Think You Have Allergies? It Might Be Histamine Intolerance

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Have you heard about histamine intolerance? There are a lot of similarities between histamine issues and allergies–the information in this post can help you sort it all out.

Learn what histamine issues are and what to do about them in this post.

woman blowing her nose with text overlay

 

Like so many people I know, I have struggled with mild to moderate eczema off and on my entire life.

After modifying my diet drastically in order to nurse my son who has food allergies, my eczema took a turn to be the worst it has ever been.

The red patches on my hands were so awful looking that people would ask me if I had been burned. It definitely wasn’t fun to deal with the questions or the pain from eczema itself.

I knew that eczema was commonly triggered by food allergies or sensitivities, but I had done an elimination diet and wasn’t eating anything that affected me. In addition, I had eliminated all grains and most of the other major allergens in order to comply with my son’s diet. According to popular diets such as the paleo diet, GAPS, and The Body Ecology Diet, everything that I was doing should have been healing my eczema. Instead, it continued to get worse and worse.

As is usual for me, I began to research what could possibly be causing my condition to get worse instead of better. I also began to notice that sometimes specific foods seemed to make my skin worse, but other times they didn’t bother me at all.

After hours of searching, I finally hit upon something that made sense.

The foods that were bothering me were all high in histamine, and there was a condition known as histamine intolerance that caused symptoms such as eczema.

By removing grains from my diet I had actually increased my intake of high histamine foods greatly, thereby exacerbating my symptoms.

Through more research and testing I have realized that histamine intolerance is exactly what was causing my eczema, but when I share that with others they look at me like I am crazy! Histamine intolerance is a fairly new term in the medical community, so it is not widely recognized.

In today’s post and in its follow-up I will be sharing with you just exactly:

  • what histamine intolerance is
  • how to tell if you have it, and
  • how to go about healing your body so it can better deal with histamine
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What is histamine?

Histamine is an organic compound found in the body that is most known for its role in the inflammatory response. However, it plays other important roles, as well. It is produced and stored by basophils in the blood and mast cells in the tissues and is typically associated with allergic reactions.

Is histamine bad?

Histamine tends to have a bad reputation because it is released during allergic reactions, causing a runny nose, watery eyes, decreased breathing ability, hives, and other typical allergy symptoms. In reality, though, histamine plays a crucial role in many bodily processes.

“We require histamine for brain function, it’s a neurotransmitter. We require histamine for digestion because it’s the trigger for the release of gastric acid, which is always released when we start to eat – it’s the first stage of breakdown of protein in the stomach, for example – and we require it constantly for protection because histamine is one of the ways the body fights infection or any adverse event in the body because these events will result in inflammation as the result of histamine release.” (Dr. Janice Joneja)

We literally could not survive without histamine in our bodies. But at some point it becomes too much of a good thing.

What is histamine intolerance?

The terms “histamine intolerance,” “histamine sensitivity,” and “histamine excess” are used in medical literature, but they all mean the same thing. When too much histamine builds up in the body, it causes symptoms that are often similar to traditional allergy symptoms.

Histamine intolerance is not actually an allergy to histamine.

Interestingly, histamine intolerance is not an allergy at all despite its similar symptoms. The symptoms are so similar because allergic reactions always involve the release of histamine in the body.

Histamine intolerance actually comes from other processes that either make excess histamine or render the body unable to properly break down histamine that is present.

Symptoms of Histamine Intolerance

So what are the symptoms of histamine intolerance? They can be broken down into three main categories: respiratory distress, digestive tract distress, and skin distress–all typical allergy symptoms. Of course individual symptoms will vary, but histamine intolerance can cause:

  • Itching (especially of the skin, eyes, ears, and nose)
  • Hives
  • Eczema or other rashes
  • Swelling (especially in mouth and throat)
  • Hypotension (a drop in blood pressure)
  • Heart racing
  • Nasal congestion
  • Sinus pressure
  • Dry Skin
  • Joint pain / achiness
  • Post-nasal drip
  • Runny nose
  • Irritate, watery, red eyes
  • Headaches
  • Insomnia
  • Confusion or irritability
  • Eczema
  • Heartburn, Indigestion, or other digestive distress
  • Diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome
  • A hangover-like feeling after exposure to high levels of histamine

All of these symptoms beg the question:

Where does this excess histamine come from?

Why do some people have too much histamine and some people don’t?

The analogy of a bucket is often used to describe histamine intolerance. Histamine is poured into the bucket (the body) from three different sources.

Source #1: Necessary Histamine

There is always some histamine in the bottom of the bucket because it is necessary for basic body processes such as brain function, digestive function, and protection.

Source #2: Allergic Reaction

The second source of histamine is when the body has an allergic reaction to something.  This “something” can be either environmental or food. Some people have very few allergies and, therefore, allergies don’t add much histamine to their buckets. Others have multiple allergies, and their bucket fills quickly.

Source #3: High Histamine Foods

The last source of histamine for the bucket is high histamine foods in the diet. If an individual’s bucket is already fairly full of histamine from the first two sources, histamine from the third source, the diet, can cause the bucket to overflow. When the bucket overflows, symptoms occur.

What is tricky about histamine intolerance is that the level of histamine in the bucket varies greatly from day to day and from one season to the next.

For example, when pollen counts are high, there will be more histamine in the bucket. At such a time, a small amount of histamine in the diet could cause symptoms. At other times, when environmental allergies are sparse, a person could consume more histamine containing foods without the bucket overflowing.

It is difficult to determine which histamine-containing foods might be offenders because if the level of histamine in the bucket is low before a high histamine food is consumed, the histamine in that food might not cause the bucket to overflow into symptoms. At other times, when the level of histamine in the bucket is higher, that same food will cause a reaction. Some individuals seem to have larger buckets, meaning that their bodies can effectively process more histamine without a reaction. Others seem to have smaller buckets or more sources of histamine that make them more prone to symptoms.

Causes of Histamine Intolerance

Histamine intolerance is the difference between how much histamine there is in the system and the body’s ability to break that down. Because researchers are just beginning to recognize this condition, there aren’t a lot of exact answers about its cause.

Most of what we think we know is speculation or the result of preliminary research.

– Genetics

It’s thought that histamine intolerance is partially genetic, as people with certain genes seem to be more predisposed to it than others. However, those without the genes can suffer as well, so other factors are at play that might vary per person.

– Enzyme Deficiency

Some individuals appear to have trouble producing one or the other of the two enzymes needed to degrade histamine- Diamine Oxidase (DAO) and Histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT). When the body is unable to effectively inactivate histamine, even at normal levels, there is a buildup of histamine resulting in adverse symptoms.

– Too much Histamine

Others might produce histamine too efficiently, either as a result of having too much Histidine Decarboxylase (which changes the amino acid histidine into histamine) or because they have issues with methylation. An imbalance of gut flora can also be a cause of excess histamine because certain species of bacteria actually produce histamine. If these species dominate the gut, they will produce a constant stream of histamine that the body may be unable to keep up with.

Any of these causes alone or in combination make it easier for the histamine bucket to overflow, resulting in the above-mentioned symptoms. It is entirely possible that there is another cause of histamine intolerance that has not yet been discovered, as well.

Histamine Intolerance and Gut Health

Histamine intolerance is related to gut health, as that is one of the primary places that histamine enters the body. The gut is also where histamine degrading enzymes are formed.

Of course, what isn’t related to gut health, right?

Many people with histamine intolerance are nutrient deficient. As a result, they often have or are at risk for other gut-related conditions such as autoimmune diseases, gluten intolerance, and inflammatory bowel diseases. Although histamine intolerance can occur without a leaky gut, they most commonly go hand in hand, and leaky gut exacerbates the symptoms of histamine intolerance.

It also follows that histamine intolerance is connected to vagus nerve health. You can see more about this in the follow up post on histamine intolerance remedies.

In this follow-up to this post we’ll address:

– if you are histamine intolerant
– what foods are high in histamine, and
– how to get on the path to healing

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Do you, or does someone in your family suffer from allergies?
Have you heard about histamines before?

CC image courtesy of mcfarlandmo via Flickr

Erin Ter Beest - Writer for Whole New Mom

About Erin

Erin Ter Beest lives and blogs in Alto, Wisconsin with her son, Sawyer, and husband, Casey. She dabbles in traditional foods, alternative health, raising chickens and goats in their sustainable house. More of Erin’s thoughts on all things food, nutrition, farm, and home can be found at her website, Natural Wonderer.

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56 Comments

  1. Hi Joan,
    Hopefully, you will look back here. I haven’t used Sculptra, but I do personally understand what histamine and mast cell activation can do to a body. Like you, I have tried OTC antihistamines, cromolyn sodium, Quercetin Bromelain and other types of prescription and natural remedies. I have just recently started having some remarkable success at controlling my histamine by applying information I’ve read written by the homeopath Joette Calabrese. It’s worth looking into.

  2. There’s also a lot of information about Histamine Intolerance—by the expert Dr Janice Joneja—here:
    (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore)

  3. Hi there, brilliant post that says it all! My quagmire is that over the counter antihistamines don’t work for me but I have a H1 histamine reaction exacerbated by a semi permanent filler I was injected with named ‘Sculptra.’ Scientific papers claim that the effect of Sculptra is due to the body’s own inflammation caused by the mast cells releasing histamine into the tissues and since receiving two of these injections at the age of 28 (15 months ago) I have been very unwell. My face swells up to the extent of deformity most days, ten times worse when the pollen count goes anywhere above medium, and an anti histamine diet/fasting diet does little to alleviate this. I’m wondering, do you know of any T1 drugs that Dr’s can prescribe? Exhausted Quercetin, Vit C, Bromelain, certain probiotic strains and every over the counter antihistamine but to no avail. I look forward to hearing from you. Joan

    1. Hi Joan. I am sorry for all that you are going through. I can’t medically advise….and I don’t know anything about that. I don’t even know what a T1 drug is. What does it do? Praying for you right now.

      1. Hi Adrienne, many thanks for your prompt reply. I mistyped and was meant to write a H1 blocking drug that acts like an antihistamine but stronger than over the counter medication. Perhaps something similar to Cromolyn? Kind regards, and thank you for your prayers. Joan

      2. Hey Erin.
        I’m just a little confused… My good friends husband was diagnosed with an intolerance to histamine in the 60’s. You said in your post its a “new thing” not exactly in those words. Its far from new. All allergies have been found to come from your digestive system being clogged up or opened up and leaking like with ulcers. Mucus drips down to cover and wipe out the bad before it builds up in the body…your body’s natural defense to clear bad in your body is to create mucus to clear it. We stop eating so many foods and thats the WORST thing you can do! Unclog your pipes; patch your holes and clear the mucus. When his body cleaned out, his intolerance went away.

        1. I am sorry but Erin isn’t blogging any longer. I didn’t see where she said it was a new thing – can you show me where? What did your friend do to get better?

      3. Reading this in vain hope of relief myself….I can’t believe you offer prayers as a solution to the lady who clearly is at the end of her tether…since when did religion ever help anything in the world? No need to reply, I shan’t look.

        1. Hello Sally.

          I hope that you do read my reply. There are many times, of course, that people have done terrible things in the name of religion. But people are sinful. Truth is truth. Either God exists or He doesn’t. There have also been many many good things done in the name of religion and I have seen a lot of that up close and personal. Would you suggest that I don’t pray?

  4. My son was seen by an allergist today for mouth breathing, itchy watery eyes, shortness of breath and constant runny nose. I was surprised when he only wanted to test for environmental things and flat out refused to test for foods even though I have two other children w/ food allergies. He said histamine response was not a thing?! Any advice? I’m so confused and frustrated now!

    1. Your allergist doesn’t know about histamine intolerance. Maybe send him to read this information? Can you find another doctor?

      1. Thank you Adrienne, I think will go to another doctor. I’m just so frustrated with doctors not listening, it makes me sad in the end I guess. Thank for taking the time to listen 🙂

  5. Thank you .
    This is one of the best explanations of histamine that I have seen!!! Great job at simplifying this complicated issue !!
    I really appreciated the article on probiotics as well. So helpful!!
    Whenever I eat high quality gelatin (like Great Lakes) or L Glutmine, I have massive sniffles and congestion. Do you think that this is a histamine issue? The practitioner I worked with on the glutamine just told me to stop taking it, but had no explanation. How would I go about researching it? I don’t seem to have this problem with Knox gelatin.

    Thanks!

    1. Thank you!

      Well, it’s not my post but I love it too.

      Yes, gelatin can be related to a histamine issue. Oh crazy – it doesn’t happen w/ Knox? That doesn’t seem to make sense. Have you tried other quality gelatins?

  6. I am an allergy sufferer who suffered a sore throat for years, and was prescribed a PPI. Several years later an optician said that he could tell from my eyes that I suffered hayfever. Later I began taking the antihistamine Zetop and also the H2 Blocker Ranitidine. My symptoms are under control but I have a general query.

    Do you know whether pollen which causes a H1 histamine reaction in the nose and throat also causes a reaction of H2 histamine in the stomach? If the latter was the case then this could account for the acid burn that occurs at night because histamine in the stomach is involved in the production of acid. I can take the h2 blocker at night and not get a burn at night in the throat, but if I do not take the h1 blocker zetop, I will develop a sore throat during the day presumably from pollen.

    Are you aware of any literature that discusses this particular question?

  7. I just recently discovered that I am sensitive to histamine levels too. My reaction is that my face gets itchy, red and swells. Just my face. It is embarrassing.
    I started taking probiotics, and my reactions were more often. there are 3 of the common bacteria in probiotics that re-act poorly with the DAO enzyme, and therefore cause more histamine. I stopped taking my probiotics and my histamine overloads practically stopped.
    Well, now that pollen counts are high, and everything is in bloom, i can tell that my “bucket” is almost full. …my face is itchy, but not swollen yet. I just recently read that Vitamin C helps keep histamine levels in check (is there anything that vitamin cant do!)…so i have been upping my Vitamin C to see if that helps.

  8. I have Lyme disease and this is a problem with many Lyme sufferers. Lyme trashes the gut. GMOs don’t make things any better.

  9. I’m just SO enjoying this article!

    Another reason for too much histamine is a mast cell activation disorder (MCAD or MCAS, or the related mastocytosis). In these disorders, the mast cells release either more frequently than they should, or there are more mast cells than there should be so there is too much histamine released when the mast cells are triggered. Lowering the histamine load is very helpful for MCAD folks, so a low histamine diet tends to help them, too.

    While MCAD/MCAS is considered very rare currently, some experts believe it may be more a case of ‘rarely diagnosed’ than actually rare. Some of these folks will end up having both MCAS and a histamine intolerance at the same time. Ouch.

    The most recent diagnostic guidelines (plus a chart listing symptoms), in the World Journal of Hematology, can be found here:
    https://www.wjgnet.com/2218-6204/pdf/v3/i1/1.pdf

    There’s also some good Facebook support groups for it. The one that has a lot more investigation of how to help the health of the whole body and stay as healthy as possible using methods that are as natural as they can find is this one: Mastocytosis and Mast Cell Disorders-Integrative and Holistic Approach
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/486532874778463/

  10. Thanks for sharing! My son has food allergies and I’ve noticed some strange changes in my own body since cutting them out for breastfeeding.

  11. I appreciate your post. I have been living with histamine intolerance. This is a hard thing to live with because many don’t understand it. The fact that many foods are not labeled as fermented, and many low histamine food lists vary so much also makes it difficult. The symptoms are hard for many doctors to understand, so it can be a frustrating and lonely condition to have. The more we can get information out there, validate that the symptoms are real, and learn how to live with it, the better. Thanks for doing this.

    1. I can understand the crazy looks you get from people when you try to explain histamine intolerance or why you can’t eat a certain food! I hope that my posts can help a few people to understand the condition better, although I’m far from an expert.

  12. What a timely post- we have two kids with food allergies, one more severely, and more restricted. I am following very eagerly for the next post. I am curious if this could explain why she tests negatively to an allergen but then has bad reactions to them on contact/if she eats them. Thank you for your hard work- I’m very grateful.

    1. Thanks, Lesley! I’m glad you are finding it useful. Obviously neither Adrienne or I are medical professionals, but I hope this helps you down the road on your journey to bring your kids to health!

  13. Great post! Leaky gut is key, as another source of histamine is actually gut dysbiosis, the major dilemma we are trying to heal. McBride discusses the varying bacteria families and what happens when they become malevolent and overgrown. Some of these pathogens (like proteus family, e coli family, and others) actually produce histamine, adding to the excess load in our systems. Thanks for sharing another piece to the puzzle for readers who are struggling!

    1. Thanks, Gaby! When you say McBride, do you mean Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride of the GAPS diet? I would be interested in a link to the information you referenced. In part two (coming next week) I have linked to sources that talk about specific strands of bacteria that produce histamine, but I am interested in the families thing.

  14. I wonder if this ties in with yeast in the body, and if so, how it does. I have a known yeast problem, so I avoid the foods that create yeast overgrowth in the body. But sometimes, some things happen and it sounds like a histamine type response. Very interesting, thanks so much for sharing this! I can’t wait to hear more!

    1. Hi Jen! As Adrienne said, we aren’t medical professionals, but I do know that some strands of yeast actually produce histamine, so the problems could be related. I have linked to sources listing some of those specific bacteria and yeast strands that produce histamine in installment two of this post, which is coming next week. Stay tuned! 🙂

      1. I to am interested in the possible connection between yeast and overproduction of Histimine, they both make you itch, I have to use an epic pen for wasp stings I was itching from soles of my feet to my scalp, ears,eyes took 3 bene dryl, had to use epi, took about hr. for itching to subside..had a good night’s sleep…Ty for all your posts, trying to learn about this histimine…..

  15. Thanks for the post! I know I have leaky gut & food intolerances but there have been some reactions we can’t quite figure out. I’ve wondered about a histamine issue now I’m motivated to add it to my list of questions for my ND on Monday. Looking forward to part two.

    1. You may want to read up on histamine intolerance and perhaps take some info with you to the appointment. I’ve known more than a few alternative care providers (NDs included) who weren’t familiar with histamine intolerance. Hopefully yours is amazing and does, though! 🙂 Best of luck with your health journey!

  16. I can’t wait to hear more! I would love to know how to fix the root problems of gut bacteria and methylation. And how to know which of these is the root problem.

    1. I am far from an expert on methylation, but I think the gut dysbiosis and methylation issues definitely go hand in hand. One seems to be an issue of what is going in, and one is an issue of what is (or, in reality, what is NOT) coming out. Are you familiar with the work of Dr. Ben Lynch at mthfr.net? There is also an interesting post about histamine disorders and methylation issues here: (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore)

    2. I understand this is an old thread but is there a way to provide me a link to part 2 and send me where I can find it? Was researching and found this old thread on Google.

  17. I have actually heard about this and did some research of my own. For those who have it, it can take a long time to diagnose because there are so many other health conditions that mimic it. I was told my entire life that I had exercise-induced asthma. Never took anything; just watched my workout/sports level. Then after my daughter was born, it got worse–actually started wheezing, and the coughing became severe. Turns out I don’t have asthma at all–I am allergic to casein. Took casein foods out of my diet–no more asthma. Yes, asthma really can be cured. My daughter had a rash all over her hands that we dealt with for over 2 years, eliminating foods and food groups, changing and deleting all different kinds of personal care products, soaps, etc.; could never figure out what was wrong. Took her to a doctor who does Nutritional Response Testing (working with real, whole food and supplements), who diagnosed her with a very acute form of mold, probably from when she last went horseback riding and currycombed her horse. She most likely inhaled a mold spore, and her body was unable to fight it off. She’s only been on the treatment protocol for 2 months, and already her hands have made a drastic improvement. Sometimes, it takes looking in the most uncommon of places for the triggers. Thanks for writing about histamine intolerance. I know some people who I suspect also suffer from this, so will look into it some more.

    1. Thanks for sharing! I’m glad you found the post helpful. Stay tuned for part 2!!

  18. I think many people suffer from similar problems, but often for different reasons. When I started reading your article, my first thought was that you shouldn’t be using any kind of anti-bacterial hand soap and you need to use all natural laundry detergents. The reason? The hand soap caused my hands to break out to the point of burning and cracking, while commercial laundry detergents caused giant red and itchy blotches on my legs. Staying away from anti-bacterial soaps and using an all natural laundry detergent cured my skin problems.

    Everyone is different, so your article may help one person, while my comment will help someone else. I do wish you had listed some common high histamine foods, like red wine.

    1. Hi Claire-

      Thanks for your comment! I definitely agree that eczema can be caused by many things and am in no way saying that it is only caused by histamine intolerance. Thanks for your suggestions. Stay tuned for part two of this post next week for a list of high histamine foods and ways to start healing histamine intolerance!

      Erin

      1. A very informative post, that is relevant to what I am going through now with my kids. I have a blog that I share my own personal experiences with my kids histamine and salicylate intolerances

        1. Thanks, Tamara. Sorry but I don’t allow for self promotion of sites here–had to remove your link. Thanks for reading, though!