Category: Research & News

My “before” lifestyle changes picture 

Citations always at bottom of post

Mast cells are key players in immune system generated inflammation. You know, the stuff that heals you when you’re sick, but makes you sick if inflammation happens when you’re not. Mast cell activation (as it’s called) is also involved in allergic reactions of the lungs and nasal passages, gut and skin, like as in asthma, hay fever, eczema and food allergies, but also in pretty scary things like cancers, IBS, kidney damage and heart disease. And now, obesity and diabetes. Mast cells release histamine and many other inflammatory molecules as needed for healing.

Me now

Research over the last few years points to mast cell related inflammation contributing to obesity. Mast cells are thought to “participate” in these conditions by affecting the rate at which we burn calories and other really painfully complicated ways. A study published in Inflammation Research: Official journal of the European Histamine Research Society tells us that fat is one of the main sources of inflammatory mediators, with Interleukin-6, released by mast cells, directly linked to obesity. Interleukin-6 testing is one of a number of tests used to diagnose mast cell activation and inflammation generally.

Here’s my post on tests required for histamine intolerance and mast cell activation.

A study published in Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews finds that mast cell stabilising medications like sodium cromolyn and ketitofen reduce (pre-established) obesity and diabetes in an animal study. What’s unclear is whether this applies, firstly to humans at all, and secondly to folks who are overweight and suffer from diabetes generally, or those who have mast cell activation and these conditions are the result of it.

I’ve personally found that not ingesting inflammatory foods at all (nearly impossible) kept me incredibly skinny. At times this was because I ate almost nothing (did I mention it’s nearly impossible to eat no inflammatory foods?) but at others it seemed I could eat whatever I wanted and still stay rake thin.

The latter phenomenon (which people write to me about all the time) may be due to histamine affecting metabolism and appetite. The crazy thing is how it can swing from one extreme to another. I spent years scoffing at pseudo medical conditions claiming weight loss or gain, low energy or high energy (I do please ask readers not to point out the work of Carl Pfeiffer – I am well aware of it), and yet there I was, eventually suffering from a medically validated condition whose seesawing symptoms make it nearly impossible to diagnose.

Other factors in inflammation and weight gain are that stimulation of the H1 receptors in the brain causes a decrease in appetite, one that study authors dubbed “adaptive anorexia”. I’ve certainly experienced that.  This may be why I suffered my most massive weight gain when taking antihistamines like Claritin and Zyrtec that block the H1 receptor.

You’ll find recipes full of foods with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties my books Anti-Recipes and The Anti-Cookbook

CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED HEALING HISTAMINE PLAN. 

A brain “histamine high” is what I called it when my brain burned warm like the sun was beating down on it and I would run around cleaning my house from top to bottom, rearrange the furniture and paint every other door a fetching powder blue. Doctors called it bipolar disorder and gave me antipsychotics to sleep, mood stabilisers to stop the midnight painting, and antidepressants to even out the inevitable crash. “What goes up must come down,” I was once told. Sadly those meds set off even more mania which thankfully resolved, along with the depression, once I changed my diet.

It’s all so confusing because we have opposing factors at work here. Histamine can both cause weight gain or loss, appetite loss or increase, and impact our metabolism. Histamine is found both in foods and mast cells. Mast cell related inflammation generally seems to be implicated in weight gain.

Please don’t forget, this is all mostly in animal studies. 

Brain histamine release is linked to learning, fear aversion (associating certain behaviours, places or foods with pain/sickness for example) and just generally keeping us in a high state of alert in case we need to get moving quickly (this is an oversimplification). The “Danger Hypothesis” (Brown et al.), proposes that brain histamine is released during feeding, perhaps in a dangerous environment, or having to hunt for food, or because the animal has to eat and run, or run the risk of being eaten themselves.

An animal study published in the Journal of Pharmacology tells us brain histamine is released when the animal is trying to work out how to access food that has been placed in a closed container, or by learning that pressing a lever gets them a meal. But when the animal was given free access to food, there was no brain histamine release.

It’s really tempting to draw some conclusions here, but rather than engage in completely unscientific speculation, I will share my experience as a patient. Eating while stressed or stressing about eating causes more of an inflammatory/histamine response than being totally chill about the whole thing. When you factor in that just thinking about food is enough to release histamine (which is needed for digestion), it seems like a good idea not to engage in extreme restriction, eating a diet that makes you stressed and unhappy, or living a life that does the same.

That’s no easy task when you’ve felt your throat close up on you thanks to a seemingly harmless carrot, or ended up in the ER after enjoying a glass of red wine. Of course, being sick makes anyone depressed. It’s a daily fight to live beyond sickness and make our peace with wherever we happen to find ourselves.

I believe in eating a lightly restricted diet that rules out unhealthy higher histamine foods while keeping things like avocado, tomato and natural soy (edamame beans for example) on a long rotation. My diet is primarily anti-inflammatory (as you will find in my newer books The Anti-Cookbook, the all liquid Anti-Detox and Man Food) and made up of as many foods with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties that I can squeeze in.

Inflammation is very obvious to me when overweight, I feel bloated and burn hot, so I do an hour and a half of high intensity yoga daily as well as walk uphill whenever I have the opportunity to beat it. I also now sometimes use a calorie tracker to check in once in a while – I’m always surprised to see I eat more than I think. Denial does trip me up at times.

Retraining my brain to prevent overeating in times of unhappiness has really helped, cognitive hypnotherapy and other methods I’ll share tasters of in my upcoming Healing the Brain to Heal the Body two hour online workshop on June 11th – book your spot here. Don’t worry if you can’t make it live, there’ll be a recording of the workshop available to you for viewing as many times as you like, as often as you like.

You’ll find recipes full of foods with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties my books Anti-Recipes and The Anti-Cookbook

CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED HEALING HISTAMINE PLAN. 

CITATIONS

Wang, Jing, and Guo-Ping Shi. “Mast Cell Stabilization: Novel Medication for Obesity and Diabetes.” Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 21 May 2016.

“The Major Inflammatory Mediator Interleukin-6 and Obesity.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 21 May 2016.

Passani, M. B., P. Blandina, and F. Torrealba. “The Histamine H3 Receptor and Eating Behavior.” Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 336.1 (2010): 24-29. Web.

Citations for every blog talking point are always at the bottom of the post.

As I reported in last week’s blog post Luteolin for mast cells, histamine and brain fog?, “..it seems research is also pointing to neuro-inflammation as the driving force of Alzheimer’s.” And indeed this week it certainly is. While it’s still a theory, a team at the University of Adelaide believe researchers have been barking up the wrong tree in pinning Alzheimer’s solely on a build up of amyloid plaques, and that they should focus on understanding how an immune system gone wild can attack the brain, causing localised brain inflammation.

Strangely, though I have experienced first hand the truly life changing effects of intense brain fog and near complete memory loss at times in my life, today was the first time I have ever looked at the link between histamine and Alzheimer’s specifically. I was shocked to see how much there is out there, and how much of it yielded conflicting results. It seems that when it comes to histamine, we still don’t yet know for sure whether histamine exerts a protective effect on the brain, or is implicated in the brain inflammation linked to Alzheimer’s.

On the subject of mast cells though we have an interesting study published in the journal Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy, in which researchers administered Mastinib, a mast cell stabiliser originally used to treat animal mast cell tumours, in a human trial. The goal of stabilising mast cell cells is to prevent them from leaking histamine and other inflammatory cells. In this case, specifically the brain. They concluded that as an add on to standard Alzheimer’s therapy, the mast cell stabiliser slowed cognitive decline.

Dr. Theoharides at Tufts has scads of research on the mast cell – neuroinflammation link. Visit his website www.mastcellmaster.com for a fascinating read. 

So far I’ve learned that preventing brain fog and memory loss comes down to to a few things:

1. Keeping a food diary to figure out which foods may bring on cognitive impairment. In my case this was mainly sugar and high sugar high histamine foods (like my beloved pineapple). Try not to completely eliminate the healthy culprit foods. I keep mine (pineapple included) on a very long rotation. In particular you may want to pay attention to food additives or colouring.
2. Eating a diet rich in anthocyanins (the stuff found in blueberries and black rice).
3. Eating a diet rich in foods with mast cell stabilising properties (those high in quercetin, luteolin and rutin). My cookbooks are entirely made up of these foods, specifically Man Food, the Anti-Cookbooks and the Anti-Detox ebook.
4. Foods might not be enough in some cases – so I started taking a supplement created by NIH funded mast cell researcher Dr. Theoharides (Tufts).
5. Checking SOD genes to establish whether supplementation is required.
6. Regularly checking serum vitamin B12 and ferritin status (a lack of which may contribute to confusion, memory problems and general mental impairment).
7. Consulting your doctor if over 65 and taking anti-cholinergic medication like some antihistamines and benzodiazepines (which may cause cognitive impairment in some). Read more here. 
8. Making sure not to ingest too much sugar generally and making sure I have enough protein in the diet.
9. Taking steps to reduce stress which has been shown to affect memory.
10. Meditation, stress relief and visualisation have always been able to bring me back to reality during a very bad bout of brain fog and confusion.

I’ll be covering everything I’ve learned in the last five years regarding using the brain to heal the body in an upcoming online workshop on June 11th. Included in the two hour event, participants will be led in three meditation, visualisation and other techniques, live, by me. Check it out here. There will be a recording of the workshop available to you after the event just in case you miss it.

You’ll find recipes full of foods with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties my books Anti-Recipes and The Anti-Cookbook

CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED HEALING HISTAMINE PLAN. 

CITATIONS

“The Enemy within: Innate Surveillance-Mediated Cell Death, the Common Mechanism of Neurodegenerative Disease” by Robert I. Richards, Sarah A. Robertson, Louise V. O’Keefe, Dani Fornarino, Andrew Scott, Michael Lardelli and Bernhard T. Baune in Frontiers in Neuroscience. Published online May 10 2016 doi:10.3389/fnins.2016.00193

Piette, François, Joël Belmin, Hélène Vincent, Nicolas Schmidt, Sylvie Pariel, Marc Verny, Caroline Marquis, Jean Mely, Laurence Hugonot-Diener, Jean-Pierre Kinet, Patrice Dubreuil, Alain Moussy, and Olivier Hermine. “Masitinib as an Adjunct Therapy for Mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s Disease: A Randomised, Placebo-controlled Phase 2 Trial.” Alzheimers Res Ther Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy 3.2 (2011): 16. Web.

Citations always at the bottom of the post

According to Dr. Theoharides at Tufts University School of Medicine, brain fog is defined as a “constellation of symptoms” encompassing the loss of mental acuity, the ability to concentrate and multitask, and the loss of short and long term memory. It’s frequently experienced by patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, mastocytosis and mast cell activation (in my experience histamine intolerance also), and is an “early clinical presentation of Alzheimer’s disease”. Dr. Theoharides and others believe brain fog may be caused by inflammatory cytokines released in the brain. A survey of mast cell patient symptoms revealed that over ninety percent of patients suffered from it. It seems like the research is also pointing to neuro-inflammation as the driving force of Alzheimer’s. As mast cell degranulation occurs in the brain, this whole issue has been on my mind for some time and I’m grateful to have found my answer.

My grandmother was fine until a hip operation in the south of Spain (in the 80s – dear lord, why didn’t she travel to London or New York?). Just a day later she was complaining of severe memory loss, culminating in a swift decline into what doctors hesitated to actually call Alzheimer’s, but which certainly looked like it. I’ll never be able to erase the day the woman who raised me forgot how to chew.

Fast forward a generation and we’re starting to see similar issues emerge, at a far later age. Jump another generation and at 20 years old I was forgetting where I parked my car, couldn’t add double digits in my head (I tested in the top 5% of the US in Math and English at eight years old), would forget the name of the street I’m en route to, having to look it up every twenty seconds or so. Stress exacerbated the situation – despite all the gains made in the last five years, the day of my driving test I couldn’t lead the examiner to where I had parked the car just ten minutes earlier. Yes, that was pretty much an immediate fail.

While there’s much at play in brain fog, SOD genes for example, mitochondrial dysfunction etc, sometimes resolving a seemingly small piece of the puzzle can yield exciting results.

I recently explained to folks attending my 90 minute online workshop: beyond the low histamine diet, that a symptoms sheet is essential. It helped me figure out that sugar, be it from fruit or sweets, was my number one brain fog trigger. It wasn’t just brain fog, histamine foods with lots of sugar induced nystagmus (involuntary eye movements), an immediate narcoleptic-like episode with an inability to move my body, extreme eye floaters, unquenchable thirst and serious fatigue.

Once out of the diet, and replaced by a ton of nutrient dense healing antihistamine and anti-inflammatory property rich foods (like those in the Anti-Cookbook and Man Food), most of the symptoms lifted, but for the brain fog. I tried everything, including a number of powdered quercetin supplements.

Meditation helped immensely, as did the yoga – I cover everything I’ve learned in retraining my brain over the years in my two hour workshop: Using the Brain to Heal the Body. You can purchase it here.

But still I couldn’t quite shift what felt like a wet blanket wrapped around my brain. Knowing my memories were just beyond my grasp was maddening beyond belief.

I could now throw out a ton of really intense medical terms like microglial, cytokine release, auto-immune T cell activation, but suffice to say, luteolin has been found, more so than other studied bioflavonoids, to be useful in dampening brain inflammation linked to brain fog and other memory issues. I came to understand however that nearly all of the 3000 flavonoids are hard to absorb in powder form, and that less than ten percent of orally ingested flavonoids are absorbed at all.

Which is why I turned to Dr. Theoharides’ Neuroprotek supplement. This luteolin, quercetin and rutin supplement combines the flavonoids with oil, thereby apparently increasing absorption. It changed my life in so many ways but the most meaningful has been throwing off the shackles of my repressed brain function.

For an extensive list of luteolin (and other flavonoid) rich foods, check out this USDA report I found a few years back. I used it to come up with a list of foods to include in my diet.

A few of the luteolin and quercetin rich food highlights (all found in my books of course!):

Thyme, oregano, lovage, dill, fennel, red onions, watercress, kale, apple, asparagus, peas, spring onion, arugula, peppermint.

While stress continues to affect my memory, the meditation techniques I apply to my life continue to help me access memories and emotions once locked tight in a drawer I no longer had a key to. I encourage anyone suffering this life altering symptom to research your genes for contributing factors like SOD, to explore flavonoid supplementation with your doctor, and to take steps to control your reaction to stress, but most of all to invest just thirty minutes a day into a consistent meditation practice, which is now proven to lower brain inflammation levels.

You’ll find recipes full of foods with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties my books Anti-Recipes and The Anti-Cookbook

CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED HEALING HISTAMINE PLAN. 

CITATIONS

Theoharis C. Theoharides, MS, MPhil, PhD, MD, Julia M. Stewart, RN. “Brain “fog,” focal neuroinflammation and beneficial effect of luteolin”.

Alves,L., Correia,A.S., Miguel,R., Alegria,P.and Bugalho,P., 2012. Alzheimer’s disease: a clinical practice-oriented review. Front Neurol 3, 63.

Alzheimers Association. 2015 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures.  2015. 2015.
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Petra AI, Panagiotidou S, Stewart JM, Conti Pand Theoharides TC, 2014. Spectrum of mast cell activation disorders. Expert.Rev Clin Immunol 10, 729-739.

Pitt,J., Roth,W., Lacor,P., Smith,A.B., III, Blankenship,M., Velasco,P.et al, 2009. Alzheimer’s-associated Abeta oligomers show altered structure, immunoreactivity and synaptotoxicity with low doses of oleocanthal. Toxicol.Appl.Pharmacol. 240, 189-197.

Pizza,V., Agresta,A., D’Acunto,C.W., Festa,M.and Capasso,A., 2011. Neuroinflamm-aging and neurodegenerative diseases: an overview. CNS.Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 10, 621-634.

Rea,W.J., Didriksen,N., Simon,T.R., Pan,Y., Fenyves,E.J.and Griffiths,B., 2003. Effects of toxic exposure to molds and mycotoxins in building-related illnesses. Arch.Environ.Health 58, 399-405.

Reinhard,M.J., Satz,P., Scaglione,C.A., D’Elia,L.F., Rassovsky,Y., Arita,A.A.et al, 2007. Neuropsychological exploration of alleged mold neurotoxicity. Arch.Clin Neuropsychol. 22, 533-543.

Rossignol,D.A., Frye,R.E., 2012. A review of research trends in physiological abnormalities in autism spectrum disorders: immune dysregulation, inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and environmental toxicant exposures. Mol.Psychiatry 17, 389-401.

Rousset,S., Emre,Y., Join-Lambert,O., Hurtaud,C., Ricquier,D.and Cassard-Doulcier,A.M., 2006. The uncoupling protein 2 modulates the cytokine balance in innate immunity. Cytokine 35, 135-142.

Ryu,J.W., Hong,K.H., Maeng,J.H., Kim,J.B., Ko,J., Park,J.Y.et al, 2004. Overexpression of uncoupling protein 2 in THP1 monocytes inhibits beta2 integrin-mediated firm adhesion and transendothelial migration. Arterioscler.Thromb.Vasc.Biol. 24, 864-870.

Seelinger,G., Merfort,I.and Schempp,C.M., 2008. Anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic activities of luteolin. Planta Med. 74, 1667-1677.

Sheikh,I.A., Ali,R., Dar,T.A.and Kamal,M.A., 2012. An overview on potential neuroprotective compounds for management of Alzheimer’s disease. CNS.Neurol.Disord.Drug Targets. 11, 1006-1011.

Shenassa,E.D., Daskalakis,C., Liebhaber,A., Braubach,M.and Brown,M., 2007. Dampness and mold in the home and depression: an examination of mold-related illness and perceived control of one’s home as possible depression pathways. Am.J Public Health 97, 1893-1899.

Shim,S.Y., Park,J.R.and Byun,D.S., 2012. 6-Methoxyluteolin from Chrysanthemum zawadskii var. latilobum suppresses histamine release and calcium influx via down-regulation of FcepsilonRI alpha chain expression. J Microbiol.Biotechnol. 22, 622-627.

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Sismanopoulos,N., Delivanis,D.A., Alysandratos,K.D., Angelidou,A., Therianou,A., Kalogeromitros,D.et al, 2012. Mast cells in allergic and inflammatory diseases. Curr.Pharm.Des 18, 2261-2277.

Skaper,S.D., Facci,L.and Giusti,P., 2013. Mast cells, glia and neuroinflammation: partners in crime? Immunology 141, 314-327.

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Smith,J.H., Butterfield,J.H., Pardanani,A., DeLuca,G.C.and Cutrer,F.M., 2011. Neurologic symptoms and diagnosis in adults with mast cell disease. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 113, 570-574.

Solanki,I., Parihar,P., Mansuri,M.L.and Parihar,M.S., 2015. Flavonoid-based therapies in the early management of neurodegenerative diseases
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Tagen,M., Elorza,A., Boucher,W., Kepley,C.L., Shirihai,O.and Theoharides,T.C., 2009. Mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) inhibits mast cell activation and reduces histamine content. J Immunol 183, 6313-6319.

Taliou,A., Zintzaras,E., Lykouras,L.and Francis,K., 2013. An open-label pilot study of a formulation containing the anti-inflammatory flavonoid luteolin and its effects on behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders. Clin Ther 35, 592-602.

Theoharides,T.C., 2009. Autism spectrum disorders and mastocytosis. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol 22, 859-865.

Theoharides,T.C., 2013a. Atopic conditions in search of pathogenesis and therapy. Clin Ther 35, 544-547.

Theoharides,T.C., 2013b. Is  a subtype of autism “allergy of the brain”? Clin.Ther. 35, 584-591.

Theoharides,T.C., Alysandratos,K.D., Angelidou,A., Delivanis,D.A., Sismanopoulos,N., Zhang,B.et al, 2010. Mast cells and inflammation. Biochim Biophys Acta 1822, 21-33.

Theoharides,T.C., Angelidou,A., Alysandratos,K.D., Zhang,B., Asadi,S., Francis,K.et al, 2012. Mast cell activation and autism. Biochim.Biophys.Acta 1822, 34-41.

Theoharides,T.C., Asadi,S.and Panagiotidou,S., 2012. A case series of a luteolin formulation (NeuroProtek(R)) in children with autism spectrum disorders. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol 25, 317-323.

Theoharides,T.C., Asadi,S.and Patel,A., 2013. Focal brain inflammation and autism. J Neuroinflammation 10.

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Theoharides,T.C., Conti,P.and Economu,M., 2014. Brain inflammation, neuropsychiatric disorders, and immunoendocrine effects of luteolin. J Clin Psychopharmacol 34, 187-189.

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Theoharides,T.C., Petra,A.I., Stewart,J.M., Tsilioni,I., Panagiotidou,S.and Akin,C., 2014. High serum corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and bone marrow mast cell CRH receptor expression in a mastocytosis patient. J.Allergy Clin.Immunol. 134, 1197-1199.

Theoharides,T.C., Valent,P.and Akin C., 2015. Mast cells, mastocytosis and related diseases. New Engl J Med in press.

Theoharides,T.C., Zhang,B.and Conti,P., 2011. Decreased mitochondrial function and increased brain inflammation in bipolar disorder and other neuropsychiatric diseases. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 31, 685-687.

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UPDATE: math is not my strong point so my apologies. I have changed the first graph to reflect verbatim the histamine reduction.

In the last few years research into causes of IBS have explored a link to foods high in fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs) [1]. And now researchers believe a low FODMAPs diet may work in part because they found “an eightfold reduction of histamine in the low FODMAP group” of a recent IBS study [2].

IBS is a chronic, often disabling condition causing stomach pain and bowel issues. It’s thought that between eight and twenty percent in the US suffer from it, with IBS accounting for nearly half of all gastroenterologist visits [3]. Histamine intolerance and mast cell activation may initially have been misdiagnosed as IBS in the beginning (as mine were).

A number of the studies I read found food elimination diets as an IBS treatment have yielded conflicting results, except in subjects with diarrhea, or the histamine runs as I’ve been known to call it.

Temporary restriction of high FODMAPs foods which cause an increase in fermentable products in the small intestine and colon, resulting in distention and gas however, may provide relief for a subset of IBS patients [4].

A 2016 study in the journal Gut finds that a low FODMAP diet “may significantly improve IBS symptoms”. FODMAPs were shown to affect the histamine levels and microbiotia in some of the study participants. In the low FODMAP group there was an eightfold (800%) reduction of histamine and an increase in good bacteria [5].

While this is certainly interesting news, many of the FODMAPs foods appear on other lists, so it would be best to individually test foods rather than just exclude another entire list. Many of these foods are very healing: anti-cancer etc, and I’m all about eating a balanced diet of healing nutrients. I would also urge you to work with a nutritionist to ensure your diet doesn’t become restricted to the point of malnutrition – something highly probable if you’ve already eliminated high histamine foods and are now on a FODMAPs mission. My approach would rather be to continue as I am, including a smattering of nutrient dense healing foods overall (rather than focusing on histamine, FODMAPs etc).

I’ll be sharing the PDFs I used to help plan my recovery in my upcoming 90 minute online workshop. Because while there’s no point in blindly following lists, we sometimes need a coherent plan to share with nutritionists and doctors who aren’t up to speed with the issues we’re dealing with. You can read more about that here.

In that vein…the Stanford Medical Center points out that issues may arise when FODMAPs are eaten in excess [6]. And that’s my point exactly. When you have an inflamed body, either because your mast cells are generally programmed to be on high alert and constantly releasing inflammation/histamine, or if you have too little of the histamine-degrading DAO enzyme, or your diet is waaaaaaay high in FODMAPs, just dialling things down a little and putting extremist food views aside could be a better way forward. Just the mental anguish of following these incredibly restrictive diets is counter productive in that stress hormones can cause mast cells to dump more inflammation/histamine into the blood stream.

The Stanford Medical Center recommend a trial period of eliminating FODMAPs followed by adding high FODMAP foods back one at a time in small amounts to identify food triggers [7]. Interesting, sounds like my approach exactly: figure out what bothers you rather than eliminating an entire list. Something I’ll help you learn how to do in the online workshop.

Interestingly I’ve long advised those struggling with their health to limit sugar intake, because it can be inflammatory [8]. And so we come to a 2012 study in the journal Gastroenterology and Hepatology seeking to determine why a low FODMAP diet appeared to help IBS patients [9]. They discovered that fructose and fructans in the high FODMAP foods were the most problematic. When starting out on the standard low histamine diet I really read my list as gospel. So when I saw that sugar was fine, I gorged myself on sugary snacks to make up for the misery of the diet. At this point I was unable to tolerate many FODMAPs and salicylate rich foods. Once I eliminated the sugar, wheat (high FODMAPs, very inflammatory) and dairy (mast cell trigger, inflammatory) as well as processed foods (high in fructose and corn syrup which are high FODMAPs), for a good long while, I was able to tolerate previously bothersome foods. Things like garlic and onion which had caused severe flushing, headache and burning in my stomach, broccoli which along with the others induced ear splitting gas eruptions. Mango and other high sugar fruits meanwhile caused brain fog and sleepiness.

Garlic and onion sensitivity is something many of us struggle with at the start. But I’ve seen it time and again, that when the body starts to heal, by using stress relief and meditation techniques to fight stress induced mast cell degranulation and histamine release, while eating a balanced diet rather than a severely restricted one, everything falls into place. There will always be exceptions – but wanting to heal, being open to recovery, dealing with stress, resolving trauma, beginning to train mast cells through exercise (see my interview with mast cell specialist Dr. Castells for more on that), and making a concerted effort to make time to indulge in things that make you truly happy, gives us a fighting chance. Oh, and diet of course. Yes, in that order.

You can check out my 90 minute online workshop here.

You’ll find recipes full of foods with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties my books Anti-Recipes and The Anti-Cookbook

CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED HEALING HISTAMINE PLAN. 

——————-REFERENCES—————-

[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3966170/

[2] http://www.healio.com/gastroenterology/irritable-bowel-syndrome/news/online/%7B83a788e0-563c-41dc-aab1-cd7313ad8c69%7D/low-fodmap-diet-may-significantly-improve-ibs-symptoms

[3]  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15862929

[4] http://www.healio.com/gastroenterology/irritable-bowel-syndrome/news/online/%7B83a788e0-563c-41dc-aab1-cd7313ad8c69%7D/low-fodmap-diet-may-significantly-improve-ibs-symptoms,

[5] http://www.healio.com/gastroenterology/irritable-bowel-syndrome/news/online/%7B83a788e0-563c-41dc-aab1-cd7313ad8c69%7D/low-fodmap-diet-may-significantly-improve-ibs-symptoms

[6+7] https://stanfordhealthcare.org/content/dam/SHC/for-patients-component/programs-services/clinical-nutrition-services/docs/pdf-lowfodmapdiet.pdf

[8] http://www.health.harvard.edu/family_health_guide/what-you-eat-can-fuel-or-cool-inflammation-a-key-driver-of-heart-disease-diabetes-and-other-chronic-conditions

[9] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3966170/

 

I was recently forced to pin this post to a Facebook group:

“PHARMACEUTICAL SHAMING”: demonising pharmaceuticals and scaring people into thinking they will not heal if taking medications. While we are focused on natural healing via diet and other methods in this group, please refrain from the “pharmaceutical shaming” of folks taking prescribed medications. It is firstly dangerous to dispense medical advice but also very upsetting when people are told they will not heal if taking them. Therefore kindly please bear in mind that we all start somewhere and not everyone can just flush their meds down the toilet, nor should they. It goes without saying we are not qualified to advise anyone on tapering off meds.

I’ve probably just made a few heads explode right now. And a few more will pop off after hearing that: I’m not anti-medication when it comes to histamine intolerance and mast cell activation, or others for that matter. While it is true that for a time I became virulently anti-pharmaceuticals, in the same way I swore to never again touch my beloved Yves Saint Laurent mascara, or deign to be in the company of those who polluted my environment with perfume, I have realised that living in the real world requires some compromise, especially when both health and sanity are on the line.

You know those fanatical Facebook group members who attack anyone who dares stray from the party line on bodily purification of histamine? I was an ascetic, determined to be the purest of the pure, no histamine would sully my temple of a body. My majestic 114.5lb/52kg weighing sagging skin draped on whittling 5’10/1.78m frame bones. No, I was strong, pure, determined, I admonished those who dared dream of anything beyond the suffocating confines of the histamine list bequeathed to me. While I admit to still being a junk/processed food Nazi, I have mellowed in pretty much every other way.

Sure, perfume is made up of dozens of many harmful chemicals [1], but if I don’t want it to pollute my environment, I’m welcome to go back living under my duvet, completely terrified of the world around me.

That said, thankfully I no longer experience the very scary reactions to perfume that I used to…which I believe were caused by a hyper active amygdala in my case.

Those were fun years. I’m sure SO many people miss my nasty comments about their poison adversely affecting my health, the pamphlets kept on the ready for just these occassions. I’m certain folks really missed my dinner time haranguing when I (rarely) joined friends for a meal, resolutely nursing my glass of water (after demanding the waiter rinse it again and then going to the bathroom myself to rinse it yet another time because everyone knows dishwashers leave toxic residue on the glass), bitching because they only have tap water and I can smell the chlorine in it. I’m sure the FB group members on whose lovely recipes I left a barrage of “you’re so lucky you can eat that” and and “you’re eating poison” comments, truly felt my presence lacking in the brief stint where I became intensely convinced that computer EMF waves were causing my mast cells to degranulate.

I’m not getting into any discussion about whether this is true or not, just sharing my thoughts at the time. 

“Wow – you can eat cherries? You’re SO lucky – I’d puke my guts out if I did – they’re SO high histamine, they’re on every list, not just mine. Enjoy the cherry pie though!!!!!”

You’ll find recipes full of foods with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties my books Anti-Recipes and The Anti-Cookbook

CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED HEALING HISTAMINE PLAN. 

Ok so I’m slightly embellishing there but that was the gist of many a comment I left in the early self-righteous days.

The reasons for not being anti-meds is simple:

1. Though there’s very promising natural research out there, I don’t know of any doctors yet willing to inject us with garlic or turmeric to treat cancer.

2. The treatments we so often read about are mostly tried on animals and we don’t know if that will translate to humans.

3. The concentrations used in studies are far beyond what we can absorb naturally from these foods.

4. Safety – I take care to buy from only certain companies, but who knows what we’re really being given in most cases.

5. Most supplements and natural treatments have not gone through the same testing and safety procedures as medicines. So while meds can have very nasty side effects, at least we know about many of them and can watch out for them. Not so much with supplements.

6. If I was unable to control my symptoms naturally, I would surely want something to help me do so. If you’d like to learn more about how I used diet to turn my life around, check out this online workshop. 

7. I do not rule out a future where a life event comes to pass that would require medication. In this case I would seek a balance between a natural and medical approach.

The simple fact is that if medication had been offered to me in the years I was desperately trying to nail down a mast cell activation diagnosis, I would have taken it. I did take antihistamines for decades without knowing what was wrong with me. But by the time I was finally offered sodium cromolyn, one of the most commonly prescribed medications for mast cell activation, I had discovered that I could control my symptoms through diet and lifestyle changes alone.

I do however take Neuroprotek, a quercetin supplement created by mast cell researcher Dr. Theoharides at Tufts. His research shows that quercetin is at least as powerful a mast cell stabiliser as sodium cromolyn. Please do not try any supplement without checking with a doctor. 

While I do believe there is a time and a place for medication, I don’t necessarily think it’s forever in all cases. But my belief that (over)medication so that one can continue to engage in detrimental behaviours is in many cases unwarranted. If we need medication so that we can eat anything at all, to use anything at all on our bodies, so be it. But it’s my hope that in these cases exercise, psychotherapy, dietary changes, meditation and a concerted effort to find happiness in life, despite the horrific health situation, are employed in an effort to change what’s going on in the body overall. I’m very excited whenever I get emails from folks who have achieved a balance in life between the natural and medical and especially if they go all natural, safely.

I’m not saying a positive attitude can heal us of everything, but if we manage to make our peace and find some happiness then maybe we can be alright with wherever. How joyous to  make the most of whatever we have and spend it enjoying family and friends. I was the most negative, depressed, angry sick person I have ever known. I rained down pain on myself and those who loved me.

My lowest point came when I ceased to be able to communicate with people on a human level. I became so wrapped up in my own pain that I had to drag them to my level to stay connected. And so one day in an ambien, mood stabiliser, xanax, antidepressant, and histamine daze, I busted my lady shave razor open and carved into my legs. I then walked into my best friend’s room, bleeding all over her carpet.

“Understand me” I begged in my mind. Her response was the best I could have hoped for. I don’t know what would have become of me if she had screamed and cried and begged me to get to a hospital. Realising it was a superficial cry for help, she just looked at me, silently communicating to me the futility of trying to drag her to my level. And I understood. I could either continue my descent into hell, finding new companions on the way, or I could try following the (gluten free) breadcrumbs back to friends, family and sanity.

I know she was distraught and fearing for my sanity, but once again, she was the voice of reason and I am still upset with myself for this encounter. 

And so I end this post with a piece of gentle advice. Because a lot of this illness is feeling sorry for ourselves and making everyone around us as miserable as we are, try to maintain relationships with at least a few who love you but won’t take your crap. Though it’s painful to be with the carefree or militantly happy souls when we’re in the doldrums, slipping free of the anchor dragging us into the murky depths of despair, for even a moment in their company, we may come to accept things aren’t as bad as we think. Or it simply doesn’t matter that they are.

To that end I’ve created an online workshop to share the techniques I used on myself to help retrain my brain not only for healing, but also to accept that some days it doesn’t matter if I can’t accomplish all that I would like to. Some days it’s just ok to be.

You’ll find recipes full of foods with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties my books Anti-Recipes and The Anti-Cookbook

CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED HEALING HISTAMINE PLAN. 

———- REFERENCES ———–

[1] http://davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/fragrance-and-parfum/

 

Nigella sativa and its active constituents have been shown to possess antioxidant, anti-parasitic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, pain killing, and fever lowering properties, in addition to treating coughs, slowing the growth of some cancers, as well as inducing cancer cell death in cervical, liver, colon, lung and certain types of breast cancers [1].

Please bear in mind these are usually highly concentrated formulations involving various forms of chemical extraction and usually tested on animals. 

A 2012 review published in the journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, outlines how nigella sativa is believed to work to prevent osteoporosis. The article shares that inflammation is mediated by two enzymes, cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase, which generate prostaglandins and leukotrines from arachidonic acid [2]. Thymoquinone, nigella sativa’s active constituent, inhibits both in a dose dependent manner. The study proposes that nigella sativa or thymoquinone works to prevent osteoporosis in two ways:

1. By inhibiting cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase

2. By neutralising free radicals

Thereby preventing inflammation from contributing to increased bone reabsorption and loss.

In 2014 a study in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine notes that lack of oestrogen is linked to osteoporosis and that in their animal study nigella sativa reversed low oestrogen induced changes on bone density [3].

A 2010 study published in the American Journal of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Medicine and Surgery found nigella sativa to be effective in alleviating nasal allergy symptoms. Particularly nasal congestion, itching, runny nose, sneezing attacks, and that it should be considered for treating allergic rhinitis “when the effects of other antiallergic drugs need to be avoided.” [3a].

A placebo controlled study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research noted significant improvements in how patients graded their allergic symptoms when treated with nigella sativa oil versus the placebo group. Symptoms included allergist rhinitis, atopic eczema, bronchial asthma. Adverse effects in children were mainly related to gastrointestinal complaints when the oil was taken on an empty stomach [4].

Please do not administer nigella sativa or any other natural supplement to a child without the consent of your doctor, and even to yourself. Like medication, supplements can have significant adverse effects. 

Wikipedia tells me that the gastric mucosal barrier is “a property of the stomach that allows it to contain acid” and that if compromised, by aspirin for example, acid can leak and damage the stomach. Like in gastritis for example. In this 2006 study published in the Archives of Toxicology, rat gastric mucosal damage was confirmed by the significant increase in mast cells and gastric erosions. Treatment with nigella sativa significantly lowered the number of mast cells and reduced the size of gastric erosions. Using thymoquinone, nigella’s active constituent alone did not yield as significant healing [5].

I always try to eat the whole food rather than rely on extracts. 

You’ll find recipes full of foods with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties my books Anti-Recipes and The Anti-Cookbook

Take the hassle out of meal planning and healing histamine with this four week meal planner and stress relieving program. 

Staying with all things gastric…in a 2011 study in the Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons researchers revealed that nigella sativa healed aspirin induced ulcers in rats as effectively as the antihistamine Cimetidine [6]. This antihistamine is known to negatively impact the histamine lowering diamine oxidase (DAO) enzyme [7].

Honey also had this effect on the ulcers, but I would choose nigella sativa over a highly processed, sugary treat any day. Manuka honey is something I apply topically due to its antibacterial properties (though the jury is still apparently out on whether that’s effective), or sometimes I’ll suck on the lozenges, but I go for a seriously high methylglyoxal content.

Interestingly nigella has been shown to be effective in flatulence [8], something I can attest to first hand. Yes, I did just admit to that, but in the grand scheme of things I’ve shared on this blog it doesn’t seem like a biggie. Having spent decades nursing a basketball stomach so bloated that I often could neither pass wind nor belch,  the discovery (by chance) that nigella relieved me and my loved ones of fumes so noxious they made dung beetles run for cover, was a huge blessing. There’s only so much control one can exercise during the daytime, and it’s many a time that the machine gun patter of my swollen tubes finally exhaling startled me awake from deepest sleep.

I’ve been using nigella sativa in my cooking since embracing a nutrient dense antihistamine and anti-inflammatory rich diet rather than a standard low histamine one. I’ll be sharing the basics of the diet and explaining how to work nigella sativa and other ingredients into your diet in my upcoming 90 minute online workshop. Sign up here to learn when the course is going live.  [convertkit form=4845764] There’ll be limited space so don’t miss out!

You’ll find recipes full of foods with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties my books Anti-Recipes and The Anti-Cookbook

Take the hassle out of meal planning and healing histamine with this four week meal planner and stress relieving program. 

————- REFERENCES —————-

[1] https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/elsevier/anticancer-activity-of-an-ultrasonic-nanoemulsion-formulation-of-pCoFspBS02?impressionId=56fadafd71eff&i_medium=docview&i_campaign=recommendations&i_source=recommendations

[2] https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/hindawi-publishing-corporation/nigella-sativa-a-potential-antiosteoporotic-agent-GA6ePmvTUj?

[3] http://bmccomplementalternmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6882-14-22

[3a] https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/elsevier/herbal-treatment-of-allergic-rhinitis-the-use-of-nigella-sativa-XMlzzRoBt8?

[4] https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/wiley/effect-of-nigella-sativa-black-seed-on-subjective-feeling-in-patients-FQ60zPWFhw?

[5] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16240107

[6] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21419021

[7] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9831324

[8] https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/elsevier/anticancer-activity-of-an-ultrasonic-nanoemulsion-formulation-of-pCoFspBS02?impressionId=56fadafd71eff&i_medium=docview&i_campaign=recommendations&i_source=recommendations

Antigen: any substance that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against it. This means your immune system does not recognize the substance, and is trying to fight it off. An antigen may be a substance from the environment, such as chemicals, bacteria, viruses, or pollen. An antigen may also form inside the body [1].

The traditional histamine intolerance or low histamine diet saved my life initially. Whether my anti-diet, one that’s high in the mast cell stabilising and antihistamine bioflavonoids quercetin, luteolin and rutin, would have done the same had I done my research earlier on in the game, remains to be seen. All I can do is speak of my experience. Eliminating one food after another in an effort to heal my symptoms, ended up starving me of nutrients (as well as nearly physically starving me) and creating severe psychological damage that’s taken years to unwind.

Through it all I’ve been working on observation, medical research that helped me create my particular nutritional approach – which incorporates the findings of a number of MDs specialising in diet; I didn’t re-invent the wheel here, and self-guinea pig-ism. In my case in particular (this will not be the case for others), I initially experienced relief from cutting foods before falling down the rabbit hole of ever increasing symptoms despite continued food cutting. It was all so confusing: I’d identify a problem food, eliminate it and experience near immediate relief for a few days or weeks, before the symptoms intensified. I ended up feeling that the more I removed from my diet, the more sensitive I became to smaller amounts of the foods I suspected of hurting me.

This is the norm. I was certainly not the exception.

You’ll find recipes full of foods with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties my books Anti-Recipes and The Anti-Cookbook

CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED HEALING HISTAMINE PLAN. 

So what gives? Why does a traditional low histamine diet create so many eating disorders, chronically starved, fatigued people, who suffer increasing symptoms to smaller amounts of foods?

My responses till now have primarily centred on:

1. The removal of nutrients from the diet may cause further breakdown of the body overall, but especially the immune system.
2. If we do not get histamine from our diet, our body may release more histamine from mast cells to make up for the short fall. Histamine from mast cells doesn’t come equipped with the nutrients that may mitigate its inflammatory effect on the body.
3. The food isn’t the problem. Underlying inflammation is. The foods we choose may aggravate the issue, but unlike in allergies where there’s a specific immune response to neutralise the allergen, certain foods with inflammatory profiles such as high in histamine, members of the nightshade family, traditionally allergenic foods, may aggravate pre-existing inflammation or the body’s predisposition to mast cell activation/histamine release.
4. The traditional low histamine diet is very stressful to follow. Stress causes histamine release and inflammation generally. Stress is a primary cause in my case, following the low histamine diet provoked a massive stress response leading to more symptoms of histamine release and inflammation.

But now we have another nugget of information on why long-term removal of problem foods may result in increasing or never ending reactions. According to a 1996 study published in the Journal of Gastroenterology, long-term exposure to antigens led to “diminished mucosal mast cell degranulation” in rats [2]. (Thanks KV for sending this my way!). The study authors explain that while short-term exposure led to increased mast cell degranulation, long-term exposure had an opposing effect. In short, the system adapts. While this study is animal based, I have have certainly experienced this myself. I don’t know that this would have worked for me early on, but I do think that once I was out of the anaphylaxis zone, had I attempted adding foods in very low doses, it would have made a big difference long term.

I do not believe this should be tried at home. An immunologist or allergist with a knowledge of mast cells (preferably) is the person to help you with this. Because I had no one to help me I had to muddle through this all alone and I really absolutely do not recommend it. 

This isn’t a new concept. Doctors have been using immunotherapy for allergies for quite some time now. Even in those with mast cell activation disorder who present with allergies as a mast cell/histamine trigger resulting in anaphylaxis, immunotherapy may be considered “with recognition of possible risks” [3].

In my case, I approached food in a similar spirit. Foods that bothered me were dipped quickly in boiled water for a second and then discarded. I’d then use that water to cook with. Drinking it on its own had triggered an immune response.

I cover all this in my online workshop here. 

Check out my post Fearful of food? The brain is to blame but is also the cure, for an explanation of the role of the amygdala in food intolerance.

For more on this please check out my post 10 reasons why I still include high histamine foods in my diet and also the inflammation bucket: or why I can now eat shrimp. 

You’ll find recipes full of foods with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties my books Anti-Recipes and The Anti-Cookbook

CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED HEALING HISTAMINE PLAN. 

——–REFERENCES——–

[1] https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002224.htm

[2] http://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(96)70013-6/abstract

[3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3069946/

Urticaria is something many of us with histamine intolerance or mast cell activation have come to know as our nemesis: hives. Most doctors (non specialists) may not yet know that if allergies are not present, as diagnosed by IgE or RAST, excess histamine has been found to play a key role in chronic idiopathic urticaria/hives. In these studies high histamine foods and other pseudo allergens, appear to be the main suspects for adults presenting with urticaria/hives, while in children, food dyes, preservatives and others were more of a trigger than fruits and vegetables. A number of studies not only find a link between high histamine foods and other pseudo allergens and urticaria/hives but also show that dietary changes can resolve them and you may wish to print these out for your doctor. You’ll find links at the bottom of this post.

A 2013 study published in the Annals of Dermatology found histamine plasma levels to be “significantly higher” in the chronic idiopathic urticaria participants. They did not however find much correlation to levels of the histamine degrading diamine oxidase (DAO) enzyme. I do always tell people that DAO levels aren’t a very good indicator of much to do with histamine conditions. We still don’t have much data on their relationship [1].

In this 2000 study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, conducted on a small sample of ten people suffering chronic urticaria who were placed on a “histamine free” and oligoantigenic diet for 21 days. The latter is basically the strictest version of the food sensitivity diet that you can find. You’ll find a link to it here. This was followed by a seventy day re-introduction phase. The study authors’ findings suggest “histamine plays a major role in chronic idiopathic urticaria” [2].

A 1998 study in the journal Experimental Dermatology finds that on a diet free of pseudo allergens (high histamine foods), dyes and preservatives, seventy three percent of patients experienced a remission of more than six months [3].

As always though in science, we get conflicting numbers. This could simply be down to which pseudo allergen/high histamine food list is being used but there are obviously many other factors. A 2010 study published in the journal Allergy finds that a pseudo-allergen free diet helps one in three suffering from chronic “idiopathic” urticaria. The pseudo allergenic foods eliminated included food additives, histamine, and certain fruits and vegetables [4].

In 1998 a study in Allergy found that in children presenting at their clinic with chronic urticaria lasting longer than six weeks, who did not have allergies, seventy five percent (of an admittedly small sample of twelve cases) of cases were found to have pseudo-allergen induce hives/urticaria. Their double blind, placebo controlled food challenge findings indicate that in children the urticaria and hives were more likely to be triggered by food colouring, preservatives, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and saccharin (food additives generally) rather than fruits and vegetables [5].

This may not be news to those of us diagnosed with histamine intolerance/mast cell activation, but thankfully a number of specialists are now recognising the role of histamine rather than allergies in the diagnosis and treatment of urticaria (hives).

As I got up to depart a lacklustre appointment with Dr. X., the UK’s top mast cell specialist, after waiting nearly a year, I was interested to spot a document titled “Urticaria Diet” on his shelf. Dr. X. Confirmed that it was believed that diet could resolve urticaria/hives. I was a little confused given that not 10 minutes ago he had brushed aside my MCAS diagnosis (given to me at the Virgen del Valle Hospital in Spain, one of the most recognised mastocytosis centres globally), saying that if I refused to take sodium comoglycate, there was no way for him to confirm it. This put me in an uncomfortable spot – by that point my symptoms were pretty much under control, thanks to my emerging theory on an antihistamine and anti-inflammatory rich diet versus a standard (unhealthy) low histamine one. And so I was not comfortable with taking a pretty heavy duty pharmaceutical just to prove to the National Health System in the UK that I was in fact sick.

My reason for wanting the diagnosis recognised by the NHS was that, in case of emergency hospitalisation, I wanted my MCAS status recorded so that appropriate specialists would be called and the anaesthesia protocol for mastocytosis followed. Otherwise, if unconscious when brought in, and even if not, I would possibly be gravely injured.

Dr. X’s reasoning was this: if I was able to manage my symptoms of mast cell activation/excess histamine through diet alone, it was not MCAS and he would refuse to add my diagnosis from Spain to my records. If I refused sodium crom there was definitely nothing he could do for me. I tried to argue that I had been taking quercetin, a bioflavonoid found by Dr. Theoharides at Tufts to be even more effective than sodium comoglycate at preventing mast cell degranulation, the process by which mast cells release histamine into the body, from causing hives and other nastiness. To no avail.

You’ll find recipes full of foods with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties my books Anti-Recipes and The Anti-Cookbook

CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED HEALING HISTAMINE PLAN. 

Though Dr. Theoharides has published nearly 400 peer reviewed studies, is in the top five percent of authors quoted in studies, is a world-renowned mast cell researcher and M.D., the information was not taken into account. It was suggested to me that the supplement I was taking was unlikely to be doing anything productive. It was of course unimpressive to him then that I consumed a diet made up solely of foods high in quercetin and the other mast cell stabilising bioflavonoids (which can be found in Dr. Theoharides’ Neuroprotek supplement here), my explanation for why my diet was healing me.

You can now understand my confusion over the urticaria diet sheet I was now clutching and waving in his face quite excitedly. A quick read revealed that this was basically a LOW HISTAMINE DIET. A really horribly unhealthy one (yes, soda is permitted, junk food without the forbidden ingredients was fine, dairy, wheat, processed sugar all good), but a low histamine diet none the less.

So, let me get this straight: histamine excess causes urticaria/hives and a low histamine diet can help. But diet, any kind of diet changes, will not help at all with MCAS? I could have understood if he said a low histamine diet. But his assertion was that NO dietary changes at all would help. I take issue with that simply from the perspective of the fact that we live an era where we know that diet is implicated in the onset, progression and prevention of heart attacks, dementia and cancer, to name just a few.

I’m not saying we can cure histamine intolerance and mast cell activation through diet, nor that medication should be abandoned in favour of it. Diet has been an integral part of my healing process along with many other components including meditation, yoga and re-wiring my brain for health. For more on the latter, you can check out the exact training I did here.

You’ll find recipes full of foods with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties my books Anti-Recipes and The Anti-Cookbook

CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED HEALING HISTAMINE PLAN. 

——————– REFERENCES—————-

[1] Cho, H., Cho, S., Kim, H., Park, C., & Lee, C. (2013). Lack of Association of Plasma Histamine with Diamine Oxidase in Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria. Annals of Dermatology, 25(2), 189-195.

[2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10694787

[3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9758408

[4] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19796222

[5] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9860240

[6]

[7]

[8]