Back to basics- Helping You- What is histamine and histamine intolerance.
Histamine tends to get an immediate negative response, the villain effect, poo-poo histamine. However, here’s the reality We. need. histamine! We can not live without it.
Histamine has a purpose. It is a natural compound that is responsible for some very important bodily functions.
To name a few:
- Digestion-histamine triggers the release of stomach acid.
- Immune response– it is a ‘defender chemical’ it tells the immune system to fight foreign invaders such as allergens, bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
- Central nervous system– histamine serves as an important neurotransmitter (signals to the brain) that helps maintain alertness, reaction time, and wakefulness. Histamine acts to convey signals to the nerve cells.
However, if you are here visiting my blog there’s probably a problem…You may be one of many people, like me with a sensitivity or intolerance that happens when our bodies lacks the enzymes to properly break down the histamine and we end up with too much histamine in our system. This is when the unpleasant, annoying, frustrating, and even frightening symptoms start.
Symptoms of Histamine Intolerance
Please Note: this is not the entire list of known symptoms. A more complete list can be found here.
- anxiety
- headaches or migraines
- nasal congestion
- runny nose
- watery eyes
- diarrhea
- constipation
- feeling of fullness
- stomach cramps
- edema
- fatigue
- can not fall asleep or can not stay asleep
- low blood pressure
- brain fog
- dizziness
- hives
- Itching
- digestive issues
- irregular menstrual cycle
- nausea
- vomiting
FAQ’s
I only have one or two of these symptoms?
That’s not unusual. Like many conditions and most people only have or notice some of the symptoms. Keeping a symptom tracker or diary is extremely helpful. Most of my clients are experiencing symptoms they never related to their histamine intolerance.
I have symptoms that are not on this list?
This list is an overview of the most common symptoms. There are certainly other symptoms involved with histamine intolerance. For more symptoms.
I feel like my symptoms are worse on some days even though I eat the same thing every day. Why is that?
Because your histamine bucket or threshold is affected by many factors such as seasonal conditions, hormones, stress, and lack of sleep or examples. Histamine intolerance is not cut and dry like an allergy- where you eat a food and have an immediate and consistent reaction.
When do the symptoms start?
This is one of the challenges with histamine intolerance. Some symptoms start as soon as 10 to 15 minutes other symptoms start hours later.
Can my symptoms change?
Absolutely. I can say from my personal experience My own symptoms varied depending on the seasons.
Seasonal conditions, hormones, stress, and lack of sleep or examples of things that will cause your tolerance and symptoms to be affected.
