FAQ Episode 9: How does histamine formed in the gut affect migraines?

A question from one of your Natural Migraine Relief classmates.

Hi! Jeff Baker here again, as your physician host for Frequently Asked Questions about Natural Migraine Relief for Women.  Today I’d like to answer a question from one of the Natural Migraine Relief classmates. In the course, we discuss how excess histamine, also known as histamine intolerance, is one of ten or more factors that promote inflammation as a root cause factor for migraines. The question is: “How does histamine formed in the gut affect migraines?“

Excess histamine promotes vasodilation and neuroinflammation which can be underlying factors in migraine headaches. See my list at the end of this article to review general histamine excess symptoms.*    There are two broad versions of histamine mismatch, or “intolerance” which are: either:

-not having enough of the enzymes that are needed to break down histamine, or

-ingesting or producing too much histamine

In the course we talked about 1) how to augment the histamine-clearing enzymes, and 2) how to minimize the foods that provide excess histamine. Let’s go to a third element, which is how the gut can contribute to a histamine imbalance.   There are two main factors at play here:

  -histamine enters the gut from food or is made by bacteria in the gut.

  -the DAO enzyme which breaks down histamine is made in the small bowel lining.

If you are already reducing histamine-containing foods, and also taking DAO-equivalent enzymes before meals (for those in the class, see MAP directory below) to augment histamine reduction, the remaining action item would be to address the balance of bacterial flora in the bowel.  Some probiotic bacterial strains enhance histamine levels, and some reduce it.  You could be taking a histamine-enhancing probiotic that is not a good mix for your histamine imbalance.  Some species can raise histamine levels and trigger migraines, and migraineurs should avoid or minimize the following probiotic strains: Lactobacillus fermentum, delbrueckii, bulgaricus and casei.

On the other hand, the Lactobacillus bifidobacter strains have a histamine-lowering effect. You may want to focus on a probiotic support that features the Bifido group.  You can spend $40-50/month for the best blends, but there are cost-efficient versions like Happy Microbiome Stress Support Probiotic or Dr. Langer's Ultimate 16 Strain Probiotic with FOS, both by Swanson’s, in the ~$8/month range that will get the job done in most cases.

For class members with questions about histamine as a factor in their migraines:  please review Lesson 7 Part I:  Inflammatory Factors as a root cause of Migraines, and also the within Migraine Action Plan: page 12 for #s 140, 141 and 142, page 16 for # 172, page 20 for #s 206-210 and page 21 for #228.  Also see the Resource Section in Lesson 26 for more details on a Low Histamine diet.

If you are not a class member, I’d like to recommend looking at my Natural Migraine Relief for Women course with its unique Migraine Action Plan™ tool to help you assess the potential overlap of 60+ health conditions and medical co-morbidities, while directing you to which of more than 90 specific non-drug intervention options are most applicable to your migraine story.

To learn more about this course, what it offers, and how to get started, go to http://www.naturalmigrainerelief.online

Also, remember to subscribe to my youtube channel or this Substack blog to get regular postings on Frequently Asked Questions about Natural Migraine Relief for Women.

Thanks for joining me today and I’ll be back soon with fresh perspectives, questions and answers about Natural Migraine Relief.  

Meanwhile, here are the histamine excess symptoms I mentioned earlier:

* Histamine excess or intolerance symptoms can include:

   -flushing

   -sudden shifts in body temperature, which are potentially worse around

       menopause

   -sudden excessive sweating

   -hives, rashes, swelling, itchy skin, or eczema

   -a racing heart, or palpitations. 

   -women with histamine excess are also more prone to migraines and

       menstrual cramps.