The Histamine Factor

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The Histamine Factor

Histamines, what are they?

A physiologically active amine, C5H9N3, is found in plant and animal tissue and is released from mast cells as part of an allergic reaction in humans. It stimulates gastric secretion and causes dilation of capillaries, constriction of bronchial smooth muscle, and decreased blood pressure.

Where are histamines manufactured in the body?

Histamines are released from mast cells as part of an allergic reaction in humans in response to abnormal proteins found in the blood! What is a mast cell?

A cell found in connective tissue that contains numerous basophilic granules and releases substances such as heparin and histamine in response to injury or inflammation of bodily tissues.

What roll do these immune cells play in the human body?

Immune cells communicate by releasing chemicals messages or mediators. These chemicals carry messages from one cell group to another and invoke the most powerful of whole-body defense responses, which cause many of our symptoms. When you develop a bacterial or viral infections, immune mediators produce fever, headache, generalized aching, fatigue, weakness and clouded consciousness.

The general impact of these chemical messages is to amplify a small triggering event into a large inflammatory response. We used to call this the "Philadelphia Effect" after Philadelphia police burned down several city blocks by using a smoke bomb to flush out some alleged terrorists from one apartment. If planet Earth is thought of as an organism, you can make interesting analogies with immune events. Awful things occur on the planet every day with loss of human life, cruelty, senseless killing, hunger, famine, poverty - a seemingly endless need for intervention and control. Tolerance, in planet terms, really means that political-military defense is restrained and often ignores atrocities, despite tremendous need. Until, one day, a critical sensor (Bush) encounters an antigen (Hussein) and triggers an immune cascade and we have Persian Gulf anaphylaxis.

Hypersensitivity attacks are similar. A person may be doing all sorts of terrible things to his body over many years until one day, apparently out-of-the-blue; he drops dead of anaphylaxis ("a heart attack"). Perhaps a spokesperson for the IN would claim: "We had to draw the line somewhere." If a reactive body (country) makes it through the initial conflagration, a chronic inflammatory state may set-in. This is the cell-mediated immune response. We can now call this the Kuwait effect, comparing the smoldering tissue destruction of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus erythematosis with oil spills, oil-well fires, socio-economic disruption and other environmental devastation, following the Gulf War. Prolonged, destructive, immune activity is often referred to as autoimmune disease.

What are Mediator Generated Symptoms?

Once excited by antigen, a cascade of mediators establishes emergency, dysfunctional conditions systemically and locally in target organs. Each mediator produces its own signature of symptoms. Some mediators, such as histamine, serotonin, bradykinin, mast-cell peptides and the prostaglandins, are better known. Prostaglandins, for example, are short-lived, cause flushing, pain, dyspnea, tachycardia, constricted or dilated blood vessels, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps.

A variety of locally released and systemically effective mediators act in concert. Once inflammation is initiated in tissues by immune cell invasion and mediator release, the tissue disturbance tends to persist. When cell-mediated immune responses are activated, a continuous series of mediators is released, amplifying and prolonging disturbances for days or weeks.

How severe can histamine reactions be?

It has recently been discovered that histamines may play a much larger roll in human disease than once thought. In the past, histamine production was blamed on some very common allergic reactions such as hay fever, bee sting reactions, and anaphylactic shock.

In recent studies, histamine involvement in chronic inflammatory & degenerative diseases such as lupus, arthritis, Gulf War Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and leaky gut syndrome have been coming to light as to a possible cause of a chronic inflammatory response to abnormal proteins in the blood sera of chronically ill patients!

What is a food allergy?Food allergy is an immune system response to a food that the body mistakenly believes is harmful. The body creates specific antibodies to the "harmful" food, and the next time the person ingests that food, the immune system releases large amounts of chemicals, including histamines, to protect the body from the food. These chemicals act as catalysts, triggering allergic symptoms that can affect the respiratory system, digestive tract, cardiovascular system, and skin. People allergic to particular foods must avoid the culinary culprits, as there is no cure for food allergies. The eight most common food allergens are milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree-nuts (cashews, walnuts, almonds, etc.), fish, shellfish and soy. Food allergy expert Branscombe explores the elusive nature of food allergies in Bread and Butter, and recounts her own battle with a most unwelcome allergy to yeast in Food, Devious Food, foods high in folates (folic Acid) should be avoided. folic acid can cause a cascading histamine reaction... Folates are known to cause the release of histamines.

What is leaky gut syndrome?

Intestinal permeability, or 'leaky gut syndrome' is receiving increasing attention as the hard-to-deal factor in patients being treated for food intolerances. Hyper permeability is also associated with Coeliac disease, alcoholism, Crohn's disease, a topic eczema, chronic giardiasis and intestinal candidosis, lupus, fibro myalgia, M.S. arthritis, and a myriad of chronic inflammatory diseases. Leaky gut syndrome has been theoretically suspected as a major factor in a wide range of food and chemical sensitivities, arthritis, asthma, headaches, constipation, digestive problems of varying seriousness and chronic fatigue. It was quickly linked to many of the problems experienced in patients with severe Yeast overgrowth, since it was known that Candida, in its fungal form, can put down 'roots' into the gut wall, allowing comparatively large molecules to pass through into the bloodstream. Whether these are food molecules, bacteria or chemical toxins, the result would be the same: an immune response by the body, an attack by antibodies and the start of a cycle of immune response, inflammation and antibody-antigen reactions. Intestinal permeability is now respectable, thanks to the comparatively recent development of a urine-based diagnostic test.

What are the symptoms of histamines being released?

Histamine Symptoms:

Allergies are versatile. They can show up just about anywhere in your body and create an incredible variety of symptoms. They can affect you nose, eyes, throat, lungs, stomach, skin and nervous system. They can give you a bellyache, a rash and even bring on fatigue and headache.Allergy symptoms occur when your body's immune system overreacts to a substance in your environment. It is not the substance that causes the allergic reactions; it is the body's reaction to that substance that prompts the reactions. The immune system overreacts and releases a chemical that the body uses to fight microbial invaders. But in allergies, the invaders are not viruses or bacteria. They are harmless substances: pollens, dust, mold spores and other substances including food. When the immune system uses its weapons to fight off infection, the results are usually good. But if the immune system gets confused and mistakes pollen for bacteria, it can unleash those same weapons unnecessarily, wreaking havoc in the body.People with allergies have immune systems that can react to just about anything that comes along. A tiny particle of the right substance puts your panicky immune system on the defensive. Your body strikes back by releasing a rush of a chemical that causes the familiar swelling and running in your nose, eyes and sinuses. These overly sensitive immune cells (called mast cells) release a substance called histamine. Histamine causes small blood vessels to widen allowing fluid to pass from the bloodstream into the surrounding tissues, causing nasal conditions, runny eyes and nose and sometimes hives.

How severe can histamine reactions be?Histamine makes the smooth muscles in the walls of the lungs, blood vessels, stomach, intestines and bladder contract. This contraction brings on a wide range of symptoms. Histamine in the lungs causes wheezing. Histamine also indirectly stimulates the production of thick, sticky mucus.

Histamine is the prime mediator in type 1 allergic reactions such as hay fever. Almost everyone has taken an antihistamine to treat hay fever and itching, to relieve nausea and vomiting or cold symptoms, or as an aid to sleep. The popularity of antihistamines is a mute testimony to the negative effects of histamine in the body. To get a good idea of what histamine can do, let us imagine the effects of an injection of a small amount.Histamine carries its message to a large number of cells by attaching to a special receptor on the cells' surfaces. There are two kinds of histamine receptors, H1 and H2. The H1 and H2 receptors both receive histamine as a messenger, but the meaning taken by the different receptors is different. H1 receptors tend to produce the symptoms already listed and activate the allergic reaction. H2 receptors tend to act as negative feedback receptors and turn the allergic reaction off. H2 receptors also exclusively activate the acid-producing, parietal cells of the stomach lining.

Histamine dilates blood vessels and acts with prostaglandins, PGE2 and PGI2, to produce the early swelling, redness and heat of an inflammatory response. The same mediators may sensitize nerve endings to other pain-producing mediators such as bradykinin. An initial burst of mediator activity will often set a series of cell responses in motion, which will amplify and prolong disturbances for days or weeks. Once inflammation is established in tissues by immune cell invasion and mediator release, recovery may take several weeks.

What can causes my body to have these allergic reactions?

Reduced digestive enzymes or co-enzymes due to digestive problems and/or poor structure or due to heredity induce IgA and Gamma globulin.

Vaccines

It was found that some vaccines destroy I-regulatory cells that are produced by the thymus. These cells help reduce allergic effects. Vaccines, chemical exposure and some drugs reduce the effects of the I-regulatory cells or destroy them. Most vaccines are based on the introduction of bacteria, virus or their antigen into the blood stream. Such bacteria, virus or antigen are made of proteins that are foreign to the body. Most allergic reactions after a vaccination are related to the body's reaction to that protein. Some individuals develop allergies shortly after vaccination.

Food and food additives

Some foods contain elements that the body is not familiar with it to digest it. Gluten, milk protein, milk sugar (lactase) are proteins that the body may not be able to digest them and consequently react to them upon ingestion. Not being able to digest any protein means that its presence would lead to mal-absorption of any food that contains the protein in question. At the first attempt to ingest such protein the intestine react to its presence by flattening its villi. Such intestinal reaction would lead to abdominal pains, gas, diarrhea or indigestion as follows:

I. expedite the transit time of unwanted food to prevent its absorption

II. shorten its exposure time in the intestine to lessen its adverse effects

III. the downfall of this procedure is that the body would absorb other material present in the intestine that it would have otherwise not absorbed.

Organic weakness due to lifestyle

Improper weaning during infancy

In the span between birth and first birthday many parents make many irresponsible dietary mistakes with their infants that set the stage to allergies to settle in their children's body. An improper weaning of your infant may lead to the introduction of certain by-products and toxins into the liver. Being unable to break these toxins down, their presence congests and weakens the liver. As a reaction to allergens in the body produces histamine, the liver's role is to remove it from the body. Due to its weakness and congestion, however, the liver struggles in removing histamine and consequently, histamine builds up in the body leading to more allergic reactions. The best place to start allergy treatment is at the liver.

Food

Allergies start as a reaction to one type of food, food additives or food colorings and food proteins. The body would attempt to capture whatever is causing the allergy and remove it. Repeated introduction of the same allergens would weaken the body organs. Further weakness of the organs would surface allergic symptoms.

What do histamine reactions have to do with Gulf War Syndrome?

Weakness of the lymphatic system, thinning of the intestinal walls, the liver and the thymus.

Chronic infections such as, ear infections, tonsillitis, digestive track abnormalities, mononucleosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, PMS (females only) hepatitis, mycoplasma infections and intestinal parasites can all contribute to intestinal dysbiosis and lead to chronic release of histamines.

Candida Albicans

Antibiotics, birth control pills, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy set the stage for fungal infections by altering the bowel's flora. The once controlled fungus, invades the intestinal mucosa to the flora making fenestrations in the flora exposing the species to the blood system. Once in the blood stream, it invades the uterine and vaginal cells, among other organs and tissues. Allergies develop over time with these patients due to the presence and over growth of fungus.

Stress destroys cellular enzymes that lead to cellular distress.

Are there different types of allergies?

Allergies are classified according to the allergic response.

Type I

• Is IgE mediated allergic reaction

• Includes drugs, urticaria, anaphylaxis, angioedema and stings.

Type II

• Is complement-dependent and involves 1gM or IgG antibodies, where the antibody is fixed on the circulating blood cell and than destroyed (cytolytic and cytotoxic)

• Includes the following disorders due to drug interactions: systemic lupus erythematosus, lupoid hepatitis, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenic purpura and agranulocytosis.

Type III

• Is an immune complex disease

• Involves IgG where a drug reaction is demonstrated by serum sickness

• Includes arthralgia, arthritis, urticaria skin eruption, lymphadenopathy and fever

• The reaction may last for up to 2 weeks or until the offending drug is eliminated by the liver and the kidney.

Type IV

• Is a cell mediated delayed hypersensitivity with I cells type lymphocytes, which occurs in 24-48 hours after exposure.

• An example of such a reaction is contact dermatitis due to topically applied substances such as drug or poison.

Are there any alternatives to anti-histamine drugs to Slow the release of histamines?

High dose Enzymatic Therapy

he benefits of supplemental plant enzymes on your health and blood have been documented in numerous research studies. Most of the excitement and knowledge of this vital nutritional factor stems back to the work of biochemist, Dr. Howell whose extensive, pioneer study in the enzyme concept began more than 50 years ago. His work and that of other noted researchers has shown the benefits of supplemental plant enzymes on various conditions of the body, particularly as they relate to the digestion and assimilation of foods..Recent research has been increasingly more specific, focusing on different types and sources of plant enzymes, including various protease, lipase, carbohydrase, and cellulase preparations. Both in vitro and controlled in vivo studies using internal and parenteral routes have examined the effectiveness of these enzymes in a wide range of conditions including maldigestion, malabsorption, pancreatic insufficiency, steanorrhea, celiac disease, lactose intolerance, arterial obstruction and thrombotic disease. Reports from doctors across the nation indicate that plant enzymes are being used in an even broader spectrum of clinical conditions.

Data from various studies and clinical applications verify the efficacy of plant enzymes for a broad spectrum of conditions See enzymatic therapy

It is also thought fibromyalgia is related to excessive waste in the body. Undigested remains of disproportionate carbohydrate consumption can accumulate in tissue since the body cannot eliminate it properly. This might partially explain the patient response to palpation at several lymphatic trigger points when being diagnosed. The lymph system removes waste from the body. Yet, this will not occur very well when too much food is eaten causing a virtual backing up of the "plumbing"? Using highly concentrated enzymes with patients who have histamine reactions alleviates the response within a very short time and without the side-effects associated with conventional anti-histamines.

Magnesium

The mineral magnesium a powerful supplement– Magnesium is a trace mineral that is known to be required for several hundred different functions in the body. Significant portions of the symptoms of many chronic disorders are identical to symptoms of magnesium deficiency. Studies show many people in the U.S. today do not consume the daily-recommended amounts of magnesium. A lack of magnesium can be a major factor in many common health problems in industrialized countries. Common conditions such as mitral valve prolapse; migraines, attention deficit disorder, fibromyalgia, asthma and allergies have all been linked to magnesium deficiency. Perhaps, not coincidentally, these conditions also tend to occur in clusters together within the same individual. A magnesium deficiency as a root cause would provide a logical explanation of why some people suffer from a constellation of these types of problems. In the book Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, the authors note that food allergies are usually associated with low hydrochloric acid levels and poor digestion. The authors' rationale for this is that low stomach acid leaves food undigested and fermenting in the intestinal tract. This fermentation causes gas, bloating and stomach upset, the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Undigested and fermented food causes the body to raise histamine levels, which produce allergic reactions. This is why people take antihistamines for allergies, to lower histamine levels. Interestingly, magnesium is needed to reduce histamine levels.

Low stomach acid levels reduce levels of beneficial intestinal bacteria, which is needed for absorption of magnesium. When lab rats are deprived of magnesium, a wide variety of studies have noted that they develop allergy like symptoms. Their ears turn red and they develop skin problems. Rats with magnesium deficiencies have increases in histamine levels. They also have raised levels of white blood cell counts. Magnesium deficiency has been implicated in allergies and allergic skin reaction in many studies on humans, too. Variations of allergies, skin allergies, and raised white blood cells have all been noted as features of many chronic disorders.

People with chemical sensitivities also commonly have other conditions linked to magnesium deficits such as allergies, fibromyalgia, mitral valve prolapse and anxiety disorders. They also tend to have TMJ, which has been linked to abnormalities of hyaluronic acid. Perhaps not coincidentally, hyaluronic acid is dependent upon magnesium for its synthesis. Asthma is has been linked to magnesium deficiencies in a wide variety of studies. Asthma and allergies not only frequently occur together, but they frequently occur together along with gastrointestinal upset in many chronic disorders including Mitral Valve Prolapse syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Gastrointestinal upset is often a sign of malabsorption problems, which can be a cause of nutritional deficiencies

Many of the following conditions commonly occur in conjunction with each other and all have been linked to a magnesium deficiency.

This essential mineral is known to help relieve bronchospasm or constricted airways in the lungs and is actually used in the E.R. for treatment of acute asthma Studies have shown that a deficiency in magnesium results in higher blood levels of histamine. Nuts, beans and whole grains, green vegetables and bananas. Most processed foods contain very little of this essential mineral. For more information on this supplement. See http://www.rainbowminerals.net/Minerals/Magnesium.html

MAGNESIUM - A VITAL MINERAL: Magnesium is a mineral that is abundant both in nature and in the human body, where it is involved in the activation of more than 300 enzymes and body chemicals. The Department of Health has set the Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI) for magnesium at 300mg per day. However, many nutritionists now feel that the average world RNI should be set at 450mg per day. A survey in 1994 showed that 72% of women and 42% of men aged between 19 and 50, and 89% of females aged 16-18 years do not achieve the RNI for magnesium. Low levels of magnesium in the diet and in our bodies increase susceptibility to a variety of diseases, including heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney stones, cancer, insomnia, PMS, and menstrual cramps. Signs and symptoms of magnesium deficiency are fatigue, mental confusion, irritability, weakness, heart disturbance, problems in nervous conduction and muscle contraction, muscle cramps, loss of appetite, insomnia and predisposition to stress. Magnesium is essential for the proper functioning of the entire cardiovascular system. Because magnesium contributes greatly to the strength of contraction by heart muscle, magnesium supplementation has been found to be helpful in the management of angina, atherosclerosis, intermittent claudication and high blood pressure.

One of the most important components of any osteoporosis programme is magnesium. As much as 60% of all magnesium in the body is found in the bones. A defect of bone crystal formation in magnesium-deficiency women is thought to be one of the factors that increase fracture risk.

Magnesium works in many ways to preserve the health of the nervous system. During times of stress, magnesium stores are depleted and large amounts of this mineral are lost in the urine. With its ability to exert a calming effect on the nervous system together with its muscle relaxing role, magnesium, taken 30-40 minutes before retiring, may help those suffering stress or insomnia.

Studies have shown a low intracellular magnesium content in patients with bronchial asthma. Magnesium deficiency can also increase the release of histamine into the bloodstream. Thereby increasing allergic reactivity in general.

Magnesium also plays a central role in the secretion and action of insulin. Without adequate magnesium levels within the body's cells, control over blood sugar levels is impossible.

Magnesium has also been found to play a role in the aetiology of migraines, fibromyalgia, PMS, kidney stones and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD

Vitamin C an extremely powerful histamine suppressor:

A recent study in Journal of the American College of Nutrition examined the effect of vitamin C on blood histamine levels when administered at a daily dose of 2 grams. Blood histamine levels dropped 40% in the people taking vitamin C when compared to people taking a placebo sugar pill. There is no doubt that Vitamin C can help allergic reactions, at least in the laboratory. Several studies show that high levels of Vitamin C help reduce histamine release from mast cells and can also cause histamines to break down easier once they're released. Carotenes can help strengthen the respiratory tract lining. Vitamin E is able to inhibit inflammatory compounds, as does the mineral Selenium. Fresh vegetables, especially in the form of juices also appear to diminish hay fever systems. For a general allergy fighting regime, some doctors suggest adding 400 milligrams of magnesium, Vitamin C (1000-2000 milligrams taken as two divided doses), and an good multi-vitamin and mineral supplement. Studies have also shown that a vitamin C deficiency can send blood levels of histamine through the roof. Vitamin C has the properties of a natural antihistamine. Vitamin C keeps your immune system from making as many histamines to begin with and helps you get them out of your bloodstream faster as it can detoxify the excess histamine released. It is effective because it reduces the severity with which the histamines in your body can attack. You should have fewer symptoms and shorter periods of incapacity if you add vitamin C to your diet. Vitamin D, selenium and zinc play important roles in the health of mucous membranes, you body's internal skin. If you have healthy mucous membranes, you will have significantly less allergy problems. Mucous membranes shield cells from direct contact with pollen and other allergens, substances that trigger allergies. Here again we have the free radical problem (for more info on free radicals see The allergic reaction itself causes the generation of unstable molecules called free radicals, which injure your body's healthy molecules by stealing electrons to balance themselves. In this process, free radicals injure the mast cells and may make them even more twitchy and prone to histamine release.

3) Get your flavonoids:Bioflavonoids are substances found in citrus fruits, cherries, dark grapes, broccoli, red and green peppers and herb teas. The chemical structures of bioflavonoids are similar to that of a drug called cromolyn, used in inhalers to reduce asthma-related inflammation. Vitamin P: they are actually three members of the bioflavonoid group - hersperidin, rutin and a group called the pectinates. They enhance the performance of vitamin C. They keep the cell walls strong and resistant to histamines, viruses and bacteria that can cause the allergy and cold symptoms.Quercetin is a particularly effective flavonoid found in the skins of red onions and apples. It helps block the release of histamine from immune cells, thus gently decreasing swelling and mucus production. Get those essential fatty acids Essential fatty acids are also excellent for the immune system. Try to eat flaxseed oil and cold-water fish on a regular basis. When taken for long periods of time, it helps correct the immune imbalances that lead to allergies. Flaxseed Oil: Omega-3 fatty acids contain a natural anti-inflammatory agent that can help relieve the symptoms of the symptoms of allergies

Thin out your mucusN-acetyl cysteine (NAC) has long been used by medical doctors to treat the chronic lung congestion associated with cystic fibrosis. Taken in daily doses of 1500-3000 mg., it is excellent for thinning out mucus. Also a potent antioxidant and antiviral agent, it is safe for all ages.

A recent study revealed that butterbur effectively relieves hay fever symptoms without sedating side effects. In the study, people who took butterbur for their symptoms experienced a level of relief similar to that which participants taking a popular antihistamine experienced

Foods to eat: Eat colorful fruits and vegetables. Keep your immune system healthy by eating colorful fruits and vegetables. Blueberries, sweet potatoes and bell peppers are good choices. These foods are rich in flavonoids, which act like antihistamines. They also contain carotenes, which have anti-inflammatory activity. Garlic & onions - retard the inflammatory reactions of allergies.

Foods to avoid: Beef, Pork, Chicken, Milk, Eggs, Cheese, Wheat and wheat glutens

http://www.rainbowminerals.net/histamine_factor.html