourth child my thyroid failed. I believe the histamine inflammation and thyroid are linked. Do you have any information on, or have read anything about this potential? I recently read an article that linked low T3 to inflammation. I have very low T3 at the moment. My second child has a very similar constitution to me and he has a mild diagnosis of AS. He and I also have dyslexia.
Like those above, thank you so much for taking time to share what you have learned.
Dena