Quick summary after four weeks on low histamine diet- it works.

[Justiina]

I have now been on low histamine for 4 weeks and finally I was able to get rid of my coughing. Now I have coughing episode once a week which passes fast, I figure the histamine keeps building up slowly during the week. I have had nasty coughing since June which I immediately connected to histamine as it first happened after eating tomato sauce. But I had no idea that the list of food can get so long for one to avoid to feel full benefits. But a bit over month ago I had a flu and the coughing got so bad that I was crawling on the floor gasping for air few times.

I really had to clean up ALL possible food from my diet raising my histamine levels. Took me a bit, but it was worth it.

My muscles were aching and weak, constant aching, especially my thighs which are already weak and bad, I was aching from left thigh upto my neck and that always ended up on getting headache. I was getting up every night to pee once or twice, was panicky , nausea, gut was irritated, I was cranky etc.

Unfortunately this does not fix my hashimoto itself, but hey it makes life more tolerable. One of the best things is that now those low blood sugar symptoms are lessened too.

Here is what I have eaten during past four weeks : (everything else has been no no for me , but I am hoping I can bring some food back into my diet at some point)

-Millet ( I know should be avoided with thyroid issues, but for me millet seems ok, dont eat it everyday anyways)

-Quinoa

- Potatoes

- Apples

-Buckwheat pasta

- Gluten free oat

- Red meat (cooked after buying it and froze the rest in small portions)

-Chicken ( handled same way than red meat)

- Almonds

-Carrots

- turnips

- Water

Does not sound a lot does it? But I was feeling so awful that I would have eaten horse poo if it had helped.

I cannot say that I would have more energy, I am tired and exhausted as usual, but not so weak anymore, I can exercise a bit and the best things is that I can tolerate sauna, it does not make me feel sick anymore. I am not gasping for air and my heart has settled down, not racing wild.

I seemed to react bad to probiotics, found out that lactobacillus casei can rise histamine levels even though it boosts your immune system. I ordered bifidiobacterium longum which should break down histamine. Well whatever it is , bifidobacterium longum works for me. I take it before bedtime to empty stomach. Well it makes me gassy in the morning, but oh well my cats dont mind

I wanted to share this with you to remind that sometimes one has to go very far to get some results. Even if optimally medicated with persistent symptoms, histamine issues could be something to consider seriously. Being on low histamine diet does not mean one has to give up on everything for the rest of their lives. It is about finding the balance, whatever triggers histamine intolerance can possibly be fixed.

I did not buy DAO enzyme as the DAO I was recommended by a doctor contains corn, which is a big no no to me. Maybe I could have ordered some, but I already order so much stuff I did not feel like ordering one more bottle for now.

[Hidden]

Hello Justina,

I would say this is wonderful as no matter how restrictive or limited your diet is .. it is positive and progressive...

The good probiotics on histamine intolerance symptoms down regulate the IgE and histamine receptors, up-regulating anti-inflammatory agents in the gut and helping reduce intestinal permeability or pathogenic bacteria from adhering to the gut wall.

Bacteria that produce histamine are Lactobacillus case, and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, the bacteria found in yoghurt and fermented foods.

Good bacteria are thought to be beneficial (as they are thought to downgrade biogenic amines of which histamine is one) are Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium infants, Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus planetarium, and possibly Lactobacillus reuters.

Hashimoto's has to become more manageable if supplementing the above.

Flower

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/174...

[LuxN in reply to Hidden]

This site is so amazing. I was literally about to post a question, asking if anyone had any idea why I get blocked ears, a wheezy chest and post nasal drip a few hours after eating (probably when the food is moving from my stomach to my lower intestines). I've been doing some research, trying to find out if my reflux is related to either high or low stomach acid and read that there was a histamine connection. The advice I read was to increase your L- histamine. The quickest and easiest way to try that was to add some wheatgerm to my cereal. I did it for two days and felt worse. Now I see the OP is saying she has to restrict histamine to feel better, which is something I've never heard of. I am going to try and research it now to see if it is something that might helps but without this site, I wouldn't even know what I should be looking for. It really is a God send. Thanks to the poster for sharing her experiences...and thanks to the people who weigh in constantly and never seem to tire of answering questions. I hope you know how much it helps the rest of us.

[Hidden in reply to LuxN]

LuxN,

Histamine is an organic compound that is necessary for the maintenance of life; it has versatile and has extensive effects during an immune response and in allergic disorders. There are four types of histamine receptor cells (H1R, H2R, H3R, and H4R). Each receptor influences different systems of the body.

Histamine intolerance results when there is an imbalance in the body system resulting in accumulated histamine because of the body’s inability to break it down or degrade it.

The enzyme, diamine oxidase (DAO), responsible for breaking down foods we consume that are rich in histamine, is diminished in patients who have histamine intolerance. Therefore histamine cannot be broken down through the normal process and will result in a histamine overload in the body. The body responds with many symptoms that mimic an allergic reaction or, as the process is known technically, a pseudo-allergy.

Flower

This link actually refers to asthma studies but demonstrates the important role that Histamine plays in the regulation of the immune system.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/128...

Histamine & thyroid connection

naturalendocrinesolutions.c...

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Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal before applying any of these suggestions.

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[Justiina in reply to LuxN]

We are all different and the way histamine might affect us is different for all of us, it requires playing Sherlock Holmes, but it might be worth it.

Some food might be ok for someone and no no for someone else. I will post some links here for you that I found really helpful.

histamineintolerance.org.uk...

fullcircleintegratedhealth....

It is not just only about histamine itself, in some cases some histamine free food listed might affect one another way :

hypothyroidmom.com/autoimmu...

selfhacked.com/2014/07/17/s...

choicesunlimited.ca/when-t1...

So there is a lot to consider. For example cranberries could be beneficial many ways, but how can cranberries be on low histamine list and at the same time on the list of what to avoid? That would be because of the T1 - T2 are out of balance. Because it boosts the wrong cells it might backfire someone.

This is why some diets might not work even though they are supposed to work, one has to find what works for them. To get low histamine diet to work it might require some alternative tricks.

I was so sad to find out even blueberries made me cough. Blueberries would boost your immune system, reduce inflammation and do so much good for you in many ways, but they unfortunately stimulate some cells to release histamine.

Easiest way was the hard way and avoid all possible triggers to calm things down. I will continue this for a while and then start representing certain food I have tolerated before back to my diet. During past week I have had few pieces of chocolate and even some canned tuna and survived, nothing happened.

For me it was also that post nasal drip and wheezy lungs with very productive coughing and sneezing. I could sneeze 20 to 30 times two hours after having half cup of coffee. Coffee reduces the production of DAO enzyme that breaks down histamine. Also coffee can contain a lot of mycotoxins which can worsen histamine issues.

This week coffee has not made me sneeze. So slow progress every day.

It is said it takes about four weeks to feel the benefits, thats exactly what happened to me and I guess there is still room for improvement.

Histamine intolerance is also connected to low body temp but did not do the trick for me. If something my body temp is even lower now. Histamine caused me a lot of hot flush type reactions and sweating which also increased my body temp a bit.

Avoiding histamine requires patience. But I say it is worth to try, it only takes about 4 weeks of your life. If it does not work then it was not histamine, case solved.

[Hidden in reply to Justiina]

Great info. Thank you Justina.

Things definitely improve as immune responses dampen.

My sense of smell has returned and my post nasal drip gone.

Flo

[LuxN in reply to Justiina]

Brilliant info. Thanks so much. A few things were going on with my thyroid that caused an initial reflux problem a few months back. I treated that with PPIs that seemed to help at first then made it worse in a different way and caused a sore esophagus. So I tried eating for low stomach acid and got limited results. So I read about Candida and tried adding some probiotics from yoghurts, drinks and supplements. That caused a huge problem (so that part of your post really made sense to me). I've just researched the probiotics in my supplements and they are on the list that are ok with histamine probs so I will carry on taking those. Then I read about histadine/histamine and got the results I mentioned in my comment above. I've taken your advice on board and will read the info you kindly shared. Thanks again.

I'm very limited as to what I can do at the mo as I have to start some potentially life saving medication for a condition I've got. The docs don't think it's related to my thyroid health but I'm convinced it is and I expect the condition to reverse when my thyroid is balanced again. Either way, I've got to take this medicine that has a vasodilatory effect and carries a warning that grapefruit should be specifically avoided as it can increase the effects. As grapefruit is in the list of things that can stimulate histamine, I figure that means this med is going to do that too. Common side effects are flushing and nasal congestion, as is reflux. Not much I can do in light of that I guess but maybe eating to avoid excess histamine might help anyway?

I didn't mean to hijack your thread. Thanks for being so gracious about it and sharing what you've learned.

[LuxN in reply to Justiina]

I also have a T-cell proliferative disorder and have been monitored for a mild lymphocytosis since 2007, so the info about T-cells really resonates too. I am not sure which ones I have a problem with but as I have Hashi's, I guess it must be TH1?

[Justiina in reply to LuxN]

Lowering histamine burden can reduce the reaction your medication can cause so it is worth to try and might make it more comfortable using medication. You might still suffer a bit but in the end it could be something tolerable.

Yes with hashi it should be T1 but I am still learning more about the unbalance of T1 and T2 so to me it is trial and error.

Another reason for histamine issues is MCAD. In my case I have ruled it out by myself as it seems to affect liver. I have been ill for 15 years with these symptoms and my liver is fine. Of course one can never be sure but over here in Finland we have 0 doctor understanding MCAD.

For me at some point PPI's worked as well , especially ranitine which works for reflux caused by histamine but I had no idea and doctors gave me another PPI which caused a lot of troubles. I tried yoghurt and sour milk and so on and got worse and worse. So for histamine related reflux only certain type of PPI works but it does not fix the issues

[LuxN in reply to Justiina]

Yes, ranitidine seemed the best of the lot for me, too, for a while. I think that might be part of why my thought process about histamine started.

[Hidden in reply to Justiina]

Gosh Justiina,

Although I don't have this, I have read about MCADS.

Have you identified the mast cell mediators?

You must know there are four types of histamine receptor cells (H1R, H2R, H3R, and H4R) which influence the bodies different systems?

I think our bodies just become so intolerant to everything it becomes a muddle as to what is inflaming what.

I am pleased you have found progression as this will give you impetus to carry on with your cause.

Flower

[Justiina in reply to Hidden]

I just did what I had as the coughing was making me so miserable and started with the proper diet.

Now I am trying to learn more about the histamine to see if there is more I can do.

Unfortunately these issues does not exist in Finland. Period so very little help from doctors and very little translated. So I am using a lot of energy to understand everything as English not my first language.

I am trying to understand if family history is relevant. My dad has bad psoriasis with flu like symptoms and my other brother has Horton's syndrome also known as histamine head ache.

So a lot of histamine issues in one family. Trying to learn and understand so I could possibly help my family to cope with their illnesses.

[Hidden in reply to Justiina]

Justiina,

I believe it definitely to be genetic (or a certain amount) so would equate to what your poor Dad or brother suffered.

I have not suffered as you have (but in different ways) and have such an interest in this as am so mindful of the reactions I have experienced when eliminating a certain food and especially when starting T3 as the change was monumentous (within days) in all aspects.

I am english through and through and happy to help you with any translations, etc, that you struggle with.

Histamine Intolerance is not recognised in main stream medicine in England either.

Good luck on your journey.

Flower

…………………………………………………………………

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal before applying any of these suggestions.

…………………………………………………………………

[Justiina in reply to Hidden]

So you feel that T3 worked when you are having proper diet?

See, that is what I am thinking, there are many people medicated still feeling awful looking for answers and maybe disappointed in their medication. Maybe disappointed in their doctor who did order the correct medication, but did not have knowledge of possible histamine intolerance or whatever is going on in your body. That medication itself might not be the key for success. Everything has to be balanced before the medication kicks in.

I have read about histamine intolerance being common with hashi/hypo that are either on wrong medication, not optimally medicated or not medicated at all and when everything corrected histamine intolerance should disappear.

But I am wondering whether it is the other way around too. Histamine burden caused by under treatment should be fixed , before or during the medication and continue that until things have settled down and eventually when your body has recovered with a help from medication the histamine intolerance disappears too.

That is why I would encourage anyone on medication still feeling poorly with symptoms matching histamine burden to try low histamine diet.

[Hidden in reply to Justiina]

justiina,

I wholly agree with your quote ....

... [.. Everything has to be balanced before the medication kicks in...]....

I believe T3 only worked so well for me because everything else (except TPOAb's) were balanced.

I find it infuriating not to be able to reduce my antibodies but they may decrease as I continue on my wellness path and now refuse to (re)test them for quite sometime and hope for a nice surprise. I feel well & stamina improves week on week.

I have been supplementing Resveratrol ( a compound derived from Japanese knotweed) and Curcumin (derived from turmeric.) Both are well known for their antioxidant qualities and newer research shows that taking them together creates a synergistic effect, making them potent tools for reducing inflammation and damage associated with autoimmune flare-ups and chronic inflammation. They work by supporting regulatory T cells and regulate the activity of TH-17, TH-1, and TH-2, keeping all the facets of the immune system in check.

Whether unmanaged hypothyroidism causes histamine intolerance (or any auto immune flare up) or the other way around, they both need to be addressed to progress.

I feel sure reducing histamine intolerance and getting your immune response (more) balanced has to help with the synergy of thyroid meds, and general health.

Good luck

Flower

[Justiina in reply to Hidden]

Oh so nice you figured it out! I think I am in a situation where the last piece of the puzzle is T3.

During the years I have been trying so many things and whenever I do something wrong or go back to normal diet I get very ill, but I bounce back quite fast after going back to strict diet. But I never get well enough , so I think the T3 is the missing piece as my t3 tends to be low.

It is so good to read experiences like yours, unfortunately there is too much responsibility we patients have to take in order to get healthy. We have to figure out why. Who we are, family history, history of illnesses and medications as the path to better health might be very different for each of even though in the end we have the same disease and medication would be the same.

But we are all individuals and there are hundreds of different combinations what has gone wrong that we have to figure out to find the best possible working solution.

We cannot do what other people are doing, but from each other we can learn that it is worth to think it through and try different things.

Like I could go self medicating but as I recently found out I have had yersinia enterocolitica antibodies for at least 10 years which is abnormal I figured self medicating might not be the smartest thing. I should first see immunologist and infectious disease specialist to rule out everything else I can go self medicating if I am denied medication otherwise.

Thanks for sharing your progress

[Justiina in reply to Hidden]

It was a bit disheartening to feel the benefits of probiotics and at the same time to feel awful. First I was thinking there is nothing I can do until I read about that certain strains can cause histamine build up or release.

Was sceptic to try but works for me. Fortunately iherb is a friend and trying out does not cost a fortune!

[Heloise]

Hi Justiina, thanks for sharing all that valuable information. I didn't know much about histamines and actually not much about the different probiotics. It makes sense that they would have different effects. I love to hear progress reports and I'm sure others do as well.