You’ve probably heard of histamine before in the context of hay fever and allergies. It’s that little chemical that triggers non-stop sneezing when the pollen season hits. Or the one responsible for the headaches you get after eating MSG at the local Chinese restaurant. Or the one responsible for that itch that just won’t stop.
But histamine is responsible for so much more than just our immune system. Did you know that histamine is actually a neurotransmitter, so it relays important messages from your brain to your body? And it’s a component of stomach acid, which means it’s integral to our digestion. But here’s the kicker – histamine can be at the heart of skin conditions. If you have eczema or a rash that mysteriously comes and goes, we need to take a deep dive look to see if histamine is at play.
Although those with eczema usually have some kind of increased allergenicity which is responsible for the elevated histamine, there is also plenty to look at when it comes to our internal functioning and how histamine is able to be metabolised and broken down.
You see, it all comes back to the gut (of course!). We consume histamine in the form of foods such as alcohol, ferments (ie. yoghurt), avocado, dried fruit and processed meats. In the epithelial mucosal cells of our gut lie enzymes called diamine oxidase (let’s call it DAO for short!). DAO is responsible for breaking down histamine from the foods we eat. If we can’t break down histamine because we’re eating too much histamine-rich foods OR we don’t have enough DAO (more on this below), we accumulate too much histamine in our bodies, and you can develop what we call histamine intolerance. This is when you see symptoms such as:
eczema, skin rashes or hives
headaches or migraines
nasal congestion
insomnia
fatigue
digestive issues
menstrual cycle irregularities
So, if DAO enzymes are so important to stop the above-mentioned pesky symptoms, how do we make sure our levels are optimal?
Firstly, we need to be mindful of medications that block DAO function or inhibit their production. Obviously, prescriptions such as antihistamines are at play here, but also NSAIDs such as ibuprofen or aspirin, anti-depressants such as Prozac or Zoloft, and immune-modulating drugs ie. Humira. Note, this is not an encouragement to stop these medications (don’t do that!) but to bring awareness to what things in your life may be increasing histamine load.
Secondly, gastrointestinal disorders like leaky gut syndrome or Irritable Bowel Disease can play a big role. High levels of inflammation in the gut wall can damage the mucosa lining that houses DAO, so a healthy, non-inflamed gut is a must. SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth or commonly diagnosed as post-infectious IBS) is another gut-related condition that can impact here, because if food isn’t adequately digested (which can happen with SIBO), more histamine is produced. A normal amount of DAO can’t break down the increased histamine load thus seen in SIBO.
Finally, certain substances can block DAO production. Beverages such as alcohol, black tea, green tea, mate tea and energy drinks are the culprits here, so be mindful of these, particularly when consuming food.
Histamine intolerance is a condition I work with regularly in practice. And it doesn’t mean that you have to cut out your favourite foods (after all, who wants to say goodbye to avo on toast??!!). When we consider the principles of food tolerance, you can see that it’s the amount of food that might cause the issue, not the food itself. There are also some beautiful nutrients that inhibit histamine release, such as Vitamin C (found in my naturopathically made Formula S2 here).
If you want help getting to the root cause of your skin condition, check out my free Naturopathic Skin Appraisal or book in for a free Discovery Call with me. Let’s chat to see how I can help you understand what’s driving your skin problems, and start your journey towards clear skin!
Much love,
Emily (Founder, Naturopath, Skin-thusiast)
