Histamine Intolerance

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By Natural Health+

Histamine intolerance is the reaction to substances with high concentration of histamine. Histamine is colorless, odorless and tasteless. It could be found in processed and fermented products such as cheese.

Symptoms

Histamine intolerance has the following symptoms: swelling of eyelids, stomach pain, stomach cramps, bloating, skin rashes, diarrhea, low blood pressure, migraine, nausea, asthma, hot flashes, obstructed nasal breathing, hives or eczema.

Complications

Histamine intolerance can cause gastrointestinal problems that range from cramps to flatulence to diarrhea. Unlike irritable bowel syndrome, histamine intolerance causes tachycardia and cardiac arrhythmias. It usually occurs immediately half hour to two hours after consumption of histamine-affected products. Extreme histamine intolerance reaction might even lead to complications in bodily functions and disturb the nervous system and trigger cardiac diseases.

Patients with histamine intolerance who take such drugs aspainkillers, antibiotics, mucus remover, asthma medicine, blood pressure lowering medications should be cautious as an allergic attack could be fatal.

Causes

Histamine is present in almost all food and drugs in different doses.Histamine intolerance can occur after immediately eating food products such cheese, fish, wine tomatoes, sauerkraut and salami. Certain varieties of meat, alcoholic beverages, vegetables and yeast products contain high concentrations of histamine. Citrus fruits have a little histamine compound. Inflammation, extreme fatigue, stress, medications and allergic reactions can also release histamine. In addition, some food additives promote histamine intolerance. These are found in spice mixtures and finished digestible products.

Treatment

Avoidance of fermented and processed food products would be part of the solution in keeping the condition at bay. It is also best to consume a balance diet consists primarily of fresh fruits and vegetables. A stress-free lifestyle is also recommended.