Seasonal Allergies - A Functional Interpretation

Intro

1 in 4 Americans have seasonal allergies (hay fever) *. But how did Americans become so intolerant of the very place we come from? Since we spend roughly 90% of our lives indoors**, nature becomes an unfamiliar exposure. This minimal exposure to nature paired with many other factors, leads to poor immune recognition and response. However, the allergen is not to blame, but rather the untrained and overburdened immune system.

While seasonal allergy symptoms are common, they certainly are not normal. Seasonal allergies occur when the immune system identifies harmless substances as dangerous. As a result, histamines are released into the blood stream. This increase in histamines, when improperly managed, leads to symptoms of seasonal allergies. Before jumping to conclusions, such as "allergies just get worse as we get older," we can rule out some other possibilities first. Of all of the possible contributors to worsening seasonal allergies, laps around the sun (age) have the least amount of influence, if any at all! The most common causes for poor histamine responses (i.e. seasonal allergies) are:

• Weakened immune system

• Chronic, sub-clinical, illness (which burdens/weakens the immune system)

  • Mold illness

  • Candida overgrowth

  • Viruses

• High amounts of emotional and/or physical stress

• Lack of sleep

• Poor diet leading to unfavorable shifts in the microbiome

• History of antibiotic use

• General toxicity

  • Abundance of toxins leads to overburdening the liver, kidneys and lymphatic system which reduce the clearance of histamine

• Sluggish HNMT, MAO, DAO and ALDH gene function

• Methylation dysfunction

Thankfully, everything in the list above can be successfully addressed and improved with proper investigation and focused functional intervention. Also, from the list above, over-the-counter antihistamines will not improve a single area, but rather create additional burden on the body. Antihistamines, like cetirizine (Zyrtec), work by blocking the H1 histamine receptor site preventing histamine from acting on these sites. With receptor sites blocked, this causes histamine to continue to circulate throughout the body. While these conventional offerings provide short-term relief, the act of masking the symptom allows for the cause of seasonal allergies to be left unaddressed.

Histamine Intolerance vs Abundance

Functional medicine is making significant strides in areas of health that are much needed to keep up with increasing chronic illness. Filling the gap of feeling unwell, but not sick enough for conventional medicine is where this type of care fits in. However, with any type of pioneering and advancement, there are bound to be incorrect steps taken. Just like the pseudo diagnosis "Adrenal Fatigue," the Functional diagnosis of "Histamine Intolerance" has gained popularity. However, this is simply not true, or even possible. The human body is full of histamine receptors and produces its own histamine. The issue is not that the body cannot tolerate histamine, but rather the body is so overburdened that managing excess histamine becomes a challenge. Remember, the body can only manage so much before "the bucket overflows."

Is Your Bucket Overflowing?

Histamine serves very crucial roles by regulating many physiological processes, such as stomach acid production/secretion, inflammation and regulation of vasodilation and bronchoconstriction. Histamine also serves as a neurotransmitter! In fact, histamine directly alters serotonin, and, therefore, many "low serotonin" symptoms are the same as high-histamine symptoms. Hay fever is only one presentation of histamine abundance. Here are other symptoms related to an abundance of histamine:

• Bloating

• GERD

• Constipation

• Skin Issues - rash, redness, hives, itchy skin

• Estrogen Dominance

• Candida Overgrowth

• Fatigue

• Low Blood Pressure

• Anxiety/Panick Attacks

• Tinnitus

• MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome)

• Irritated Eyes - watery, red, itchy

• Nasal Congestion / Runny Nose

• Numbness / Tingling

• Shortness of Breath

• Headaches / Migraines

• Tachycardia (racing heart)

• Tissue Swelling

• Light Sensitivity

• Dizziness

• Vision Problems / Eye Pain

• Bone, Joint and Chest Pain

If any of the symptoms are experienced above due to histamine abundance, other factors can exacerbate them. For example, symptoms may worsen when eating foods that are high in histamine, cause histamine release or block/inhibit DAO (this enzyme helps to degrade histamine in the gut). Naturally, the food gets the blame, and dietary avoidance begins. However, it is not the food's fault, the cause is the overburdened system that cannot tolerate additional histamine. While avoiding these foods short term can lead to some significant relief, this is not the long-term solution.

Histamine Contributing Foods To Be Aware Of. Credit: glutenfreesociety.org

Action

If you are tired of experiencing seasonal allergies, or any of the other histamine related symptoms, there are some great action steps you can take! If you are a self-healer, there are some great supplement options that assist in managing histamine. These are:

• Quercetin

• Bromelain

• Stinging Nettle

• DAO

• Specific Probiotics

Seeking Health is a great company that offers well-formulated histamine-specific products. Their histamine line-up of products includes the previously mentioned ingredients with additional nutrients for proper histamine degradation and management. You can access these products with a discount by creating an account below!

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Alternatively, if you are interested in reversing these histamine related symptoms, improving overall health, and addressing the root cause, with proper investigation is the best place to start. Simple at-home dried blood spot collection tests provide insight into histamine levels, DAO levels and offers a ratio between them for optimal interpretation. This test is a bit limited, simply because it only observes the dysfunction rather than investigates the cause of the issue. However, this information allows for some very quick relief products to be used.

FluidsIQ Inflammation Test

Organic Acid Testing (OAT) offers a layer deeper into investigation, screening for yeast and bacterial overgrowths, detox capacity, toxicity indices and other beneficial markers. However, these labs are only as good as the practitioner interpreting them! If you would like these labs ordered and would like clinical guidance in your health concerns, schedule your free consultation below with Redefined Health LLC.

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Conclusion

If you, or someone you know is experiencing an abundance of histamine, understand that histamine is not the issue, but rather a result of the issue. Supporting the body to breakdown and eliminate histamine can be helpful short term, but finding and addressing the cause for the overload should be prioritized.

Sources

1. Allergy Facts | AAFA.org

2. Indoor Air Quality | US EPA