subject: Free chronic headache treatment by low histamine diet [print this page] Free chronic headache treatment by low histamine diet
Histamine is well known because it is the substance which is causing allergy symptoms. It is released upon contact with an allergen from histamine reservoirs in the body, the so-called mast cells. What many people do not know is that histamine is also present in food and that certain foods can liberate the histamine in the mast cells. In addition to this there are substances in food and medicines which block the enzymes which are responsible for the degradation of histamine. There are legal limits for the histamine content in fish and it is likely, but not scientifically proven, that some people experience symptoms at lower concentrations. In other words the threshold above which somebody is experiencing adverse effects differs from person to person. Histamine intolerance has a wide spectrum of possible symptoms like low blood pressure (hypotension), rapid heart rate (tachycardia), irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia), diarrhea, stomach ache, itch (pruritus), hives (urticaria), flush and cough. Try a low histamine diet and see whether symptoms reduce or disappear. Histamine is produced from the amino acidhistidine (in proteins)during degradation/fermentation.Food rich in histamine are not fresh fish (especially tuna, mackerel, sardine and herring), salami, fermented sausages and ham, cheeses (emmental, parmesan) and soya sauces. Foods which are suggested to release histamine in sensitive personsare chocolate, citrus fruit, nuts, spinach, strawberries andtomatoes. Alcohol is blocking the histamine degrading enzyme.
histamine-intolerance.info provides further information and lists can be downloaded with a diary, histamine in food, medicines which must be avoided and scientific literature.
