DON'T BE SO HISTAMINE

A month or two ago I had to go to the hospital because one side of my face was super swollen. I had just come back from a friends, there house is on a farm so we were outside a lot. My family and I thought it might have been from all of the allergies of the farm but as I learned more about eczema and food allergies, it could have been something else.

The defintion of histamine is a compound which is released by cells in response to injury and in allergic and inflammatory reactions. What that means is if your body is allergic to something such as food, your body will think the substance is a harmful substance even though it is harmless. When the immune system is trying to protect the body, it starts a chain reaction and the cells release histamine into the bloodstream. When the histamine acts on the body, it causes allergies. There is medicine called antihistamine that helps calm down the body when this happens. When I used to get allergy shots, I would have to take a antihistamine before the shots were injected. I am also taking an antihistamine at night so my eczema to calm down and help me sleep.

There are also certain foods that are high in histamine. Some foods that are high in histamine are fermented foods and drinks, avocado, eggplant, spinach, shellfish, and processed foods. Avocado is one that surprised me but it is one of the ones with high histamine. Even though avocado has high histamine, it doesn't mean that I can't still eat it. It just means that I could have a reaction to it because the rest of my body is inflammed.

JATS