Could You Have Histamine Intolerance?

ECZEMA, MIGRAINES, VERTIGO, ALLERGIES, DIGESTIVE ISSUES— THESE AND OTHER COMMON HEALTH PROBLEMS MAY ALL BE CONNECTED TO AN UNDERDIAG- NOSED CONDITION CALLED HISTAMINE INTOLERANCE.

- BECKY CAMPBELL, DNM, DC

For many years, I suffered from thyroid issues that were driven by gut problems, heavy metals, and viruses. If you read my first book, The 30-Day Thyroid Reset Plan, you may know a little about my story. But what most people don’t know is that one of the most significant issues—in addition to my thyroid symptoms and general ill health—was mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) and, therefore, histamine intolerance. Mast cells (white blood cells) are responsible for releasing histamine. This isn’t a bad thing unless your body isn’t equipped to break down histamine properly or you’re producing more histamine than your body can handle, which happens to be the case with MCAS.

It wasn’t until I started learning about histamine intolerance as a functional medicine practitioner that I finally began to piece together the puzzle. I realized that my symptoms and food sensitivities were being driven by histamine intolerance. I created the plan outlined here. Most of the symptoms I suffered are gone, and I now live a pretty normal life day-to-day.

What Is Histamine?

Histamine is a chemical your body makes that plays a number of different roles, but its main function is to get rid of allergens. When histamine is released, it causes inflammation to alert the body of potential pathogens. This is a natural part of the body’s immune response, and for those who don’t suffer histamine intolerance, enzymes later break down the histamine to prevent it from building up and causing ill health.

Histamine is also involved in digestion through stomach acid as well as the central nervous system, where it works as a neurotransmitter, delivering messages between the body and the brain.

When Histamine Becomes a Problem