What is Histamine Intolerance?
Let's take a look at what Histamine Intolerance is and dive a bit deeper as to what I feel it may be linked to energetically.
BODY:
Histamine Intolerance is a build up of histamine that your body is having difficulty processing and breaking down properly.
"Histamine is a normal bodily response and is involved with several major bodily functions including communicated with your brain, stomach acid production for digestion, and it releases after an injury or allergic reaction."
What causes high histamine levels?
The body naturally produces histamine along with the enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO). DAO is responsible for breaking down histamine that you take in from foods.
If you develop a DAO deficiency and are unable to break down histamine, you could develop an intolerance.
Some reasons your DAO enzyme levels could be affected include:
medications that block DAO functions or prevent production
gastrointestinal disorders, such as leaky gut syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease
histamine-rich foods that cause DAO enzymes to function improperly
foods that block DAO enzymes or trigger histamine release
A histamine intolerance may signal a thyroid problem. Low thyroid levels can cause an
increase in histamine production, whereas high thyroid levels can cause increased histamine
receptors and a heightened histamine response.
Histamine intolerance also causes a condition known as low stomach acid.
Low stomach acid can decrease the absorption of the nutrients in the foods that you
consume.
Bacterial overgrowth is another contributing factor for developing a histamine intolerance. Bacteria grows when food isn’t digested properly, causing histamine overproduction. Normal levels of DAO enzymes can’t break down the increased levels of histamine in your body, causing a reaction."1
There are a lot of different food lists online that can assist you with understanding if an over production of Histamine could be affecting your health. I utilize the list created by Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance Group's (SIGH) (https://www.histaminintoleranz.ch/downloads/SIGHI-Leaflet_HistamineEliminationDiet.pdf)
This particular list seems to mostly align with the foods that have caused me to have histamine reactions.
I also believe that there is a correlation between high histamine levels and high levels of inflammation. My symptoms of Histamine Intolerance were definitely more pronounced the more inflammation I had in my body.
Another benefit of moving to a Whole Food Plant Based Diet was that I was able to reduce my inflammation, which directly correlated to a reduction in Histamine Intolerance symptoms.
Because of the Inflammation/Histamine correlation I will also create posts sharing tips, recipes, etc. that I have utilized to lower my Inflammation.
There are also environmental factors that can be linked to higher Histamine levels in the body.
I discovered that I was allergic to dogs and my symptoms were compounded every time I had a dog in my home and/or environment.
Working with an allergist can be of great assistance to find out what particular environmental triggers could be affecting your Histamine levels in addition to food.
MIND:
Histamine Intolerance can have a big impact on the mind. Anxiety can be triggered when thinking about a potential flare-up due to a particular food as well as environmental factors.
I am still cautious about going out to eat at restaurants and for the most part enjoy cooking at home because I know all of the ingredients and freshness of the foods that I utilize. I have had great success with incorporating frozen foods into my diet because the foods have been frozen at the peak of freshness.
I am a big advocate for doing anything that helps to reduce stress and anxiety and can assist with calming the mind.
Meditation and mindfulness can be amazing tools for calming the mind. Being in nature has always helped me to find peace and calm as well.
SPIRIT:
On an energetic level, I believe that a Histamine Intolerance (HIS-TA-MINE) can be due to over reactive masculine energy within and around the body.
What can this look like in life?
For me, I was holding on to trauma in my body as a result of abuse that I endured from the men and patriarchally dominant energy in my life. I had very poor boundaries with myself and others and had a fear of being assertive and taking action in my life to better my circumstances. The more I have set healthy boundaries and asserted my wants and needs, the better my Histamine Intolerance has become.
As with any illness or disorder there are layers of causes and ways to treat, manage, or completely cure symptoms.
I recommend that my clients work with a Naturopath, Functional Medicine Practitioner, and/or Integrative Medicine Provider along with myself to assist them with getting to the root cause of any symptoms they may be experiencing either related to Histamine Intolerance or any other chronic health issues.
*If you or someone you know are being sexually abused you can reach out to the National Assault Hotline RAINN at 800.656.HOPE (4673) They are available 24/7 for free and your call is confidential.
*If you or someone you know is suffering from any mental health or substance abuse challenge you can reach out to SAMHSA at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) They are also available 24/7 for free and your call is confidential. 1. Murrell, Daniel "Histamine Intolerance" healthline.com/health/histamine-intolerance