There is a new tiktok trend where people are saying things like… “unfortunately my body doesn’t know the difference between receiving an email and being chased by a bear” — and it’s true. Our bodies can’t tell the difference between modern stressors and real survival threats. Because of this we are constantly stuck in this state of fight-or-flight.

On the Menu Today:

• Why is our Body in a Constant State of Fight-or-Flight

• What is Histamine Intolerance

• Symptoms and Root Causes of Histamine Intolerance

• How to Fix Histamine Intolerance

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. None of this is medical advice. Just a fun discussion and conversation based on my personal experiences and learnings. Pls speak to a medical professional before starting anything new, every body is different. If you feel lost on where to begin, I recommend finding a functional or natural medicine doctor to deep dive into you.

Our nervous system has two main states:

1. Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight-or-Flight) – Activated by stress or perceived danger. Increases heart rate, cortisol, and adrenaline. Freezes optimal bodily function to focus on danger and survival.

2. Parasympathetic Nervous System (Rest-and-Digest) – Calms the body, promotes digestion, healing, and relaxation. Allows our body to resume optimal bodily function.

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Our sympathetic nervous system is integral for our survival — but the problem is our modern lifestyle constantly triggers fight-or-flight. There is an imbalance in systems and our bodies don’t know how to make the switch. A few reasons I think why —

1. 24/7 Accessibility

We weren’t meant to be so easily accessible. Having the ability to be contacted by anyone and everyone 24/7. The internet was meant to be a stagnant place where we could log on and log off — and now it is with us at all times, everywhere, inescapable.

This accessibility and constant notifications (emails, texts, social media) trigger mini stress responses all day long. Constantly flooding our body with cortisol and adrenaline.

2. Fear Based Media

The news cycle and social media contain SO much negative noise — keeping us in a hyper alert state. We are constantly exposed to global crises, the game of comparison, overconsumption, fear and stress. Our body and brain sees this negative noise as an immediate threat — even if it does not directly affect us.

In addition — social media is meant to keep us addicted, constantly seeking validation and provoking feelings of we aren’t enough. Adding to our chronic stressed state.

3. Hustle Culture

There is a belief that productivity = success in our world. An expectation that we must always be available and productive — we feel guilty for resting our bodies, leading us to burnout. And this constant pressure on ourselves and from others keeps our bodies in this state of fight-or-flight.

4. Poor Sleep & Blue Light

Wake up — check phone. Get up — spend all day on email. Take lunch break — scroll on phone. Get off work — scroll on phone or turn on TV. Get in bed — scroll till tired. All while sitting under artificial and fluorescent lighting.

We were not meant to be this exposed to blue and artificial light. Not only is this deteriorating our eyesight and brains, but this light also disrupts melatonin and circadian rhythm, making it harder to fall asleep, get good quality sleep, and recover from stress.

Sleep is where our brains and bodies heal and recover. Lack of sleep not only disrupts proper healing, but it also keeps the body stuck in stress mode.

5. Processed Foods

Majority of people’s diets are filled with high-sugar, ultra-processed foods. Lots of alcohol. Overuse of drugs. This lifestyle causes inflammation and blood sugar crashes that the body perceives as a threat and stress.

6. Further Straying from the Basics

Nature. Sunlight. Community. Friends. Family. Laughter. Creativity. Passion. Sleep. Food. Love. The Basics. The essentials to life & living — yet we are more disconnected than ever.

Histamine Intolerance x The Nervous System

If you have not yet listened — I highly recommend you listen to my podcast episode with Skin by Gill, where we discuss histamine intolerance and it’s connection with skin health and the nervous system. She’s what re-inspired my interest in histamine intolerance. She also shares her knowledge on the subject on her substack here.

All Things Skin: Acne, Scarring, Skincare Trends & Finding the Root Cause with SkinbyGill

Ella Henry

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Feb 13

Read full story

In this episode Gill says something that really stood out to me,

“Our bodies are literally allergic to stress.”

When I was dealing with the peak of my health issues was when my histamine intolerance was the worst. And I was in CONSTANT fight-or-flight. Pulling all nighters to study, drinking, doing daily hiit workouts — on top of all of that I was dealing with hormonal imbalances, leaky gut, sibo and high inflammation, all of which tied back to histamine intolerance. When I got tested with my naturopath — my histamines were wayyyy too high and my mast cell score was through the roof. I believe a huge reason for this was my body’s reaction to stress.

What is Histamine Intolerance?

Histamine intolerance occurs when the body is unable to break down histamine efficiently, leading to an overload. Our bodies need histamine it is an important part of the bodies defense and immune system — but too much can lead to symptoms that make us feel unwell. Common symptoms include:

• nausea

• headache/migraine

• brain fog

• confusion

• motion sickness

• skin flush

• digestive issues

• hives

• irritation

• PMDD

• menstrual cramps

• dizziness

• feeling lethargic and sluggish after eating

• trouble falling/staying asleep

• sensitivity to light and smell

• drained on energy

• anxiety

• rosacea

• acne

• itchy skin

• scratchy throat

• runny nose

• heart palpitations

• panic attacks

• ringing ears

At my worst, I had every single one of these symptoms — and what do you know, my MCAS score was extremely high — this is the survey I took initially:

Link to Survey

Lately — and I have a feeling it was triggered due to me going off of birth control and my hormones being all confused + chronic stress from moving — I have been feeling a mild version of those symptoms again. Especially the PMDD and nausea. So I dug up my notes from my past calls with my naturopath, and after talking to Gill was re-inspired to do my histamine reset protocol to see how it made me feel.

Root Causes of Histamine Intolerance

Too much histamine accumulates in the body when we cannot break it down properly. There are two main enzymes responsible for the breakdown of histamines — DAO & HNMT. When histamine is consumed faster than our body can break it down, it can lead to the symptoms listed above. There are a few factors that can impair our histamine enzymes:

1. Gut Inflammation & Gut Imbalances

2. Nutritional Deficiencies

3. Chronic Stress

4. Hormonal Imbalances (typically estrogen dominance for women)

5. Liver Overload

6. Other Triggers: Seasonal Allergens, Mold Toxicity, Dehydration

Now let’s think about the first time my histamine intolerance was really really bad years ago. My inflammation levels were high, I had sibo — which lets undigested food & bacteria trigger histamine release — and leaky gut. Because of this my body wasn’t properly digesting food leading to nutritional deficiencies. I was living in a mold-infested apartment. I was taking antihistamines regularly and NSAID’s often — medications that when overused can impair DAO. I was chronically in fight or flight — studying, hiit workouts, partying, anxious — I had estrogen dominance due to years of being on hormonal birth control (estrogen increases histamine levels, while progesterone helps break it down), and my liver was overloaded from toxic burdens like alcohol.

Hmmmm….. a perfect recipe for histamine intolerance.

The body releases histamine when stressed as part of the fight-or-flight response, AND high cortisol & adrenaline slow down DAO and HNMT activity, making it harder to clear histamine. AKA Gill saying “our bodies are literally allergic to stress.”

So How Do We Fix It?

First and foremost — I recommend working alongside a naturopath or functional medicine doctor if you believe you have histamine intolerance. This will help find the direct root cause of the histamine intolerance so that you can target that first. It is so important to find and heal the root cause, otherwise the intolerance will keep coming back.

How to Find Doctors That Take a Holistic Approach check out that link and/or ask in the subscriber chat for recommendations in your area!!! IF you think you may have histamine intolerance, I recommend checking out THIS PAGE and starting there. I have also included wonderful sources, and books to support the process below.

I am going to share a few things I am doing currently as well. So let’s get into it: