I've dealt with a lot of allergic reactions in the past five years. After I gave birth to my son, it was like my entire body rejected health and wellness and it spiraled out of control until I went to a holistic doctor who helped me through with cleanses, dietary regulation, and understanding the toxicity that my body had taken on. The "cause" at the time was a candida overgrowth which needed reigned in. (It is often seen as the root cause, though candida overgrowth is often in a link with adrenal fatigue, high toxicity, poor immune health, autoimmune disease, among other things. For instance, I had a constant onslaught of ringworm and staph infections that would not go away.) I had recognized small bits and pieces in the little research I could do, (having just given birth and being inundated with extreme postpartum depression and traumas therein linked afterwards), but I just couldn't put all the pieces together.
The diet and cleansing helped get my life back to some semblance of order. It took almost an entire year of complete regimented control, though a lot of the stress triggers were still there and it wasn't until maybe another year and a half to two years after that I felt like I had some control and could relax a little with my diet to actually enjoy all that was happening in my life. Even then, though, I had another year or so of training my body not to literally panic when the slightest rash, redness, swelling or any other reaction happened, because I was so trained that it was an extremely terrible thing and that all the learning I had done really wasn't working.
I've seen a lot of dietary connections. Many of which are the ghostly ones that doctors tend to tell patients that they don't exist. And I've also, thankfully been learning on my own the purposes of many of the vitamins and minerals, the necessities of sugar and fat, and how to really and truly listen to my own body in terms of recognizing the issues that arise. The emotional linkage, and the dietary needs. I won't say it doesn't get frustrating at times though trying to keep a positive face when I have such a long list of allergies to foods, and need to keep a running tab on my diet, all while I just want to really relax, just once with a piece of gluten filled cake.
So a couple days ago when my lips started to swell again, I was able to look at it objectively and assess what was happening, yet again. Heh. I have some homeopathic anti-histamine tablets in my medicine cabinet. After taking some of that, I was able to get down to business.
Luckily, I immediately pieced together what was happening, as it was something I roughly looked into when I marked down my horrible allergic reactions to balsamic vinegar. I've had a bizarre list of foods that I just cannot eat, (barely splurge on). Things like cashews, eggplant, balsamic vinegar, and soy are some of the larger culprits to my throat swelling up. Which, I personally feel is a little more critical than my gut doubling over in pain from some gluten I had too much of. (I know that will pass within half a day, though of course it sucks. Hahah.)
There are a lot of foods that are high in histamine. Generally anything aged, or fermented. (Sauerkraut is considered such, but I can usually handle a little of it. I LOVE sauerkraut. ) Anything pickled or vinegar based, alcohol, a lot of nuts, shellfish, etc. There are also histamine liberators such as most citric fruits, cocoa, tomatoes, etc.
The lists are actually incredibly long and at times confusing and contradictory depending on what website you bring up. Some may say that mackerel is a terrible one, avoid at all costs, and another site will state that it's a great food to help combat it.
There is an enzyme that is super important with breaking down the histamine so our bodies can process it in the appropriate amounts. It is called Diamine Oxidase (or DAO). It is found mainly in our kidneys and thymus. After it breaks down the histamine, it is actually excreted through your kidneys and urine. Some people have a healthy amount of this and never seen any reactions except for maybe a bad hayfever season. Others, this is the main culprit to rashes and swelling throats.
There are, thankfully a lot of vitamins and minerals that we can increase to help with the production of DAO.
A list I found here, includes:
omega 3 fatty acids
saturated fats
phosphorus
calcium
zinc
magnesium
iron
b12
vitamin D is also a great addition to this. I found here the following quote:
"It acts as a fat soluble hormone that facilitates intestinal absorption of calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc. The latter two are essential components needed by the body to manufacture the histamine degrading enzyme diamine oxidase."
In looking at the lists of food options that are beneficial and seeing the adjacent lists of what is detrimental, it's easy to see the overlap. But I think the overlapping foods are because they are so beneficial in some of the nutrients that can help with DAO production. As a simple example, omega 3 fatty acids are very high in mackerel, but since a lot of the sources of mackerel is canned and therefore aged to a degree, you have higher histamine levels. Fresh fish is apparently a lot lower.
Either way, it's important to remember that there are other options such as herbal tea. A good way to give support to the kidneys while give high nourishing teas to your body would be to look at something like nettle just as one example. Honestly, the herbal tea idea came while I was in the shower, so I haven't had time to really come up with a formula to put into action yet. But there are SO many nutritive herbs that will fulfill this exact need.
I'm able to look back over the past couple years and see the patterns of when I felt worse and when I felt better. For instance, When my husband and I went to Portugal, I can safely say most of the food we ate was not what you would deem "histamine healthy", haha. All the aged meat and cheese. The wine and breads. But I spent a lot of time prior eating very healthy and clean as my body replenished itself from the stress and detoxified, re-elevating the depleted areas I had. Little meat protein, a huge supply of fresh vegetables and lots of tea and water were a normal thing for me. I was also finally at an extremely low stress level and was in such a high point of feeling positive. Stress is a very important trigger which I feel we should not overlook lightly when dealing with our reactions to our world and food.
It is so hard sometimes though. There is a considerable amount of trauma I try to work through daily. Things that will probably be a project for me for the rest of my life. Then there's the onslaught of energetic increases and planetary alignments that bring up old stuff or shitty stuff or all that stuff that we just feel so heavy with. There's the day to day stress that can include a difficult financial period or struggles inter-personally. The political environment and what to believe who said what where. The list could theoretically go on and on. And there are times when depression can crop it's ugly head again and I subsist on baked chicken (because it is insanely easy to throw that in the oven) and corn chips. Every day I try to have my smoothie so that if I hit a wall, I don't go to bed thinking my diet was a complete loss that day because at least I had that one meal with a HUGE amount of liver healthy herbs and fruits and lettuce. You know?
I don't mean for that to sound negative and victim based, I've just come to realize that we really need to be gentle with ourselves. On our priorities and managing our ability to see ourselves, lives, and what we focus on with deliberation and kindness.
Anyway. I know this was a lot of personal story involved in here, but I know that's how we learn. I just felt a desire to expound on what I was looking at today because my time of learning can also be yours.
The diet and cleansing helped get my life back to some semblance of order. It took almost an entire year of complete regimented control, though a lot of the stress triggers were still there and it wasn't until maybe another year and a half to two years after that I felt like I had some control and could relax a little with my diet to actually enjoy all that was happening in my life. Even then, though, I had another year or so of training my body not to literally panic when the slightest rash, redness, swelling or any other reaction happened, because I was so trained that it was an extremely terrible thing and that all the learning I had done really wasn't working.
I've seen a lot of dietary connections. Many of which are the ghostly ones that doctors tend to tell patients that they don't exist. And I've also, thankfully been learning on my own the purposes of many of the vitamins and minerals, the necessities of sugar and fat, and how to really and truly listen to my own body in terms of recognizing the issues that arise. The emotional linkage, and the dietary needs. I won't say it doesn't get frustrating at times though trying to keep a positive face when I have such a long list of allergies to foods, and need to keep a running tab on my diet, all while I just want to really relax, just once with a piece of gluten filled cake.
So a couple days ago when my lips started to swell again, I was able to look at it objectively and assess what was happening, yet again. Heh. I have some homeopathic anti-histamine tablets in my medicine cabinet. After taking some of that, I was able to get down to business.
Luckily, I immediately pieced together what was happening, as it was something I roughly looked into when I marked down my horrible allergic reactions to balsamic vinegar. I've had a bizarre list of foods that I just cannot eat, (barely splurge on). Things like cashews, eggplant, balsamic vinegar, and soy are some of the larger culprits to my throat swelling up. Which, I personally feel is a little more critical than my gut doubling over in pain from some gluten I had too much of. (I know that will pass within half a day, though of course it sucks. Hahah.)
There are a lot of foods that are high in histamine. Generally anything aged, or fermented. (Sauerkraut is considered such, but I can usually handle a little of it. I LOVE sauerkraut. ) Anything pickled or vinegar based, alcohol, a lot of nuts, shellfish, etc. There are also histamine liberators such as most citric fruits, cocoa, tomatoes, etc.
The lists are actually incredibly long and at times confusing and contradictory depending on what website you bring up. Some may say that mackerel is a terrible one, avoid at all costs, and another site will state that it's a great food to help combat it.
There is an enzyme that is super important with breaking down the histamine so our bodies can process it in the appropriate amounts. It is called Diamine Oxidase (or DAO). It is found mainly in our kidneys and thymus. After it breaks down the histamine, it is actually excreted through your kidneys and urine. Some people have a healthy amount of this and never seen any reactions except for maybe a bad hayfever season. Others, this is the main culprit to rashes and swelling throats.
There are, thankfully a lot of vitamins and minerals that we can increase to help with the production of DAO.
A list I found here, includes:
omega 3 fatty acids
saturated fats
phosphorus
calcium
zinc
magnesium
iron
b12
vitamin D is also a great addition to this. I found here the following quote:
"It acts as a fat soluble hormone that facilitates intestinal absorption of calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc. The latter two are essential components needed by the body to manufacture the histamine degrading enzyme diamine oxidase."
In looking at the lists of food options that are beneficial and seeing the adjacent lists of what is detrimental, it's easy to see the overlap. But I think the overlapping foods are because they are so beneficial in some of the nutrients that can help with DAO production. As a simple example, omega 3 fatty acids are very high in mackerel, but since a lot of the sources of mackerel is canned and therefore aged to a degree, you have higher histamine levels. Fresh fish is apparently a lot lower.
Either way, it's important to remember that there are other options such as herbal tea. A good way to give support to the kidneys while give high nourishing teas to your body would be to look at something like nettle just as one example. Honestly, the herbal tea idea came while I was in the shower, so I haven't had time to really come up with a formula to put into action yet. But there are SO many nutritive herbs that will fulfill this exact need.
I'm able to look back over the past couple years and see the patterns of when I felt worse and when I felt better. For instance, When my husband and I went to Portugal, I can safely say most of the food we ate was not what you would deem "histamine healthy", haha. All the aged meat and cheese. The wine and breads. But I spent a lot of time prior eating very healthy and clean as my body replenished itself from the stress and detoxified, re-elevating the depleted areas I had. Little meat protein, a huge supply of fresh vegetables and lots of tea and water were a normal thing for me. I was also finally at an extremely low stress level and was in such a high point of feeling positive. Stress is a very important trigger which I feel we should not overlook lightly when dealing with our reactions to our world and food.
It is so hard sometimes though. There is a considerable amount of trauma I try to work through daily. Things that will probably be a project for me for the rest of my life. Then there's the onslaught of energetic increases and planetary alignments that bring up old stuff or shitty stuff or all that stuff that we just feel so heavy with. There's the day to day stress that can include a difficult financial period or struggles inter-personally. The political environment and what to believe who said what where. The list could theoretically go on and on. And there are times when depression can crop it's ugly head again and I subsist on baked chicken (because it is insanely easy to throw that in the oven) and corn chips. Every day I try to have my smoothie so that if I hit a wall, I don't go to bed thinking my diet was a complete loss that day because at least I had that one meal with a HUGE amount of liver healthy herbs and fruits and lettuce. You know?
I don't mean for that to sound negative and victim based, I've just come to realize that we really need to be gentle with ourselves. On our priorities and managing our ability to see ourselves, lives, and what we focus on with deliberation and kindness.
Anyway. I know this was a lot of personal story involved in here, but I know that's how we learn. I just felt a desire to expound on what I was looking at today because my time of learning can also be yours.
and the choices involved simply become the way one lives.
(if you are so moved)
