Allergies, histamines and hormones: what do they have in common?

Oct 29 • Detox

We usually think of histamine as the thing that makes us sneeze during allergy season.

But in reality, it’s one of the busiest messengers in your body, involved in energy, digestion, sleep, mood, skin, and even how your immune system reacts to the world around you.

When histamine is in balance, you feel clear, calm, and energized.

But when it builds up faster than your body can break it down, things start to feel off. Headaches, rashes, bloating, itching, and brain fog are just a few of the signs.

So what’s going on behind the scenes?

Two key enzymes keep histamine under control

The DAO (Diamine Oxidase) enzyme works mainly in your gut and helps break down histamine from food.

If DAO is sluggish, histamine can build up after eating things like fermented foods, wine, or certain fruits and veggies.

On the other hand, HNMT (Histamine N-Methyltransferase) works inside your cells, especially in the brain. When it’s not functioning well, you might feel “wired but tired,” restless, or foggy.

Both of these enzymes depend on certain nutrients, like vitamin B6, copper, and magnesium, as well as a healthy gut and liver to work properly.

In addition, the liver is the main organ that controls the levels of histamines in the body. In other words, if the liver is "sluggish", it may not properly eliminate the excess of histamines leading to allergies. So, liver health is critical for properly histamine regulation and therefore for allergy elimination.

Finally, estrogen dominance is a major driver of allergies. That is why balancing hormones eliminate allergies especially in women. And what organ mainly controls estrogen? The liver! Another reason to make sure that your liver function is optimal!

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