I’ve recently had a neurotransmitter test done and I have very very low levels of brain histamine. Does anyone know how to raise these levels ?
Seems most people have high histamine so I’m not having much luck on how to raise histamine . Any recommendations are appreciated !

This was a bit harder to find. It seems that histamine hardly passes the blood-brain barrier. Also, there are mechanisms in place in order to keep it out – HNMT is found in the walls of blood vessel where blood-borne histamine gets inactivated. There’s also a shuttle from the brain to the blood that may help to drain brain histamine after excessive surges.
http://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/physrev.00043.2007

That said, one of the bad effects of histamine is that it can make the BBB more open in general.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10696506

To lower histamine levels, eat only fresh foods- eggs, chicken, rice, gluten free pasta/crackers, cream cheese, butter, coconut oil, olive oil, non-citrus juices, milk, herbal teas (not coffee, black tea), fresh/frozen fish, fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables. No tomatoes, strawberries, vinegar, matured cheeses, pickled/canned foods, shellfish, salami and other cured meats, sausages, ham, bologna, etc. No beans, nuts chocolate, peanut butter, ready meals, deli food because its been sitting ,energy drinks, as these are all high in histamines, so the key to low histamine is fresh.

To reduce high tryptase levels, take lactoferrin. (Should be a link back to lactoferrin here). Colostrum is another supplement with lactoferrin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactoferrin Human colostrum (“first milk”) has the highest concentration, followed by human milk, then cow milk (150 mg/L).[3]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10197050 “Inhibitors of tryptase for the treatment of mast cell-mediated diseases.” (These inhibit tryptase elevated in Mast Cell Activation Disorders, Ehlers Danlos and POTs which are linked together in a disease called Familial Tryptasemmia, which also includes these symptoms- chronic skin flushing, itching, or hives, bee sting allergy, dizziness and/or difficulty maintaining a normal pulse and blood pressure, sometimes diagnosed as dysautonomia or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), chronic head, back, and joint pain, hypermobile joints, scoliosis, retained primary teeth or other skeletal abnormalities, sometimes diagnosed as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Type III, hypermobile type, GI disturbances including heartburn, IBS, and numerous food and drug reactions and intolerances, anxiety, depression, and/or behavioral disturbances). The first three drugs to inhibit tryptase are synthetic and the last is lactoferrin also found in the supplement colostrum: 1) peptidic inhibitors (e.g., APC-366), 2) dibasic inhibitors (i.e., pentamidine-like), 3) Zn(2+)-mediated inhibitors (i.e., BABIM-like), and 4) heparin antagonists (e.g., lactoferrin). They have implicated tryptase as a mediator in the pathology of numerous allergic and inflammatory conditions including rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and most notably asthma. A growing body of data further implicates tryptase in certain gastrointestinal (IBS), dermatological (excema), and cardiovascular disorders as well.

“Mast Cell Activated Disorders” These disorders include these symptoms- 1) Wheezing/pulmonary signs and symptoms -Asthma, Anaphylaxis, Carcinoid tumors. 2) Hives/itching/rash- Atopic dermatosis, Chronic urticaria, Angioedema, Scleroderma, 3) Autoimmune disorders- Vasculitis, Diarrhea/abdominal pain, Allergic reaction to food, Eosinophilic GI disorders, Celiac disease, IBS, VIPoma
4) Hematologic disorders- Myelodysplastic syndrome/myeloproliferative neoplasms, Chronic eosinophilic leukemia.

There’s another enzyme that breaks down histamine called HNMT. Also, painkillers can cause leaky gut.

Thank you!

Wouldn’t anticholinergic drugs like Benadryl up-regulate acetylcholine receptors over time tho??

Carol, thank you so much for your insights. I take Alpha GPC each day to help cope with the Benadryl. I will look into starting Bacopa too as my short term memory is not good!

Joe should link his hormone blogs to this blog entry. Joe is on the right track in his interest of hormones as important signal molecules in autoimmune disorders and the brain gut connection with hormones influencing the initiation of the immune response which includes the maintenance of peripheral tolerance to self-antigens. Hormones, such as pregnenolone, vitamin D, DHEA, estrogens, prolactin, human growth hormone, and especially progesterone (raising it) and cortisol (usually lowering it), may profoundly affect dendritic cells differentiation, maturation and function leading to either a pro-inflammatory or an anti-inflammatory (or tolerogenic) phenotype. A better understanding of the role of sex hormones in the modulation of the brain-gut-microbiota axis should enable a more effective and sex-tailored therapeutic approach in IBS, and autoimmune disorders such as Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis. Click on these links below for explanations of hormones affecting IBD, plus autoimmune disorders.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3949254/ “Sex Hormones in the modulation of irritable bowel syndrome.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27931211 “Gonadectomy effects on the risk of immune disorders in the dog: a retrospective study.” (This study evaluated the prevalence and risk of atopic dermatitis, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, canine myasthenia gravis, colitis, hypoadrenocorticism, hypothyroidism, immune-mediated polyarthritis, immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus erythematosus, and pemphigus complex in neutered dogs. Neutered dogs had a significantly greater risk of atopic dermatitis, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, hypoadrenocorticism, hypothyroidism, immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, and inflammatory bowel disease.)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27585815 “Hormonal Modulation of Dendritic Cells Differentiation, Maturation and Function: Implications for the Initiation and Progress of Systemic Autoimmunity.” (Estrogens, progesterone, prolactin and cortisol affect dendritic cells growth and function leading to either a pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory phenotype- An unbalanced hormonal status affects the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, the expression of activating/inhibitory receptors and co-stimulatory molecules on conventional and plasmacytoid dendritic cells, conferring susceptibility to develop autoimmunity. Estradiol administration to lupus-prone female mice increased the expression of co-stimulatory molecules, enhanced the immunogenicity and produced large amounts of IL-6, IL-12 and TNF-α by bone marrow-derived dendritic cells. These data suggest that estradiol/estrogen receptor signaling may play an active role during lupus pathology.)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1570481/ “The Prevalence of Growth Hormone Deficiency and Celiac Disease.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17086608 “Lower adrenocortical and adrenomedullary responses to hypoglycemia is premenopausal women with systemic sclerosis.” (Evidence showing scleroderma as having decreased adrenocortical and adrenomedullary functions.)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11155790 “Replacement therapy with DHEA, plus corticosteroids in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases– substitutes of adrenal and sex hormones.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27395031 “Network of nuclear receptor ligands in multiple sclerosis: Common pathways and interactions of sex-steroids, corticosteroids and vitamin D3-derived molecules.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28163248“Associations between Endogenous Sex Hormones and MRI Structural Changes in Patients with Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis.” (Low estrogen, testosterone and progesterone association in osteoarthritis.)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25697984 “Hormonal modulation of the immune system – A spotlight on the role of progestogens.” (The immunomodulatory effects of progesterone, especially progesterone’s effect on T cells on the innate and adaptive immunity and its role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.)

A warning Regarding Benadryl and Anticholinergics- Many anticholinergic drugs cause drowsiness and thirst. Many anticholinergic drugs even those

prescribed by doctors, inhibit Delta wave slow wave deep sleep allowing the brain’s glymphatic system to remove the brain’s toxins, cause dementia, inhibit neurotransmission, and disrupt the high cholinergic tone associated with REM sleep affecting procedural memory consolidation. Anticholinergic drugs decrease saliva increasing mouth bacteria and dental plaque, which dental plaque can be found in clogged carotid arteries. Drugs called anticholinergics, block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter. They are used to treat gastrointestinal disorders such as gastritis, diarrhea, pylorospasm, diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, nausea and vomiting. They also treat genitourinary disorders such as cystitis, urethritis and prostatitis. They treat respiratory disorders such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They treat sinus bradycardia due to a hypersensitive vagus nerve. They are used to treat insomnia though usually only on a short term basis. They are used to treat dizziness including vertigo (aka the spins) and motion sickness related symptoms. They include such common over-the-counter brands as Benadryl, Dramamine, Excedrin PM, Nytol, Sominex,Tylenol PM, and Unisom and other decongestants. Other anticholinergic/antispasmodic drugs, which include certain antidepressants, meds to control incontinence, certain pain relievers, antihistamines, decongestants, barbituates, muscle relaxers, benzodiazepines, CNS stimulants, tricyclic antidepressants, and drugs available only by prescription such as Paxil, Detrol, Demerol, Wellbutrin, and Elavil can cause dementia. In total, there are more than 68 doctor prescribed and over the counter anticholinergic/antispasmodics which cause dementia and even some drugs that are prescribed for neurodegenerative disorders are anticholinergic exasperating neurodegenerative disorders! The Fix to undo anticholinergic effects causing dementia- Bacopa and huperzine which inhibit anticholinesterace which is the culprit that breaks down acetylcholine. Piracetam and choline are known to activate the cholinergic system and alleviate cognitive symptoms caused by extended use of anticholinergic drugs.

thanks. we’ll add it to the post.

“Thyroid functions play a role in energy metabolism, thermogenesis, and bone physiology. TRH is synthesized in preoptic, paraventricular, and periventricular neurons, from where it is transported and released into the hypophysial portal circulation. The majority of the TMN neurons are excited by TRH (673), and hypothalamic neuronal histamine in turn has predominantly inhibitory effects on the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis (356). Histamine decreases TRH release and TSH plasma levels through H2R in both hypothalamic and pituitary targets (477). Cimetidine facilitates cold-induced and TRH-induced TSH responses (501, 771). Systemic l-thyroxine administration, along with rises in T3 and T4 levels, increases cortical 5-HT and histamine content, whereas carbimazole treatment lowers histamine, glutamate, and 5-HT levels, suggesting a T3/T4-mediated negative feedback on TRH production by histamine (778). TRH is also a cotransmitter of glutamatergic neurons located in DMH (110) and serotonergic neurons in the raphe implicated in TRH-induced suppression of food intake by histamine (215) and effects on behavioral state (612).”

http://physrev.physiology.org/content/88/3/1183.long

…a revelation to me