SPRING and all things Histamine..

I have histamine on the brain these days. Not only am I seeing a lot of yoga clients struggling with the early spring weather here in Munich with sneezing, itchy eyes, or congestion, but I am also seeing MANY clients reactive to histamine foods. This often shows up with headaches, migraines, diarrhea, bloating, skin flushing, hives, and nasal congestion after eating high histamine or histamine liberating foods.

I know prior to Functional Medicine Nutrition school, I was only vaguely aware of histamine (mainly in my hayfever and cat allergies I had when young), I didn’t actually get what it was and why it caused such reactions.

So let’s dive into histamine. :)

What it is, where we can find it, why some bodies react and others don’t and (for women) even the interplay between histamine and women’s menstrual cycle

First of, what the heck is it? Histamine is a natural chemical produced by the body and stored in immune cells called mast cells. It acts as a messenger that helps regulate our immune defense, digestion and stomach acid production, sleep and wake cycles and even communicates within our nervous system. It’s a normal and necessary part of human physiology.

Histamine is released when the immune system detects something it perceives as a threat. During spring, one of the biggest triggers is pollen. Trees, grasses, and plants release microscopic pollen particles into the air, and when they enter the body through the nose, eyes, or lungs, the immune system may respond by releasing histamine. Then we get those annoying symptoms mentioned above. The body is essentially trying to protect itself and remove the irritant.

Histamine is also a naturally occurring chemical contained in certain foods. Foods that tend to be higher in histamine include fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha or fermented cheeses or aged foods like aged cheeses, alcohol processed or cured meats and vinegar. Other foods may stimulate histamine release even if they don’t contain much histamine themselves (called histamine liberators). Examples of these are some citrus fruits and nuts, nightshades, smoked meats, shellfish, chocolate and black tea).

So eating higher histamine foods or histamine liberators can add to the ‘histamine bucket’ if our body is also struggling with allergies. Especially during high-allergy seasons some people notice they feel better when they temporarily reduce them.

Why do some people struggle more than others?

Good question, :) Most healthy bodies break down histamine efficiently using enzymes such as DAO (diamine oxidase - you can test for this) but some things can make it harder for the body to keep histamine levels balanced, including seasonal allergies, gut health issues, chronic stress, certain medications (painkillers and NSAIDS, depression medication,  some antibiotics and anti-fungals and some GI medications to name a few) and nutrient deficiencies. And as I said, some people have a genetic snip where there body does not produce sufficient DAO.

When histamine builds up faster than the body can break it down, symptoms may become more noticeable. I call this a ‘histamine bucket’ overflowing with irritants.

Histamine symptoms can also get more aaggravated for females during ovulation and menstruation. This is a piece most women don’t know. Higher estrogen levels can stimulate mast cells to release more histamine AND histamine can also signal the ovaries to produce more estrogen

What to do?? .. :)

While avoiding being outside isn’t necessary (or recommended), there are simple ways to support your body during histamine-heavy seasons like now: prioritize fresh, whole foods, support gut health (get testing done to see if your problems are rooted here), suport your nervous system and manage stress, and spend time outdoors after rain when pollen counts are lower, use a humidifier when indoors and keep windows closed on high-pollen days. Also if you are a menstruating female, you may want to be more mindful about high histamine foods and being outdoors in high pollen season during those 2 phases of your cycle.

I work with clients 1:1 with histamine issues, both with dietary strategies, strategies to support gut health and stool testing that can reveal overgrowths of histamine-producing bacterias that cause symptoms to flare up.

Reach out or forward this if you or someone you know is suffering and may benefit from this newsletter or working 1:1 with me.

Happy Spring!

Kari