Histamine intolerance

the one thing you're overlooking

Histamine: the one thing you’re overlooking

It’s difficult to find a health influencer who isn’t slugging bone broth and reishi tea in between vats of kombucha and tacos piled high with kimchi.

So, it is no mystery why many of my clients, in their quest to become well again, have these items heavily embedded into their repertoire.

Health influencers aren’t too far off– these foods can help support the growth of “good” bacteria and help improve health– but the one caveat is that probiotic foods can help healthy people improve their health.

Probiotic rich foods are not necessarily helpful for folks with Long COVID– and could actually be quite harmful. (I would also add that live foods aren’t always the right move for folks with chronic pain, chronic hives, chronic asthma, or vertigo either).

Before I explain why, let’s take a two minute tour of your immune system. 

We have immune cells all over the body. These immune cells come as a few different versions but the one that I want to focus on today is a mast cell.

Mast cells are immune cells found in connective tissue, and are especially present in the lungs and intestines. Mast cells play a big role when it comes to responding to bacteria. 

New research suggests that COVID-19, which had a profound impact on people’s lungs and guts, over-stimulates mast cells. In individuals with long COVID, these mast cells never quite calm down to their original state.

Think of each mast cell like its own little country in the body. When the country is under attack, it responds by releasing it’s own army. This army is known as a mediator. One mediator that mast cells release is called histamine. Among many roles in the human body, histamine contracts muscles and dilates blood vessels.

So you get COVID-19, and all of a sudden your mast cells just won’t quit. Some symptoms that your mast cells are over stimulated, and you are now subsequently over producing histamine, include low blood pressure, dizziness, breathlessness, arrhythmia, body pain, migraines, dysmenorrhea, fatigue, nighttime arousal and tinnitus (to name a few). Do any of these symptoms sound familiar?

Let’s back up to the beginning. Why should you steer clear of the kombucha thumpers if you have Long COVID?

Because if your mast cells are over-stimulated, any additional bacteria (even if it is considered “good” bacteria) will trigger additional histamine release.

Have you ever noticed a worsening in your exhaustion or pain after eating? You might have a histamine intolerance from a COVID-induced over stimulation of your mast cells.

When you are navigating life after COVID, it is so important to work with a specialist who gives advice specific to Long COVID. Otherwise you might find yourself sipping lion’s mane tea in the name of “brain health” as your migraines and confusion continue to worsen.

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As a registered dietitian specializing in Long COVID, I help you end chronic fatigue and reclaim your pre-covid normalcy through nature’s strongest medicine: diet. If you are interested in setting up a discovery call, reply this this email directly and let’s chat!