You may have a histamine intolerance if you suffer from congestion or sniffles. A histamine intolerance is when your body struggles with the chemical histamine. Histamines are chemicals in your body that are produced in response to inflammation or allergens. As well as this, they also play a role in digestion and help your brain communicate valuable information. If you want to know more about histamine intolerance, keep reading below. We have made a list of some of the main things you need to know about this condition:
What Causes a Histamine Intolerance?
It is often hard to determine why you are intolerant to histamine. This is because there are lots of things that can cause your body to react to this chemical. However, while it may be difficult, here are some of the things that could be causing your histamine intolerance:
- Medications – this can include pain medications or NSAIDs
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Gluten intolerance
- Leaky gut syndrome
- Small intestinal bacterial growth
- Disorders like mastocytosis that lead to too many mast cells
- Methylation impairments
Is There a Test For a Histamine Intolerance?
Unfortunately, there are currently no tests available to diagnose a histamine intolerance. Thanks to this, medical professionals must rely on their gut instinct to diagnose this condition. As well as this, they will also try and exclude other conditions which can cause similar symptoms. For example, they may start by checking to see if you have any food allergies or intolerances. They may also check to see if you have inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome. All these conditions can cause similar symptoms.
Once a doctor has ruled out all other conditions, they will ask their patient to keep a food diary. This can help them see the diet patterns that could be causing the symptoms. They may also check their patient’s enzyme activity levels and DAO levels with a simple blood test.
The Symptoms of a Histamine Intolerance
While there are currently no tests to diagnose a histamine intolerance, it can be reasonably easy to identify. Here are some of the symptoms to look out for:
- Runny nose
- Congestion
- Rash
- Trouble breathing
- Anxiety
- Brain fog
- Irritability
- Hormone imbalance
- Nausea
- Fast heartbeat
- Digestive problems
- Fatigue
- Low sex drive
How to Treat a Histamine Intolerance
There are several things you can do to reduce the symptoms you are experiencing, including:
- Medication – there are several medications available that can help to reduce the symptoms you are experiencing.
- Change your diet – if you want to reduce your symptoms, you should consider starting a low histamine diet. Some common foods that contain histamine are alcohol, cheese, chocolate, nuts, processed foods, vinegar, and shellfish. Removing these from your diet could help considerably.
- Heal your gut – microbiome imbalances can increase the amount of histamine your body produces. Evidence has shown that probiotics can help with this. In fact, histamine probiotics not only help fight histamine intolerance but can also improve gut health. However, it’s always a good idea to research the best histamine probiotics as not all probiotics are effective.
- Consider natural remedies – if you’re worried about taking medication to reduce your symptoms, the good news is that there are lots of natural histamine remedies, such as this natural histamine blocker which includes the right amount of diamine oxidase to reduce any symptoms you have.
- Eat foods that help eliminate the excess histamine in your body – another fantastic way to reduce your symptoms is to eat foods that are high in vitamin C, vitamin B6, and copper. This includes foods such as turkey, chicken, asparagus, liver, and fruits and vegetables.
There is nothing worse than sniffling or feeling congested. Unfortunately, people who have a histamine intolerance have these symptoms regularly. Thankfully, you can do many things to reduce your symptoms, such as using a histamine blocker or taking histamine probiotics.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
