Histamine issues can be a severe struggle for so many. As always, I like to go to the root cause. We all deserve so much more than a bandaid fix!
Some indications of histamine intolerance include:
headaches/migraines
seasonal allergies
irregular periods
hives and eczema
nausea, vomiting
digestive issues
Although it might require 1:1 work for many dealing with histamine issues, there are some things that you can start doing to help your body break down histamine in the proper way. There are five things you can do to begin supporting the breakdown of histamine. The support areas involve the kidneys, the immune system, estrogen detoxification, mineral status, and gut support. Please keep in mind that while these steps are helpful and valuable, there might be other drivers behind your histamine issues that need to be addressed. It's also important to know that many suffering from histamine intolerance also are dealing with other health issues (like autoimmunity, SIBO, hypothyroidism, PCOS), so please be aware of this. Histamine intolerance is likely only one part of the story for most.
What are the steps that you can take?
Support the kidneys: nettle and beef kidney supplementation will help the kidneys produce the DAO enzyme, which is responsible for breaking histamine down.
Support the immune system: colostrum and thymus gland will be highly supportive for those who suffer from histamine intolerance by providing the body with IGG (immunoglobulins) and thymosin, a hormone that is a precursor to T-cells, which are lymphocytes that destroy foreign invaders and modulate the immune system.
Support estrogen detoxification: excess estrogen will contribute to histamine issues because estrogen stimulates mast cells to release histamine, and it downregulates the DAO enzyme that clears histamine. In turn, histamine causes oestrone production, which produces histamine.
Overall, histamine can stimulate oestrogen production, and oestrogen induces mast cell degranulation in reproductive tissues and elevated oestrogen levels during menstruation cause histamine release.
Steps to take: eat a raw carrot daily, use castor oil packs, and try calcium d-glucarate. Nettle is also helpful for clearing excess estrogen. (use access code 81C to order from Klaire Labs)
Support your mineral status: many times, low magnesium, low bio-available copper, and high iron can drive histamine issues. Blood tests are not ideal for identifying mineral status (due to the need to regulate blood PH), but HTMA (hair tissue mineral analysis) tests are. I offer this in my practice, and it's a helpful tool for many suffering from histamine issues.
Support your gut microbiome with a soil-based probiotic: not only does histamine break down in the gut, but estrogen detoxification depends on the estrobolome to break down estrogen and clear it from the GI tract. The estrobolome is “the aggregate of enteric bacterial genes whose products are capable of metabolizing estrogens.
If you have SIBO (click for more info on SIBO), you will need 1:1 support because getting rid of the overgrowth will be necessary first, but the next step after that is introducing soil-based probiotics, along with a bifido based probiotic if necessary, as this can also aid in the breakdown of histamine.
Just Thrive has a great option for soil based probiotics - use code KALEMEKOURT15 to save 15%. I suggest taking one every other night, then working your way up to one every night. These probiotics can cause die off, so use caution if you decide to use them.
