In my last post, I Said I’d Never Write a Book, I talked about my own diagnosis of Histamine Intolerance and Mast Cell Activation, and how that led me to the decision to write a guide and cookbook to help people struggling with these issues.
I finished that blog with the question “How does someone know if they have histamine issues?” This article will help you determine if you or someone you love might have high histamine levels that could be contributing to a health condition.
I’m going to start by listing some of the symptoms associated with high histamine. As you look through this list, think about these symptoms over your entire lifetime. Different symptoms can show up at different points in your life. For example, I had unexplained hives during childhood and early adulthood, but haven’t had them for a couple of decades now. I only had exercise induced asthma during my teens. I had been a mouth breather at night through childhood, but during my teens I couldn’t breathe through my nose at all. Luckily that improved. I had no digestive issues during childhood, but struggled with prolonged periods of extreme nausea in my 20s and 30s. Some issues have been consistent for me, like eczema and sinus inflammation, but many have not.
As you look through this list of symptoms ask yourself, “Have I ever experienced this?”
Brain and Nervous System Symptoms
headache/migraine
dizziness/vertigo
anxiety
numbness/tingling
nerve pain
concentration or memory problems
sleep difficulties
sensitivity to lights, sounds, smells, temperature or EMFs (electromagnetic fields)
Respiratory Symptoms
asthma (including exercise induced asthma)
coughing
shortness of breath
drippy nose
congestion (mouth breather)
sinus or nasal inflammation
Reproductive & Urinary Symptoms
extreme pain with periods
PMS
infertility
estrogen dominance (for both men and women)
urinary urgency or frequency
pain with urination
pelvic pain
vulvar pain
Skin Symptoms
flushing (when embarrassed, or after drinking wine)
hives, rashes, eczema
itchy
excessive sweating
swelling/edema
dermatographism (welts or lingering red or white marks with pressure, rubbing or scratching)
strong reaction to bug bites
Cardiac Symptoms
heart palpitations or racing heart
arrhythmia
low blood pressure
blood clots
chest pain
Muscle and Joint Symptoms
pain
twitches
degenerative disks
Digestive Symptoms
nausea with or without vomiting
heartburn/GERD (reflux)
diarrhea
abdominal pain
food allergies or sensitivities
That’s a LONG list! As you can see, there are a lot of vastly differing symptoms that affect different parts of the body. That is why it is so difficult for many people to get a proper diagnosis. Symptoms can be from seemingly unrelated body parts making it hard to connect those symptoms to a common cause.
To understand histamine mediated symptoms, it’s important to recognize that histamine receptors (these are like little docking ports on cells) exist everywhere in the body. Histamine binds to these receptors, and once bound will carry out a physiological action. In the same way that you might plug in different items into your computer docking ports (USB, HMDI, ethernet…) for different functions, histamine can attach to 4 different receptors that will effect the types of physiological response.
Here is a very brief summary of histamine receptors:
H1 - associated with allergic types of symptoms and inflammation. It is found in a variety of tissues, but is common in epithelial tissue (skin, GI tract, lungs, uterus). Vasodilation and bronchochonstriction are some of the effects of histamines binding to these receptors.
H2 - associated with gastric acid secretion, vasodilation, and endothelial permeability. High levels of stomach acid and mucous production in airways are effects of binding to these receptors.
H3 - found in neurons. Binding to these receptors is associated with neuro-inflammation.
H4 - found on immune cells including mast cells. Similarly to H1 receptors, histamine binding to these sites is associated with allergy and inflammation.
A detailed table of the tissues affected by histamines can be found in this table from the research article The Role of Histamine and Histamine Receptors in Mast Cell Mediated Allergy and Inflammation
Now that you understand a bit about the different types of receptors, it makes sense that the symptoms listed above can vary so significantly. There are diverse physiological effects when histamine binds to different receptors, resulting in the seemingly unrelated symptoms. But they are related, and it can be a relief to find this out.
Something very interesting happens when you start to look at clusters of these symptoms. Pain, fatigue and concentration and memory problems are all symptoms of high histamine levels. But they are also symptoms of fibromyalgia! So it should come as no surprise that histamine is correlated to fibromyalgia (1). Is it possible that your diagnosis is similar - do your symptoms match those of high histamine levels?
Here is a list of other health conditions I have been able to find research for that show a correlation to histamine levels:
Anxiety (2)
Autism (3)
Cancer (gastrointestinal) (4)
Chronis UTIs (urinary tract infections) (5)
Endometriosis (8)
GERD (gastroesophageal reflux) (9)(10)
IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) (11)
Tinnitus (14)
Interstitial Cystitis (14)
How do I know if histamines are a problem for me?
1. Take a look at the list of symptoms and see if you have experienced several of these over your lifetime. If you answer yes, then keep reading.
2. Look at the list of diagnosis. If you have been diagnosed with one of these conditions then keep reading.
3. Find a functional naturopathic or medical doctor who is able to test for serum histamine levels, and the biomarkers associated with mast cell activation. If you can’t find someone close to home, then look for a practitioner who will do virtual consultations. Family doctors are currently not able to do this testing, as they are done through private labs.
4. Follow through with the entire treatment protocol recommended by your doctor. A low-histamine diet will be part of that protocol. I promise you that we are working hard to complete our book, so that an excellent resource will be available!
If you have Histamine Intolerance, then a low-histamine diet may be enough to get your symptoms under control. Genetic testing will reveal genetic variations impacting your ability to break down and clear histamines.
If you have Mast Cell Activation, then working with a practitioner is very important to help address underlying reasons for why your mast cells are activated. There are many possible reasons, so figuring out which ones apply to you is instrumental in calming your mast cells.
Could this be you?
What is the first step you are going to take to find out?
Happy, Healthy Eating,
Tracey