Histamine intolerance vs MCAS
Histamine intolerance generally refers to difficulty managing your overall histamine load, particularly histamine coming from food. Gut health and the intestinal enzyme DAO can play an important role.
MCAS involves inappropriate activation of mast cells, which can release histamine and many other chemical mediators throughout the body.
This is why simply following a low-histamine diet may not address the whole picture.
Why we look at the gut
The gut plays an important role in histamine metabolism and immune function.
Depending on your presentation, we may look at:
- Gut health and microbiome
- Bloating and bowel function
- Food reactions
- Histamine load
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Previous infections
- Stress and sleep
- Hormonal influences
The goal is to understand why your tolerance may have changed, rather than unnecessarily restricting foods long term.
The nervous system connection
Your gut, immune system and nervous system constantly communicate.
Stress, poor sleep and persistent sympathetic activation can influence digestion, gastrointestinal function and immune signalling.
This is why nervous-system regulation is an important part of how I approach complex histamine and mast-cell presentations.
How acupuncture & Chinese medicine can help
Nervous system regulation
Supporting autonomic balance, stress regulation and sleep.
Gut function
Supporting digestive function, motility and gut-brain signalling.
Immune and inflammatory regulation
Acupuncture research is increasingly exploring its effects on neuroimmune and inflammatory signalling.
Individualised Chinese medicine treatment
Nutrition, lifestyle strategies, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine may be incorporated depending on your presentation.
Japanese & Kiiko acupuncture
I have been working with complex gut, histamine, immune and highly reactive presentations since well before COVID.
My approach incorporates Japanese acupuncture, including Kiiko-style acupuncture, using detailed palpation and physical findings to guide treatment.
Rather than treating everyone with the same set of points, treatment is adapted according to what your body is presenting with on the day.
Histamine, MCAS & COVID
There has been much greater interest in mast cells and histamine since COVID.
Research is investigating mast-cell activation as one possible mechanism contributing to symptoms in a subset of people with Long COVID, although the relationship is still being established.
In clinic, I have also seen more people presenting with complex histamine and mast-cell-type symptoms since the pandemic.
However, this isn’t a new area of clinical interest for me.
I was treating these complex presentations long before COVID brought histamine and mast cells into mainstream conversation.
Look beyond histamine
If you’ve been told to simply avoid high-histamine foods but still don’t understand why you’re reacting, it may be time to look deeper.
Gut. Nervous system. Immune regulation. Nutrition. Lifestyle. Individual triggers.
At HMHB, the goal is to understand the bigger picture and create an individualised treatment strategy around you.