Histamine Sensitivity/Intolerance

Support

Histamine sensitivity/intolerance can bring mental health and interpersonal issues that could challenge anyone.

Face-to-face or telehealth sessions are available. Phone for an appointment.
Medicare rebates apply where there is a current GP’s Mental Health Care Plan.

The task can seem daunting and the goal is modest. “I don’t want to feel good. I don’t want to feel fantastic. I just want to feel normal.”

General information...

How you feel

With histamine sensitivity you have a list of non-specific symptoms. For example...

• headache
• feeling ill in gut/anxiety
• fatigue
• brain-fog
• withdrawn
• alienated/depressed
• irritable/edgy

How you feel is not a theory. In the case of histamine sensitivity, the way you feel is caused by sustained elevated levels of histamine in your body. It’s not in your mind.

Also, you are likely to experience what appear to be allergy symptoms, for example, bouts of heavy sneezing, watery eyes, congested chest, gut discomfort and itchiness.

Take Action

You can take immediate action to change how you feel. If you’re not sure about the list of non-specific symptoms but you suspect that histamine sensitivity applies to you, then you can test it out. You simply go on a histamine elimination diet for a month. You will need to research what “histamine elimination diet” means. It is doable. If it makes a difference then you will feel it. How you feel is not a theory. Importantly, if the diet does make a difference, then stick to it for the rest of your life.

Histamine Elimination Diet

You will need to research this topic for your own due diligence on what is right or wrong for you. In general terms the diet means…

• Nothing that comes from a fermentation process, including all alcohol, vinegar, cheese, tofu, sauerkraut, etc.
• Nothing that is aged or processed, including salami, bacon, sausages, pickled or cured meat, etc.
• No wheat, spelt, barley or rye products including pastry, bread, pasta, etc.
• No red fruit, berries or vegetables.
• No citrus or pineapple.
• No beans or peas
• No caffeine or spicy food.
• No avocados, mushrooms, peanuts, wallnuts, bananas, spinach, etc.

The food that you might normally eat could be contributing to elevated histamine in three different ways…

1. From foods that contain histamine.
2. From foods that contain histamine liberators (trigger mast cells to release histamine).
3. From eating food that uses up your precious DAO (enzyme, diamine oxidase) resources.

Links to dietary advice...

• Histamine Intolerance Awareness: Food List
• WebMD: Food high in histamine
• BBC Good Food: Top 20 low histamine foods

DAO (enzyme, diamine oxidase)

Histamine sensitivity/intolerance is often linked to insufficient levels of diamine oxidase (DAO), an enzyme responsible for breaking down histamine in the body. When DAO levels are low, the body struggles to metabolise histamine effectively, leading to its accumulation in the bloodstream. Be wary of supplements that are said to increase DAO. Stick to the diet so that your available DAO has a fighting chance of keeping you safe.

First tip

If you have histamine sensitivity/intolerance, there are three things you need to do immediately...

1. Stick to the diet.
2. Learn from your dietary mistakes and stick to the diet.
3. Keep learning from your dietary mistakes and stick to the diet.

To change how you feel, the key is to stick to the diet. Don’t worry, your body will tell you when you stray from the straight and narrow. This is a learning process. The psychoeducation and the psychosocial support are available to help you to negotiate the difficulties.