“Pseudo allergies” making up to 70% of women over 40 tired

Millions of women battling fatigue, sneezing and itchy eyes are told they have allergies—but if common remedies bring little relief, another culprit may be to blame: histamine intolerance. The condition occurs when the body’s levels of histamine, an inflammatory chemical involved in the immune response, are elevated. This causes inflammation that triggers allergy-like symptoms. And while 80 percent of sufferers are women over 40, most go undiagnosed. “Histamine intolerance is a ‘pseudo-allergy,’” says medical nutritionist Ronald Hoffman, M.D. “It’s not picked up by conventional allergy and blood tests.”

For 70 percent of women, histamine intolerance is caused by low diamine oxidase (DAO), the enzyme that breaks down excess histamine. Some people are genetically predisposed to low DAO, but the enzyme is produced in the gut, so anyone with gut inflammation (like leaky gut or IBS) is at risk of low DAO.

If you suspect histamine intolerance, try the following tips. If histamine is a problem, you should feel relief in 30 days.

Load up on quercetin. This antioxidant has been shown to inhibit the release of histamine by up to 96 percent. Dr. Hoffman advises starting with 2 capsules (250 to 300 mg each) per day; increase to up to 6 if needed for relief. Also smart: Supplementing with 500 mg of vitamin C three times daily and taking 1 capsule of Umbrellux DAO (UmbrelluxDAO.com) with meals.

Avoid histamine-boosting foods like red wine, aged meat and cheeses, tomatoes and anything with MSG for six weeks, advises Dr. Hoffman. (Note: Consult your doctor if you take a diuretic, antidepressant, heartburn or high blood pressure med, or OTC nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, as some of these can inhibit DAO.)