What is histamine intolerance?
Histamine is not the villain here. Your body makes it on purpose, to flag anything that does not belong and push it out. That is why you sneeze, cough or get watery eyes.
Mast cells, a kind of white blood cell, release it. The trouble comes when that alarm will not switch off.
Answering a listener named Wendy:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 645That's histamine intolerance. Like you're hypersensitive to everything. Your body's overreacting to every antigen that comes in to your body. Stuff that ordinarily wouldn't bother anybody.
An antigen is anything your immune system reacts to. He says that is why the symptoms seem to come from everywhere at once.
What are the signs of histamine intolerance?
In his office the same cluster kept showing up, mostly in women.
- Acid reflux and bloating
- Hives and allergies
- Headaches and brain fog
- Poor sleep, anxiety or panic
- Tiredness and hormones out of balance
- A racing heart, lightheadedness or fainting
Asked whether hives are a sign of leaky gut, he said yes:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 589Anything that is hives, allergies, you're producing histamine from mast cells inside your body, M-A-S-T, is leaky gut. It starts with the gut, okay?
These signs have other causes too. A racing heart or fainting needs your doctor first, not a guess about histamine.
What causes histamine intolerance?
Leaky gut, in his view. He gives the same answer every time.
From his episode on histamine intolerance:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1095When someone has a histamine overreaction, it's high state of histamine all the time. It starts in the gut all the time. That's where it starts. And if you don't fix the gut, you can't fix the problem.
When people tell him they have histamine intolerance:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1070You have leaky gut, okay? You can't get histamine intolerance without leaky gut.
Your gut lining should be a tight border. When the good bacteria are wiped out, he says, that border leaks. Your immune system starts flagging food and pollen as invaders, and yeast moves in.
Antibiotics, stress and sugar usually set it off, often years before symptoms. See why he says so much illness starts in the gut.
Do probiotics help histamine intolerance?
They are one of the first things he reaches for, but never the only thing.
He pictures your gut as the scanner at a self checkout. With histamine intolerance, he says, it misreads harmless things as threats.
Answering a listener's question on histamine intolerance:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1669So the best way to fix a scanner inside of you is probiotics. Okay? Broad spectrum probiotics.
Broad spectrum means many strains, at least 10 by his rule. See what he looks for in a probiotic for a woman over 60.
And he asks for patience:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 834But you need to give your body time to replace that good bacteria.
Why aren't probiotics enough on their own?
Sugar. In his view yeast lives on it, so it keeps coming back while you feed it.
From his talk on autoimmune problems, where he files histamine intolerance:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 879It's not a matter of just taking a supplement and it's all done. Supplements are part of it, but you gotta get off the sugar.
What he told his histamine patients:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1095You're coming off all sugars. No sugar whatsoever, okay? Not even fruit. God's candies can't have any for a while. I don't want you feeding the bears.
Feeding the bears means feeding yeast. He also cut foods that turn to sugar fast: bread, pasta, rice, cereal and pastries.
Asked about mast cell trouble, he said:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1228You know why a lot of people, their allergies get a lot better when they don't have any sugar at all. They're not feeding bears, they're not feeding the yeast.
What should you eat with histamine intolerance?
He does not hand out histamine food lists. He thinks the problem is in you, not the food.
Asked which foods contain histamine:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1640Like some people, guys, they can't eat cheese. It bothers them. Well, it's not the cheese. It's you. You have leaky gut and your histamine is being released.
So he had patients test foods themselves:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1095I used to get people to write down, I said, you're going to start a diary, okay, a food diary, and we're going to figure this out.
Eat a food, note how you feel, and leave out what bothers you while your gut settles. Never test a food again if it ever made your lips, tongue or throat swell. Tell your doctor about that one. Here is why one person bloats on a food that never bothers another.
How long does leaky gut take to get better?
Longer than most people hope.
His short answer to a listener named Leanne:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 604You know what it is? It's leaky gut. So if you have a histamine intolerance, you have leaky gut. Fix leaky gut. Can take you a year to fix leaky gut.
What he told the patients who were worst off:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1095I said, you're on a project for at least a year with me, but you're going to be encouraged much earlier than that.
A year for the gut, then, with better days well before that.
Does histamine intolerance ever go away?
For many people it gets much better. Some keep a weak spot.
Asked if food intolerances like histamine resolve, he said most who stick with the plan improve big time, then:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1239Now, some people, they still have sensitivities and they got to be careful and they got better, but they always had a weakness there and they got to deal with that.
"Is it going to be completely resolved? Maybe. I've seen it happen, but better for sure."
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1239The wins he saw in his office were fewer headaches, calmer hives and better sleep.
Can histamine cause water retention?
He links them through water. He has said histamine's main job is to tell your body it is dehydrated.
On swelling:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 665When you don't drink enough water, your brain sends a signal to your cells to hold on to water. This is where edema comes from.
Edema means swelling. His baseline is two liters of plain water a day, about eight cups, unless your doctor has you limiting fluids.
New swelling can also come from the heart, the kidneys or a medicine, so tell your doctor. Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or trouble breathing, is an emergency: call 911.
Do antihistamines help histamine intolerance?
They calm the reaction, he says, but not the cause.
His view:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1095An antihistamine is a bandaid. It's not getting at the root problem.
That is never a reason to stop an antihistamine or any prescription on your own; that decision belongs with your doctor.
Hear his full talk on histamine intolerance
Episode 1095 covers what he saw in his office and the plan he gave his patients.
Common questions
Can you have histamine intolerance without stomach problems?
Yes, he says. You may have no digestive symptoms, and he still reads it as leaky gut. More on leaky gut with no stomach symptoms. Episode 604.
Is coffee okay with histamine intolerance?
Yes, in his view. He calls the worry about histamine in coffee nonsense, and keeps coffee next to water on his list. Episode 1095.
Are food intolerance tests worth the money?
He would save your money. When nearly everything sets you off, he says, the results come back flagged across the board. A food diary tells you more. Episodes 1095 and 1640.
Can antibiotics cause histamine intolerance?
They can start it, he says, by wiping out your good bacteria years earlier. He also calls antibiotics lifesaving, so any question about one is for your doctor. Episode 1095.
Read next: Do Seniors Actually Need A Probiotic? and Gut Health For Women Over 60: Where Dr. Martin Starts.
Support your good bacteria while you work on the rest
If a probiotic goes on your list, Probiotic Complex is the broad spectrum blend Dr. Martin put together in clinic: 50 billion live probiotics from 11 strains. Use it beside the no-sugar plan and the patience he asks for, not in place of them.
60-day money-back guarantee. Taking an antihistamine or another medicine? Show the label to your doctor or pharmacist first.
