Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[Green12]

I have to tell you all--I've been off the filtered water almost 2 weeks now, and the heart palpitations that I've had since last fall have stopped!! I'm so happy I had an echocardiogram done on my heart and had to wear a Holter Monitor for 24 hours a while back because no one could figure out what was causing the palps. My GP had finally chalked it up to menopause--but I didn't agree. They were almost constant and were driving me nuts! Usually when they happen in menopause, they come with hot flashes. Mine were there all the time. I even started a thread about it back last fall. I also didn't end up thinking they were gluten related, because they've gone on so long. It's clear that they had to do with the coconut/filter sensitivity. There is no other explanation as to why in the last 2 weeks, my digestion and the palps have improved so much.

That's amazing Patti! I'm glad your digestion has improved and no more heart palps, who would have thought coconut in the water filter?

Our health problems are so complicated and complex, it's hard to believe something so simple can make all the difference, I'm glad this water challenge has made a huge difference for you

[Guest Robbin]

Wow, Patti, that is amazing. I had never heard of this. Just think of all the things we use regularly that could be poisoning us. Makes you wonder how many people in the dr. offices and hospitals are being treated for diseases that are really dietary and environmental. Probably most of them.

[Rachel--24]

Rachel-

you and I have so many similar symptoms- so what exactly are you trying to avoid right now- maybe I can pick up some tips

Miamia

I'm avoiding all the foods which either contain histamine or trigger the release of histamine. There are alot of foods involved....and also included in things to avoid on a histamine restricted diet are food additives and preservatives. I'm avoiding all of them for a long time anyway cuz I've been aware of reactions to those things but I wasnt aware they were related to histamine until recently. Those include food dyes, bezoates, BHA, BHT, Sulfites and MSG. I only found out I need to avoid MSG and Sulfites halfway through this thread.

Its kind of like connecting the dots....or finding all the pieces in a puzzle. All these things I've discovered add up to ONE thing. I've always felt that but its been 15 months now of trying to get that final piece of the puzzle. It could be histamine. Its obvious I have constant histamine reactions but I never knew there was such a thing as actual histamine intolerance. Apparantly its not that uncommon.

Basically it comes down to sticking to a histamine restricted diet and taking antihistimine. I'm already on the Keto so we'll see what happens with the diet. Its something I've never tried before but seems really logical and I'm feeling alot better already. Eventually all of this is gonna come together....I just know it. Its been alot of work.....almost all work and no play for 15 months straight...but the end result will hopefully give me my life back.

This whole thing started out with migraines, burning sensations, flushing, hot flashes, lightheadedness, swelling...etc. The histamine reactions are not only painful but when its bad enough you can actually see the veins in my temples and forehead pulsing and they will stay swollen for quite some time. I also get itchy prickly sensations, burning skin and tongue, excess mucus, and the swelling of nasal passage makes it more difficult to breathe through my nose. The swelling and pulsing of my veins causes headaches, eye pain and alot of pressure in my ears as well as my whole head. It sucks and its just been that way for too long now.....I've had good days, but obviously not knowing what triggers a full blown reaction makes it impossible to stay feeling good for long. Do you get any symptoms like these?

Do a search on histamine intolerance or histamine restricted diet....you'll get lots of lists of stuff to avoid. If you're like me and already avoiding food additives and alot of other foods its not that hard to follow this diet. Most of the "bad" stuff I'm not eating anyway. I was eating alot of fruits that I had to cut out and also this diet explains all my problems with dried fruit as well. I'm gonna give it 4 weeks and see what happens.

[Guest Robbin]

OMg, dried fruit-apricots-gave me the symptoms you describe. Was it the sulfites used as a preservative or a natural msg in the dried fruit itself (sorry for the stupid question) ? I am wondering since I thought maybe I would try drying some fruit myself and apricots were my favorite.

[Rachel--24]

I am still, as many of us are, searching for clues as to what the root problem is, and quite frankly I feel like I am in a rat's maze sometimes.

Robbin,

There has to be a root cause for a histamine intolerance. I've read some stuff about the body lacking whats needed to break it down, intestinal fermentation, etc. I think it comes down to something going wrong in the digestive tract. Damage to the intestinal wall, flora imbalance, something of this nature. Something that disrupted the bodies ability to break down histamines and consequently created an overload. I'm also guessing if a person was naturally a "high histamine type" and then suffered damage to the intestinal lining from gluten intolerance.....wouldnt that create a huge problem with the mast histamine cells being constantly "stimulated" in the absence of an intact mucousal layer in the intestines??

Does this make sense?

OMg, dried fruit-apricots-gave me the symptoms you describe. Was it the sulfites used as a preservative or a natural msg in the dried fruit itself (sorry for the stupid question) ? I am wondering since I thought maybe I would try drying some fruit myself and apricots were my favorite.

All dried fruits are HIGH in sulfites....especially apricots. However, I bought only organic "unsulphered" dried fruits and still had problems....although not as severe. This is what was causing all my bloating and "ovary" pains last month.....plus all the other symptoms. I couldnt figure it out. It wasnt sulfites or msg. More research on histimines showed that all of the fruits I was eating are high in histamines....more so if dried but even fresh they are restricted on the diet.

To everyone in R-Ville:

I apologize for the serious nature of my posts today. I know...I know.....Rachelville is meant to be a happy place and void of all illness and things of that nature. I will get back to the fun stuff later.

BTW....where is everyone today??

And where the heck is Andrea... I'm worried about her.

Oh...didnt she say she was gonna spend more "mommy" time with the kids?? Did she say that or did I just make that up in my mind?

[rinne]

I have to tell you all--I've been off the filtered water almost 2 weeks now, and the heart palpitations that I've had since last fall have stopped!! I'm so happy I had an echocardiogram done on my heart and had to wear a Holter Monitor for 24 hours a while back because no one could figure out what was causing the palps. My GP had finally chalked it up to menopause--but I didn't agree. They were almost constant and were driving me nuts! Usually when they happen in menopause, they come with hot flashes. Mine were there all the time. I even started a thread about it back last fall. I also didn't end up thinking they were gluten related, because they've gone on so long. It's clear that they had to do with the coconut/filter sensitivity. There is no other explanation as to why in the last 2 weeks, my digestion and the palps have improved so much.

Patti, after reading what you had to say about the water challenge last night I went out and bought a case of water. Thank you so much for posting about this, I think you may be on to something. Reading your post I realize that I have been in denial about heart palpitations that have started in the last year or so. I just kept thinking menopause. So, 24 hours into the water challenge and I do feel a little better but I also avoided all grains yesterday. Funny and wonderful how the world can work, I was talking to someone today who said they just realized that they had a reaction to coconuts and I was able to tell them about the water filters.

This thread reminds me of a story a First Nation's, Cheyenne, man told me about when he was a young man, he was asked by an elder to break an arrow and he did and then he was asked to break two at once and he did and then three but it was more difficult and then four but he could not. We are like that here in Rachelville, standing together we support each other and we are stronger for it.

[Rachel--24]

Oh...I think red wine would be one of the worst offenders for a person with histamine sensitivity. Anyone experience this? When I first tried out the gluten-free diet I ordered some red wine at a restaraunt since I couldnt have beer. OMG....the reaction was major and it was all over my body. I'll never touch wine again after that!

[Camille'sBigSister]

Rachel, sorry if I missed it, but did you give a source for a histamine restricted diet?

Cissie

[Guest Robbin]

Oh...I think red wine would be one of the worst offenders for a person with histamine sensitivity. Anyone experience this? When I first tried out the gluten-free diet I ordered some red wine at a restaraunt since I couldnt have beer. OMG....the reaction was major and it was all over my body. I'll never touch wine again after that!

Rachel, I would be interested in a link to the diet, too (sorry if I missed it before)

RED WINE IS THE WORST FOR ME!!! OMg.. this is so amazing. It MUST be related to the gluten intolerance somehow. This has got to be either the cause or the effect of the gluten intolerance. Probably the effect. It is just too prevalent in the gluten-free/rachelville community. Rinne, that story was so beautiful in its simplicity. You have a wonderful way with words btw.

Ooops, have to go-DS wants to get online Have a good night All.

[Rachel--24]

Rachel, sorry if I missed it, but did you give a source for a histamine restricted diet?

Cissie

There are lots of sources online...here are a few I have bookmarked.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

[Mango04]

I'm glad you found another puzzle piece Rachel. It seems to make a lot of sense. It's amazing how each time you come up with a new theory, it doesn't discredit all the old theories, but rather brings the whole picture into clearer focus...

Oh and I just have to add...we're about to hit page 200!

[dlp252]

Argggg, we had a brown out for a couple of hours here so I couldn't get online.

Patti - that is amazing!

Rachel - OMG I have many of those symptoms...

Cry easily (yup although not as bad since gluten/casein free)

Itch/Scratch - OMG majorily...it woke me up out of a sound sleep last night and was FIERCE)

Seasonal allergies - yep

Excessive mucus - yep, also not as bad since gluten/casein free though

Nausea - yep, sometimes just thinking of something will make me feel nauseated although it's selective...I can look at blood and operations and stuff on TV, but can't look at worms

Inner tension - yep

Blank mind - OMG look back over my posts in this thread over the last few days, lol. I frequently just blank out when I'm talking, God don't stop my talking, lol.

Abnormal fears - yep...won't drive to San Francisco to save my life

Light sleep/insomnia - MAJOR BIG TIME ALL MY LIFE SORT OF THING (sorry for shouting, lol)

Large nose and my 2nd toe is slightly larger than my big toe on my right foot--they're about even on my left

Pulse in the head - Oh yes...better now but in October through January it was every night.

Maybe it's worth a test of a week or two. I know I eat a ton of histamine foods...I think you've mentioned quite a few that I eat regularly.

[Green12]

There are lots of sources online...here are a few I have bookmarked.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

OMG, I really do think you are onto something!!

I have always gone the alternative health route, after many miserable and infuriating experiences with main stream med docs (but that's irrelevant), and one of the things I did was the bioscan machine, don't know if anyone has heard of these or not? But anyway, I went to a Naturopath for several years who used one of these machines and one of the problems I had that we couldn't make any progress with was the amount of histamine that would register for me, it was through the roof! We could never get to the root of my health problems because the histamine was so high, so I spent the majority of those years taking supplements and doing NAET treatments, and other things, in order to address the high histamine levels.

This makes sense that with our conditions, leaky gut, unbalanced bowl flora, etc., etc, that we are unable to tolerate many foods, triggering histamine response, high levels of histamine in the body, more sensitive to more foods, it's a never ending cycle.

This is a HUGE relevation.

I think I am going to apply it to me and my conditions and see if I get any relief.

[Rachel--24]

Rachel, I would be interested in a link to the diet, too (sorry if I missed it before)

RED WINE IS THE WORST FOR ME!!! OMg.. this is so amazing. It MUST be related to the gluten intolerance somehow. This has got to be either the cause or the effect of the gluten intolerance. Probably the effect. It is just too prevalent in the gluten-free/rachelville community.

I read that some bacteria release histamine....even more so after high carbohydrate meals. This contributes greatly to the histamine overload. I already know I have too much bad bacteria and not enough good....this is a common result of gluten intolerance so I'm sure you're right. Its all stemming from years of undiagnosed gluten intolerance. My doctor says that we dont just become intolerant overnight when the symptoms start popping up....we were born with it and even though we could spend alot of years with sub-clinical gluten intolerance (no obvious symptoms) something will eventually happen to break the camels back and BOOM....here we are. It might *seem* like it happened overnight but in reality we were setting ourselves up for this all along....unknowingly eating gluten and causing damage. If you think about it....what does the damage do? One thing it does is cause leaky gut....so I'm sure we lived for many years with an intestinal lining that was slowing getting damaged and leaking stuff into the bloodstream. So what are some of the most toxic things we would be sending into our leaky guts? Of course gluten, but also MSG, Sulfites, food dyes and all the other hazardous chemicals in our everyday food. Its no wonder we begin reacting to these things. So then, our bodies are constantly reacting to these offenders with increased histamine, histamine is natural reaction to anything the immune system sees as an "allergen". Next thing you know we have alot of histamine...too much for those of us with weakened digestive tracts, bacteria overgrowths and disrupted enzyme production. Its a histamine cascade....nothing but problems after that.

What do you guys think? Sometimes my head just starts rolling with ideas but most of it's just speculation.

Sheeesh...I feel like my posts are WAY too serious for this thread now!

[Rachel--24]

It's amazing how each time you come up with a new theory, it doesn't discredit all the old theories, but rather brings the whole picture into clearer focus...

Mango....this is exactly why I dont give up! Its just like you said....it all makes the picture more and more clear with each new discovery! Its exciting in a way. If each new thing discredited the last thing or if each thing were to lead to a dead end it would lead to such frusteration...but the way this keeps heading in the same direction keeps me very focused and determined to get to the answer. Its all "linked" in some way.

When are you leaving us? I'm getting sad.

YAY.....page 200....I cant believe this thread....its taken on a life of its own. Its become its own town!

It makes me happy that this magical thread has changed all of our lives in some small way. Its brought us some happiness, hope, and alot of laughs.

Friendships were made here, ideas are shared here, we all just get along so well and I look forward to the laughs everyday.

Thanks guys....for all the support, for making the bad days bearable and the good days even better!

[Fiddle-Faddle]

QUOTE

Some Signs of High Histamine

The more of the following that apply to you the more likely you are to be a high-histamine type.

High histamine types tend to:

• Cry easily <----------not until I got sick

• Hear their pulse in their head on the pillow at night <----------I've experienced this my whole life

• Itch and scratch a lot <-----yup

• Have seasonal allergies <-------nope

• Have a low pain threshold with regular headaches and other aches and pains <----------yup

• Produce excessive mucous <---------yup

• Feel nauseous easily <----------yup

• Have a high sex drive and easy orgasm <----------no comment

• Experience inner tension or ‘driven’ feelings <----------yeah....I've always had this "feeling"

• Have episodes of ‘blank mind’ <---------yup

• Suffer with depression and sometimes suicidal thoughts <-----really bad before diet changes

• Have abnormal fears, compulsions, rituals <-------nope

• Be a light sleeper or experience severe insomnia <--------I'm a light sleeper

• Appear to tolerate a lot of alcohol or drugs <------Hmmm...maybe this is why I could always drink and drink and barely get a buzz going!! How can a 105 lb. woman be able to drink the same as a 200 lb. man??

• Have a fast metabolism with high body temperature. <---------big time until they nuked my thyroid

• Be of lean build with little body hair <---------I'm lean but I have normal amounts of body hair

• Have a large nose or ears, long fingers and toes (and often a longer second toe than the first) <------nope...all my parts are normal size

• Have excellent teeth <--------yup

__________________________________________________________________

Hey, am I the only one noticing many symptoms of Asperger's here????

[Rachel--24]

I looked up Aspergers

Asperger's Syndrome Symptoms & Signs

Abnormal nonverbal communication, such as problems with eye contact, facial expressions, body postures, or gestures.

Failure to develop peer relationships.

Scapegoating by other children as "weird" or "strange".

Lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests or achievements with other people (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people).

Markedly impaired expression of pleasure in other people's happiness.

Inability to return social or emotional feelings.

Inflexible about changes in specific routines or rituals.

Repetitive finger flapping, twisting, or whole body movements.

Preoccupation with restricted areas of interest (unusually narrow or unusually intense). Some examples are

obsession with train schedules, phone books, stamp collecting, or other collections of objects.

Preoccupation with parts of whole objects.

Repetitive behaviors, including repetitive self-injurious behavior.

There is no general delay in language.

There is no delay in cognitive development, or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills or in curiosity about the environment.

I seriously dont have any of these symptoms

[Rachel--24]

Abnormal fears - yep...won't drive to San Francisco to save my life

LOL.....I dont know if that qualifies as being "abnormal" since half the people I know have this fear.

Light sleep/insomnia - MAJOR BIG TIME ALL MY LIFE SORT OF THING (sorry for shouting, lol)

Wow Donna! Why are you SHOUTING at us??

Did you just have a relevation or something??

OMG.....I just only now for the first time noticed that Mango's name is Meredith!

Was your name always in your sig? I swear....sometimes I am so oblivious.

I was just thinking the other day "I wonder what Mango's name is?" DUH!

[Green12]

What do you guys think? Sometimes my head just starts rolling with ideas but most of it's just speculation.

I think it all makes sense, and Mango is right, it doesn't negate anything that you've come up with before, it's just another piece to the puzzle, and it works along with everything else.

I had been at this too long with all kinds of info in my head and theories, and what to do's, and what not to do's...it all got so confusing and jumbled. You are looking at it with fresh eyes and you are making sense of things so quickly.

Argggg, we had a brown out for a couple of hours here so I couldn't get online.

Donna, what is a "brown" out? How is it different from a "black" out? I've never heard of this...

FYI, about the chicken and your itching, Rachel's histamine relevation I suspect is the reason for this. Just a hunch.

[Rachel--24]

Donna, what is a "brown" out? How is it different from a "black" out? I've never heard of this...

LMAO....Julie, I was thinking the same thing....I figured I was the only one "not in the know" so I left it alone.

You know how it is....I'm the only one who never heard of the people who are like the Amish people but more modernized. I cant even remember what they were called now??? It sarted with an "M"??

WTF...how did I forget this new info so rapidly?

Anyways....its nice to know I'm not the only one whos never heard of a "brown out".

I'm not so sure Donna didnt just make it up right now.

[Green12]

I'm not so sure Donna didnt just make it up right now.

I know, gotta watch that Donna, too many Bumble Bars and she is two sheets to the wind, making up stuff, crazy talk.....

[Rachel--24]

OMG....I just traveled back to page one for the first time since....well, since I first posted there....whenever that was (yes, I'm very bored right now).

Anyways, check this out. This is from my first post:

Well I've been struggling for quite some time now. It doesnt matter what I eliminate I'm still sick. Its like it HAS to be something that is constantly in my system because I havent had a single symtom-free day for over 3 years now.

Its histamine!!

OMG...I think I might be on to something!

I know, gotta watch that Donna, too many Bumble Bars and she is two sheets to the wind, making up stuff, crazy talk.....

ROFLMAO!!

Dont tell me we need another intervention here?

I'm quoting Donna here....she pretty much admits she makes stuff up sometimes...

OMG look back over my posts in this thread over the last few days, lol. I frequently just blank out when I'm talking

She's trying to say it could be related to histamine....but we all know its more of a Bumble Bar thing.

C'mon Donna,

Please admit you need help with the Bumble Bars....we're all here to support you!

Brown Out???

ROFLMAO

[rinne]

Wow.

Rachel, that is amazing, yet another layer peeled away. Congratulations.

[Rachel--24]

Wow.

Wow what??

What did I miss?

[Rachel--24]

Rachel, that is amazing, yet another layer peeled away. Congratulations.

Ahhh...I missed this other half of your post earlier.

Thanks Rinne,

Sheeesh...I'm thinking the layers have got to be coming to an end sometime soon. How many layers can there possibly be?? Feels like I've been peeling non-stop and I'm never getting to the end.

I think if all the layers get peeled and the answer is finally "revealed" to us..... we are gonna have the biggest party here in Rachelville!!

I cant wait!

Jersey,

That is so great about the water challenge!!!

I cant believe it was the coconut filter all along....I cant believe someone actually figured out the fliter was derived from coconut!!

I would have never thought of that in a million years!

So many relevations taking place here today!!

I'm telling you.....soon we are all gonna be getting better....its gonna happen....thats the purpose of this thread! Its magical.