Critterina's Histamine Intolerance Journal

[luludji]

Hello critterina, you mentioned a bad reaction on shampoo. I have also scalpproblems after washing my hair, with colds, slight breathing problems, heart bouncing. I think this might be an allergic reaction?
Do you have any advice concerning the shampoo's to avoid or try?
Thank you.

 

[Critterina]

I am using Bain de Terre's Coconut Moringa shampoo that I got at TJMaxx, but Aveda's Shampure is just as good if not better, and you can buy it at any Aveda store. I got my hair cut and my stylist have me samples. My scalp was an angry mess then. I am using the Shampure conditioner, too.
I know Aveda is relatively pricey, but we deserve a calm scalp, free of painful outbreaks.

 

[Gondwanaland]

slight breathing problems, heart bouncing

I had similar reactions, and to toothpaste as well. I tracked it down to salicylate sensitivity and repaired it with a neutralizing protocol.

 

[ahmo]

I've gone to bicarb only for shampoo and body. Vinegar rinse gets out the residue. I'm an infrequent shower person, so it should work even better for those who wash hair every day or 2.

 

[Critterina]

Had hot mulled wine, a mug full, before dinner tonight. I did take a DAOsin with my first sip. Don't know if that helped, or if I would have been OK without it. But I was OK. ( I should note that the last time I had wine, I had three ounces and was sick for three days.)

I did notice some nasal passage constriction yesterday after a Trader Joe's Green Chili Cheese Tamale. Not enough to interfere with my breathing, and didn't affect my lungs. Some of the stuff I've been eating has caused mild eczema on my feet, but I'm not sure what. The whole point is, whatever reactions I've had have been mild enough not to cause problems. Probably if I wasn't paying attention to my body's every nuance, I would have been oblivious.

 

[Adster]

You've got me really interested in trying a fast now. Just need to work up some courage.....

 

[NilaJones]

I did the fast .

It was hard, I think mainly because of hypoglycemic issues, but I got through it. And now it is checked off my list!

I haven't tested any foods yet, due to an unrelated inflammation flare. It has not helped my nasal allergies, which is a bit disappointing. But, like Critterina says, if it means I can eat cinnamon it might be worth it .

Suggestions for those trying it:

Write down the TIME of your last meal before the fast. This will become important to you, and you may not be able to remember it.

When breaking the fast, start with something that is pretty much just sugar -- I had some agave syrup, and that was nice. Processed apple juice would be good, too.

I found that surprisingly little food felt like more than enough, the first few days after fasting. I cooked a giant meal and ate hardly any of it!

 

[Adster]

@NilaJones Do let us know if you notice any changes to food intolerance after doing the fast. Thanks for sharing your experience

 

[Critterina]

I did the fast .

It was hard, I think mainly because of hypoglycemic issues, but I got through it. And now it is checked off my list!

I haven't tested any foods yet, due to an unrelated inflammation flare. It has not helped my nasal allergies, which is a bit disappointing. But, like Critterina says, if it means I can eat cinnamon it might be worth it .

Suggestions for those trying it:

Write down the TIME of your last meal before the fast. This will become important to you, and you may not be able to remember it.

When breaking the fast, start with something that is pretty much just sugar -- I had some agave syrup, and that was nice. Processed apple juice would be good, too.

I found that surprisingly little food felt like more than enough, the first few days after fasting. I cooked a giant meal and ate hardly any of it!

@NilaJones ,

I am so proud of you! You did great!

Yes, I'm not seeing a lot of improvement in the nasal allergies, but a lot of improvement in the nasal swelling that was a result of food histamines.

So, the time of the last meal - I ate dinner as my last meal Saturday, which meant that I could have dinner at that time on Tuesday. I was in a different time zone by then, but my life is complicated, to be sure.

My first meal was Swedish Pancakes - eggy, floury, milky, yummy, with lemon juice and powdered sugar. I had 4 of them. I think I have a more robust appetite than you, anyway. I needed protein. I like the apple juice idea, though.

Yes, do let us know when you test foods. I seem to have reacted yesterday to some kimchi. But a month ago I couldn't have imagined kimchi. Not on MY fork! So, I had a little nasal swelling. It didn't last even 24 hours, and it was not keeping me from breathing. Hoping that you have great results, too!

Critterina

 

[Critterina]

You've got me really interested in trying a fast now. Just need to work up some courage.....

My advice is wait until you're ready, when you can lay low for 3 days and not be very active, but have a lot of distractions. I had work to do on the computer, and I read stuff I liked. And the first day I was driving 14 hours. Being alone helped, although that's not a luxury everyone can indulge in.

 

[Adster]

My advice is wait until you're ready, when you can lay low for 3 days and not be very active, but have a lot of distractions. I had work to do on the computer, and I read stuff I liked. And the first day I was driving 14 hours. Being alone helped, although that's not a luxury everyone can indulge in.

Thanks, I think my main concern would be hypoglycaemia, so I would want some supervision if I tried it.

Hope you are still seeing improvement!

 

[Critterina]

@Adster ,
Yes, this is something that should be recommended by a doctor who knows you. Supervision-wish I thought of that! I had a lot of questions during. But my doc reminded me that he doesn't recommend fasting for everyone. There's probably a long list of contraindications that I have no idea about. Anyone interested in trying a fast like this should definitely ask their doctor.

And yes, I've lost just about all the histamine intolerance. It's almost like the three years never happened. Like before I got sick, as far as the foods and breathing go.

 

[Critterina]

Well, I thought that I was just flat out cured - it worked that way for a good three months, then I started reacting again. The palo verde trees are in bloom, and my HI symptoms are respiratory, so it's easy to confuse. But when the eczema started on my feet again, and the nasal constrictions made breathing hard (not impossible, so I'm better than I was), and the lung function couldn't carry me through the phrases in our not-so-long choir pieces, I knew I was reacting.

Two days ago I started the prednisone protocol that my pulmonologist developed and that night I started my second 3-day fast. I have lost 2.8 pounds each of those days and my face is less puffy, so I know that we are taking down the inflammation and reaction. (Of course, no food means no histamine, too.) Last night at choir I was having trouble controlling my air and voice - it felt like I had another 2 liters of space in my lungs and stomach that I wasn't used to and the muscles didn't know what to do. Also a good sign, if I can make it work for when we sing on Sunday.

My pulmonologist is retired, but he sings in the same small choir. Two weeks ago he recommended a fast every month. I was thinking every 3 maybe, but it's hard to get three days without power tools, performance reviews, or other physical demands that I don't want to experience while fasting. I have to say that this time seems easier. Maybe because my bowels aren't unloading, maybe because there's so much other stress in my life right now that I'm having a hard time with that more than the fast. (Although not wonderful, this really was the best 3 days to do it, and I'm staying off my roof until I'm done.) Really, the worst of what I experienced yesterday was relieved by allergy meds (generic Allegra, Afrin and Flonase) and a nap. Yesterday it seemed that Friday night was such a long way off, but now I'm half-way through. And I have such delicious baby tomatoes in my fridge - I'm sure they will keep until tomorrow night.

 

[Critterina]

Today wasn't so bad - not much of the headache at all, and my bowels didn't loosen until 6 pm. All day long I had a sign on my toilet "6 pm" because it stopped up twice in the last 2 weeks and I bought some enzymes that you have to leave in there for 6 hours, to fix it. Of course, I used it at noon, but put this pink 3 x 5 card on the closed lid to remind myself. How convenient of my body to cooperate. I also used a product "poo-pouri" for the first time. You spray it on the water in the toilet before you use it. I'm impressed.

I cleaned part of my house today, slowly and with many breaks, and broke my rule about power tools and ladders while fasting. I put up the draperies in the dining and living rooms. I really didn't feel all that out of kilter, or I wouldn't have. If I remember the first fast, the second day included a lot of loose stools, and the third day was just bile. And all the while I felt like I was cowering, like someone might hit me over the head. Not so, this time.

I do notice that every time I go in the kitchen or see a recipe, food, or a picture of it, that I think, "Oh, I'll have some of that; That will be good" and then realize I'm fasting. It killed me to look at the catalog of Mrs. See's candy to order some for my mom for her birthday/Mother's day.

Last time (my first fast) I had no idea if this was going to work, or if I was just wasting my time. It's so nice not to have that worry. I have full confidence that I'll go back to eating normally, at least for a while.

 

[Critterina]

I also notice that I've been sleeping better than when I did this before. I'm at the bile-wasting part, so I'll stay close to home today.

 

[Critterina]

Thanks, I think my main concern would be hypoglycaemia, so I would want some supervision if I tried it.

Hope you are still seeing improvement!

@Adster
I was just wondering if you ever got your doctor's approval to do the fast. I couldn't fast at all when the pulmonologist recommended it, due to hypoglycemia. But having my adrenal insufficiency diagnosed and treated, (I'm on a low dose of prednisone now,) that treatment supplies the same function as cortisol in the liver, of letting me turn glycogen into glucose and stabilizing my blood sugar. It was when I realized that I could go longer and longer with becoming hypoglycemic, that it occurred to me that I could do this now. Definitely something to be supervised!

 

[Gingergrrl]

@Critterina when I first replied to your thread back in Jan, I typed that I had no histamine issues but that has all sadly changed so I wanted to update your thread.

In your opinion, can the three day fast eliminate histamine issues regardless of their onset or cause?

Do you have severe reactions to food dyes?

Also, were you exposed to mold or is that part of your history?

Thank you!

 

[Critterina]

Hi @Gingergrrl ,

I can answer some of your questions, but I'm not a doctor and can really only tell you what worked for me.

I don't appear to have any mold exposure or allergies; skin prick allergy tests were negative for mold.

I don't have a severe reaction to food dyes; I might have some reaction, but I don't have many food dyes. I have been organic and unprocessed for the most part. The little dye I come in contact with doesn't seem to bother me. I did eliminate them during the time I eliminated histamines.

What I understand about a 3-day fast is that it resets your immune system. I believe (and I could be wrong) that the histamine reaction starts in the gut. When you fast, your body needs energy and picks off some cells to digest instead of others. It appears to pick off the bad-acting immune cells in your gut preferentially (and I'm interpreting here - no reference, more inference from what my doctor said.) I'm not sure if it's leaky gut, or just the immune system cells in your gut that over react to dietary histamines. For me, it was interesting that I react/reacted to dietary histamine but not "histamine releasers" in food, such as citrus. But put a pork rib in the refrigerator overnight and the reaction was noticeable.

There's the question of leaky gut. My HI developed after a respiratory infection followed by 5 rounds of antibiotics over 10 weeks; and antibiotics are a culprit in leaky gut. I did about 26 months of trying to avoid foods identified by an elimination diet before I did a leaky gut protocol (whatever was on sale from several lists of leaky gut treatments) for 8 weeks. Then a week later I did the fast in December. I didn't do the leaky gut protocol this time, but I also haven't had antibiotics or infections. So will it work again this time? I'm going to an event with pizza for dinner tonight - maybe not the best way to break my fast, (and maybe I'll chicken out and wait until it's over,) or maybe since this fast has been so much easier than the first, I'll just push it with some pizza, eaten very slowly. If it doesn't work, I think I'll need to repeat the leaky gut treatment and fast again.

I think that there is a good chance that a fast will help for people who can fast; a better chance than every other treatment. But not everyone can, a point that my pulmonologist made very clear to me. So it's reckless to say that it will help everyone regardless of the cause. But it seems like there is a good chance, if your practitioner OKs it, that it will help.

For me, the results were immediate and I just started eating everything after nothing I tested was making me sick. Then about 3-4 weeks ago, I started reacting slightly, and it got worse over time. But this time DAOsin worked for me, so I just took some when I was going to drink kombucha or eat spinach, for example. But it was going too far, and I'm going to Germany soon, with a trip leader who is a true foodie. I've traveled there with my food list translated. I just had to do this before I left, though, so I wouldn't have to pass up the sauerkraut and sausages.

I'd say ask your practitioner if you can fast. If you can, it's certainly worth a try, and decide for yourself if it works.

 

[Gingergrrl]

@Critterina

I can answer some of your questions, but I'm not a doctor and can really only tell you what worked for me. I don't appear to have any mold exposure or allergies; skin prick allergy tests were negative for mold.

Thanks and I appreciate the info. I suspect my issues are quire different than yours as I do have ME/CFS and significant mold exposure but am still curious about the fasting protocol.

I don't have a severe reaction to food dyes; I might have some reaction, but I don't have many food dyes. I have been organic and unprocessed for the most part. The little dye I come in contact with doesn't seem to bother me. I did eliminate them during the time I eliminated histamines.

I never had a reaction to a food dye until a few months ago. I eat pretty healthy as well and it was a rare ocasion that I ate a piece of Easter candy and second incident was from a medication with a food dye. The reactions were extremely shocking to me and very scary. I have now had one reaction to food (very healthy food but higher on histamine list than I have been trying to eat.)

What I understand about a 3-day fast is that it resets your immune system.

I have read about it re-setting the entire immune system (not just histamine) and am very curious about the fast. I rarely feel hungry anymore and feel worse after I eat and think I could do the fast as long as I could drink water and take electrolytes (like salt stick tablets or Nuun.) Are those things okay?

I think that there is a good chance that a fast will help for people who can fast; a better chance than every other treatment. But not everyone can, a point that my pulmonologist made very clear to me. So it's reckless to say that it will help everyone regardless of the cause. But it seems like there is a good chance, if your practitioner OKs it, that it will help.

Do you see a pulmonologist specifically for the histamine issues? I have never spoken to a doctor re: trying the fast.

But this time DAOsin worked for me, so I just took some when I was going to drink kombucha or eat spinach, for example.

I take Daosin with every meal now. It is hard to say what it is doing.

I'd say ask your practitioner if you can fast. If you can, it's certainly worth a try, and decide for yourself if it works.

Thank you and I will ask at some point. And good luck on your trip!

 

[Adster]

@Adster
I was just wondering if you ever got your doctor's approval to do the fast.....

Hi Critterina - no I haven't even asked yet, I don't think I'm game to try it at the moment! Just don't feel strong enough and living by myself means I don't have the support if it goes wrong. Maybe one day!