About Histamine Intolerance (and related issues)
If you're not a member of the Histamine Intolerance group on Facebook, or have not heard of Histamine Intolerance before, here's a little bit of a background. I'm not an expert or a doctor, so I'm going to be sourcing links here about the issue (feel free to provide some in the comments).
In very very layman's terms, histamine is a naturally occurring chemical - it is in our bodies, and present in food. Have you heard of Anti-Histamines? You might have been recommended some over-the-counter anti-histamines (such as brand names Zyrtec, Benadryl, etc) to treat a cold, hayfever, or allergy such as to pet dander. Your body releases histamine as part of it's response to colds and allergies, causing sneezing, itching and runny nose. Some people, like my mother, produce too much histamine... Have you ever taken an skin prick allergy test? Histamine is the "control" prick, but in some people it causes the most reaction of all the allergens tested and results in a large, red, itchy bump. Therefore, when we eat foods with a naturally high histamine level (ferments) or food that releases histamine ("histamine liberators" such as citrus) we show allergy symptoms! Maintaining a low histamine diet can offer relief for day to day allergy symptoms caused by HIT (Histamine Intolerance). Some peoples symptoms also exhibit as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome.)
What causes this? the lack of an enzyme called DAO that degrades histamine.
It is recommended that you keep a food diary to track symptoms and I'll post another section about food diaries and elimination diets.
To be diagnosed with histamine intolerance, you should book an appointment with your doctor to discuss allergy testing (specifically mention food intolerances, skin prick testing, and/or the things you suspect you react to - in my case, tomatoes and vinegar, two high-histamine foods.), DAO testing, and receive a referral. Histamine intolerance is apparently not evident on a lot of tests.
Some people have other conditions that cause or look like histamine intolerance.
This is from the Histamine Intolerance website (that the Facebook page stems from, it is UK based)...
"What is Histamine Intolerance in short?
Histamine Intolerance is an intolerance of histamine ingested with food. It is caused by a deficiency of the histamine-degrading enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO) or an imbalance between histamine and DAO. As far as experts are concerned it is not normally caused by genetic factors but is an acquired disease, often identified as a secondary condition to another.
Differential diagnosis
Differential diagnosis, the exclusion of possible other causes such as genuine food allergy, cross reactions, non-allergic reactions such as fructose malabsorption, lactose intolerance sorbitol malabsorption, or Coeliac Disease and the exclusion of any other illnesses and other imminently life-threatening disease such as cancer for example are of utmost importance. Some people may even have a rare disease such as mastocytosis or mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS).
HIT can be a secondary feature of all of these, but it is not a given that it will be.
There are enough complaints that look like HIT but are not and vice-versa. That is why you put yourself at risk if you self-diagnose."
(I had never even heard of DAO until joining this group, and I don't know if DAO supplements are available in Australia. Supplements are also expensive, I may or may not look into this later.)
This is a medical journal published on Histamine (it is not light reading.)
As I go back through the sites I've collected I will add more "about histamine" resources here :)
In very very layman's terms, histamine is a naturally occurring chemical - it is in our bodies, and present in food. Have you heard of Anti-Histamines? You might have been recommended some over-the-counter anti-histamines (such as brand names Zyrtec, Benadryl, etc) to treat a cold, hayfever, or allergy such as to pet dander. Your body releases histamine as part of it's response to colds and allergies, causing sneezing, itching and runny nose. Some people, like my mother, produce too much histamine... Have you ever taken an skin prick allergy test? Histamine is the "control" prick, but in some people it causes the most reaction of all the allergens tested and results in a large, red, itchy bump. Therefore, when we eat foods with a naturally high histamine level (ferments) or food that releases histamine ("histamine liberators" such as citrus) we show allergy symptoms! Maintaining a low histamine diet can offer relief for day to day allergy symptoms caused by HIT (Histamine Intolerance). Some peoples symptoms also exhibit as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome.)
What causes this? the lack of an enzyme called DAO that degrades histamine.
It is recommended that you keep a food diary to track symptoms and I'll post another section about food diaries and elimination diets.
To be diagnosed with histamine intolerance, you should book an appointment with your doctor to discuss allergy testing (specifically mention food intolerances, skin prick testing, and/or the things you suspect you react to - in my case, tomatoes and vinegar, two high-histamine foods.), DAO testing, and receive a referral. Histamine intolerance is apparently not evident on a lot of tests.
Some people have other conditions that cause or look like histamine intolerance.
This is from the Histamine Intolerance website (that the Facebook page stems from, it is UK based)...
"What is Histamine Intolerance in short?
Histamine Intolerance is an intolerance of histamine ingested with food. It is caused by a deficiency of the histamine-degrading enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO) or an imbalance between histamine and DAO. As far as experts are concerned it is not normally caused by genetic factors but is an acquired disease, often identified as a secondary condition to another.
Differential diagnosis
Differential diagnosis, the exclusion of possible other causes such as genuine food allergy, cross reactions, non-allergic reactions such as fructose malabsorption, lactose intolerance sorbitol malabsorption, or Coeliac Disease and the exclusion of any other illnesses and other imminently life-threatening disease such as cancer for example are of utmost importance. Some people may even have a rare disease such as mastocytosis or mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS).
HIT can be a secondary feature of all of these, but it is not a given that it will be.
There are enough complaints that look like HIT but are not and vice-versa. That is why you put yourself at risk if you self-diagnose."
(I had never even heard of DAO until joining this group, and I don't know if DAO supplements are available in Australia. Supplements are also expensive, I may or may not look into this later.)
This is a medical journal published on Histamine (it is not light reading.)
As I go back through the sites I've collected I will add more "about histamine" resources here :)
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