What is a histamine reaction?
what’s a histamine reaction?
Histamine reactions are when your body releases histamine, a compound involved in the immune system's inflammatory, or defensive and healing response.
They can occur due to allergies, immune responses or other triggers, and can be irritating or serious.
Histamines are released by mast cells and basophils – types of white blood cells – in response to an allergen or trigger. When histamine is released, it can cause a variety of symptoms like
Skin reactions – itching, hives (raised, red welts), flushing, swelling
Respiratory symptoms – sneezing, congestion, runny nose, coughing, difficulty breathing
Gastrointestinal symptoms – nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain
Other symptoms – headaches, changes in blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, anxiety
These reactions occur when histamine binds to specific receptors on cells in various tissues throughout the body, triggering these kinds of characteristic symptoms.
Allergic reactions, such as to pollen, pet dander, certain foods, medications, or insect stings, often involve the release of histamine. The immune system can mistakenly identifies a harmless substance as a threat, leading to an exaggerated response and the release of histamine.
Where do histamine reactions originate?
In our gut!
It's home to 70-80% of our immune system, and plays a crucial role in the development and modulation of histamine reactions, allergies and MCAS. More on this in my forthcoming gut-histamine-MCAS post