Category: Swelling

Histamine Intolerance Defused

Posted on by Diogenes II

Do not be fooled — our body needs histamine.  We need histamine to help secrete stomach acid, to contract the lungs, gut wall and uterus, to dilate blood vessels so as to manage blood pressure and nutrient distribution. Histamine is involved in the sleep-wake cycle, to keep us up and alert. We also need histamine to act as a neurotransmitter [message communicator] for the brain and to improve all brain function. And we need histamine to activate and regulate the immune system to facilitate tissue repair and wound healing. Histamine is like a fire — the problem with it though is when it is lacking its deactivator, such as DAO and HNMT enzymes, to out the fire. Here, we will discuss the bad and the ugly of this histamine intolerance. We will also discuss the ways to put out the fire.

Histamine is a neurological messenger that awakens your immune system. It reacts to infections and pathogens first, then tells your immune system to do something. How does it work? It alerts cells responsible for distributing water throughout the body of places where there is dehydration. It does this by raising the temperature of the certain region\tissue, thus causing heat and regulated inflammation. This regulated inflammation then causes the body to rush water/hydration to the infected area. Thus you may develop diarrhea if it’s in the colon, runny nose if it’s in the sinuses, and swelling of the brain (aka migraine) if it’s in the head. Being histamine causes dilation of the blood vessels, you may also develop flushing, skin rashes; and also other unspecified uncomfortable reactions, such as gastrointestinal issues and irregular periods.

There may be no such thing as histamine intolerance. The body loves histamine, and could not survive without it. Calling it histamine intolerance is like calling too much water in the body “water intolerance”. What it really should be called is histamine overload or histamine dysregulation. After histamine is activated, certain enzymes are suppose to clear it out (DAO, HNMT, MAO) to prevent it from building up. DAO works extracellular with minerals to clear excess histamine from food and the tissues. HNMT works on an intracellular level, clearing histamine that the body produces from within the cells. MAO may work as a backup to the HNMT enzyme. When these enzymes are defected, then histamine overload or dysregulation is the result.

But where does histamine comes from?

Histamine is found ready-made in certain foods or is created from an essential amino acid also obtained through the diet called histidine, to create L-histidine. This histamine is then formed and stored in a type of white blood cell called mast cell, found in tissues. It is also stored in another type of white blood cell called basophil, found in the blood. These mast cells are found in connective tissues throughout the body and awaken to allergens, infections or tissue damage. When these mast cells burst, they release their capsule-like, granule-filled content, including: tryptase, heparin, cytokine and histamine.

The three main causes of histamine to be overly-activated in the body is most likely from:

1. chronic dehydration

2. toxins building up 

3. pathogenic proliferation.

Causes of chronic dehydration may be from:

➡️ Kidney malfunction, not excreting metabolic waste, causing excess chloride production. This may be due to inadequate potassium and magnesium in the cells and excess sodium outside of the cells, causing a loss of both intracellular and extracellular fluid. This then causes widespread dehydration throughout the body, including mineral loss

➡️ Kidneys, small intestine and thymus THEN does not produce enough DAO to clear out excess histamine

Causes of toxins building up may be from:

➡️ Fatty liver, accumulating stones, thus unable to clear out toxins. Then cholesterol gets stuck in the liver from a lack of hydration, and from a lack of the hydrating fluid bile. This then causes gallstones to develop, congesting the gallbladder.

Causes of pathogenic proliferation may be from:

➡️ Heavy metal toxicity within all systems, especially unbound iron, aluminum, mercury and lead, providing a feeding ground for bacteria from food and within the gut

Thus we develop an overproduction of hydrogen peroxide, which creates more inflammation and a sensitivity to certain high histamine (or histamine liberator) foods, including those susceptible to bacteria:

➡️ Eggs

➡️ Dairy (such as milk and aged cheese)

➡️ Fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, kombucha and kefir

➡️ Certain fruits like avocado, tomato, eggplant, strawberries, citrus, kiwi, banana, pineapple, papaya and even dried fruit

➡️ Certain vegetables, like cauliflower and spinach

➡️ Certain grains, seeds and beans, like corn, peanuts, kidney beans and soy

➡️ Leftover food

➡️ Spoiled seafood like fish

➡️ Alcohol such as red wine and beer

In fact, many people who suffer from small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) may actually be suffering simultaneously from histamine overload,  causing a rise in hydrogen dominant SIBO from excess hydrogen peroxide production. This is because SIBO consumes the DAO enzymes layered on the intestinal wall, causing the inevitable proliferation of histamine.

Taking antihistamine (H1 and H2-receptor antagonists) stops the inflammation caused by histamine, which if done habitually, may be a dangerous thing. If your body wants something to be inflamed, it is doing so for a good reason. Stopping that process may lead to malignancy in the years to come. Antihistamine also causes dehydration, including drying of the mucus on the  membrane — the very thing histamine is trying to correct. Another reason is that antihistamines (particularly first generation) make us drowsy because histamine is involved in the sleep-wake cycle, and depleting histamine in the brain by taking antihistamine, disrupts that process.

Natural antihistamines include stinging nettle and food-source quercetin.

So what will defuse histamine overload?

The number one reason why histamine is activated is because of dehydration and a lack of supporting nutrients. Simply hydrating properly with the right minerals and vitamins should correct the symptoms quickly. But there may be other issues, such as liver congestion, toxins and bacterial proliferation. These other issues will take time to correct.

Being that histamine raises inflammation, that means the body is low in certain minerals and vitamins, like magnesium and vitamin B6 (P5P). Vitamin B6 is an important co-enzyme of the DAO enzyme. It also increases magnesium’s absorption into the cells. Magnesium helps do the job for histamine without the need of raising histamine, like widening blood vessels, to remove toxins and increase nutrient absorption. Furthermore, other food sources high in the other B vitamins help P5P do its job better. Natural vitamin C found in acerola or amla will also speed up internal healing of damaged tissue; and it contains copper too, which is a fantastic healer of damaged cells.
To clear the body of excess toxins, you may try IP-6 with inositol, along with a good brand of modified citrus pectin, in the morning on an empty stomach, or at night, on an empty stomach, away from food, for a few weeks or months. (IP-6 should be used with care. Modified citrus pectin binds to toxins, and takes them out of the body, through the intestines.)
To help speed up healing of the liver, Bhumi amla and kutki will do the trick.
You may also try DOA enzyme supplements, 15 minutes before meals, to deactivate histamine overload.

So in summary, to fix histamine overload, try:

➡️ Drinking more nutrient dense fluid such as pure, sugarfree coconut water, or mineral water such as spring water

➡️ Magnesium (glycinate/malate/taurate)
➡️ Vitamin B6: P5P
➡️ Natural B vitamins: Organic bee pollen/Nutritional yeast
➡️ Natural vitamin C: Acerola or amla

To remove toxins, try:

➡️ [IP-6 with inositol

➡️ modified citrus pectin, (such as Pectasol) on an empty stomach, away from food, day or night]

To decongest the liver and gallbladder, try:

➡️ Bhumi amla

➡️ Kutki

To deactivate histamine overload, try:

➡️ DAO supplement

To help eliminate pathogens, try:

➡️ Organic Pau darco (tea) — inner bark only

➡️ Avoid spoiled or leftover food

Additionally, you may try:

⏺ one ounce of grass fed kidney and liver (from chicken or beef) per day for the DAO, vitamin A and copper content.
⏺ pycnogenol to distribute fluid evenly throughout the body
⏺ Natural antihistamines include stinging nettle and food-source quercetin.

Be Set Free from Edema

Posted on by Diogenes II

 

Edema is a symptom that the body gives us to tell there is something wrong with a major organ. Edema is the manifestation that happens when inside the cells and outside the cells are saturated with water, like a busted pipe within our tissues and organs. This edema can affect anywhere in the body — from the top of the head, to the sole of the feet. In this article, we will cover the most severe form of edema — refractory edema — thereby covering all forms of edema. We will show the mechanism that forms edema, and how to resolve it.

Edema, also spelled oedema, only occurs when and where there is, simply speaking, some type of damage in the body. Refractory edema is a chronic edema that does not respond to diuretic use or sodium restriction. Diuretics is used to flush out excess fluid, and sodium restriction is implemented to reduce fluid retention, since salt holds onto fluid — just like carbohydrates and protein do.  Refractory edema, however, means that the condition is more advanced, and needs to be dealt with more than just adding or taking away nutrients from the diet.

If there is bloating only in the lower right leg, then that is usually considered to be a sign of liver dysfunction — specifically a condition called ascites. If you have ascites, then that means your stomach is most likely also swollen with fluid. If the bloat is only in the lower left leg however, then that may indicate descending colon congestion, left kidney congestion or heart disease. This heart disease could lead to congestive heart failure if left untreated. If both legs are affected, this could mean advanced liver problem that is also affecting the kidneys. If such is the case, there may be also bloating under the eyes as well.

But what causes edema in the first place? Just like a busted pipe will dispense water uncontrollably, so will a busted organ not be able the handle the fluid in the body. The organ that usually starts the cascading failure is, the liver — from injury, that may then lead to a natural inflammatory response, then maybe fibrosis, and if fibrosis is chronic, this could then lead to cirrhosis of the liver. Other events that may lead to edema are hepatitis C and pregnancy. Medication that is damaging to the liver could also be a factor.

If both extremities are swollen, then this is most likely multiple organ failure. At this stage, the body is losing protein more so than it is designed to, and not being able to replace it. Furthermore, if there is high protein loss, then there is also high potassium loss. This quick and sudden excretion is damaging to the kidneys.

When we say the body is losing protein, what that mostly means is that the blood is losing albumin. Albumin is exactly what it sounds like — the same-like gooey-type clear liquid found in egg whites. This albumin transports nutrients and hormones throughout the body and helps to keep fluid inside of blood vessels and capillaries, and out of tissues and organs. At the loss of albumin, fluid buildup then occurs in the organs and tissues, causing fluid retention a.k.a. edema.

As this albumin and potassium make a quick exit out of the kidneys, they damage the sensitive glomeruli that acts as filters. Ideally, the kidneys allow much less than 1 gram of all proteins to filter out in a day (less than 150 milligrams/0.15 grams). But when a condition called nephrotic syndrome occurs, the glomeruli processes 3 or more grams of protein leaking into the urine within a 24 hour period. This becomes very stressful and damaging to the kidneys.

This albumin is the most abundant protein in the blood serum, and is made in the liver, composed of some nearly 600 amino acid residues. If the liver is dysfunction, then albumin will not be made properly, if at all. And even when it is made, it may become quickly oxidized by free radicals. So an albumin problem first starts in the liver, then makes its way down to the kidneys.

Edema comes in many forms and have many names. There is peripheral edema, which affects the extremities. Then there is cerebral edema which affects the brain. There is pulmonary edema which affects the lungs. There is also lymphedema, which is directly affected by the immobility of the lymphatic system. I personally developed a form called pedal edema, that affected my lower right leg, ankle and feet — when I accidentally injured myself with the edge of a paint scraper. The treatment by allopathic medicine usually depends by edema type, which could range from something as basic as compression socks, to a more advanced or even holistic type all encompassing treatment.

I had what might have been called pedal edema, for 4 years, before I finally discovered the solution that completely reverse it — in days!

There are a combination of 5 supplements, including herbs, that have repeatedly shown positive results in reversing just about all forms of edema. It goes like this:

Pycnogenol: I took this supplement for 5 days with P5P, and my edema disappeared thereafter. Pycnogenol improves circulation and blood flow.

P5P: I took this synthetic form of B6 for a few days, and my edema disappeared, but came back one week later. Only when I combined it with pycnogenol did my edema disappear for good.

Mangistha: Mangistha gets the lymphatic system moving, thus it is good for edema, especially lymphedema.

Astragalus: Chronic edema damages the filtration mechanism of the kidneys — but this herb fixes that.

Kutki: Most edema problems are really a liver problem — this herb help fix all stages of liver dysfunction, including fibrosis and cirrhosis.

In addition to these, you want to support whole body function with a healthy diet of adequate potassium and other B vitamins. These include: Black beans, asparagus, bok choy, yu choy, parsnip, yam, sweet potato, kohlrabi, crimini mushrooms and lichens. You may also want to reduce excess sugar, since such encourages edema re-activation.

 

 

 

 

 

Belly Fat: The Root Cause

Posted on by Diogenes II

 

When your stomach is permanently bloated with ‎belly fat, think the worst, but hope for the best — you may have fatty liver. Fatty liver is a serious condition since a healthy liver is of vital importance to overall health. If the liver and its bile storage sac — the gallbladder — are clogged, then every other organ is affected — every other organ is clogged. Even the blood is clogged.

I have been looking like I was pregnant since I was 3 years old. I always had a hard, bloated stomach — and I always suffered from chronic constipation because of stress, a dysfunctional family, bad grades, poverty and loneliness.
I surprisingly overcame my constipation at the age of 20 simply by taking vitamin B1 (50 mg) for four days. Wow!!!

But the bloated, hard stomach continued. I realized I had damaged my liver and intestines almost permanently with the stress and bad choices I had made.
Insulin is a major cause of belly fat, visceral fat, fatty liver, ascites, or whatever you may want to call it. But I would like to add something else.

Our small intestine is long — very long. Ranging from 9 feet in length, up to 34 feet; but typically between 15 to 20 feet in length. If there is a traffic jam, guess what? Big problems. So I’ve learned if there is something wrong with the stomach, then there is something wrong with the liver, the gallbladder, the bile duct, the pancreas, the spleen, the intestines, the blood, and the lymphatic system. Wow! Where to start then?

Recently, I’ve been noticing a lot of products sold within the United States is enriched (wheat) flour, meaning fortified with iron, meaning synthetic iron filing, meaning rusting the organs. Could these synthetic iron filings be causing a disruption in the gut? Could it be damaging the pancreas? Could it be one of the causes, if not the main cause of insulin resistance, and thus belly fat? Could it be that we have too much free iron in us, wreaking havoc, in us?

A chronic bloated stomach, or belly fat, is a blatant indication that your internal organs are not working properly. Your endocrine system and the hormones it produces are not working properly. Your process of detoxification and elimination are compromised. Your lymphatic system, which can also be regarded as a drainage system, is most likely clogged somewhere. The lymph nodes may be even building toxins and becoming swollen. In severe cases, your blood may become so toxic from metabolic waste backing up, that it may have no choice but to use your own skin as a source of dumping site. Thus you develop the manifestation of skin disorders: psoriasis, eczema, acne. And the list goes on.

From personal experience, soft belly fat may not be that dangerous. It could simply be fat accumulation, namely subcutaneous fat, caused by hormonal imbalance. However, if the belly fat is hard and bloated, that may be indicative of something more serious. It may indicate small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), or something like too much insulin in the blood! Even more troubling, it may indicate visceral fat, meaning, fat is accumulating around the organs, vital organs — especially the liver. The liver is a living organ that needs space, and needs to breathe. Fat accumulation around this organ is sinister, filled with carbon dioxide, toxins and metabolic waste. This type of fat stifles the liver, and prevents it from performing its vital duties.

When the liver is stifled and prevented from doing its duties, the blood takes a hit. It becomes thick and dirty. When the blood loses its vitality, the lymphatic system takes a hit. Instead of draining toxins and metabolic waste, it too becomes clogged and polluted, like a toilet bowl filled with sewage that just won’t flush! Then the heart takes a hit – the birth of hypertension and heart disease!

As I indicated earlier — so long as we’re not practicing any other obvious bad habits — the food we eat may be the main culprit for these cascading events. Manufacturers are processing food in such a way, they deplete all of the nutrients out of them. These manufacturers think they are doing us a favor by putting these nutrients back in synthetic form. But vitamins and minerals made in a lab does not come close to the real thing, even though chemistry-wise, they may look like the real thing. Our bodies will indeed accept these chemically derived nutrients for a while. But eventually, microscopic damage will slowly build up into inflammation and autoimmune diseases that could have been avoided if we were consuming real food, the way nature intended.

Read the labels of the food you buy. Beware of anything listed as:

Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}, Folic Acid) 🔻 Hydrogenated Rapeseed 🔻 Maltodextrin 🔻 Aspartame 🔻 High Fructose Corn Syrup 🔻 Ascorbic Acid 🔻 Soy Lecithin 🔻 Invert Sugar 🔻 Artificial Color 🔻 Canola Oil 🔻 Palm Oil and Carrageenan.

Often, on these labels, “enriched flour” usually tops the list, meaning, this is the main ingredient. Like I said earlier, enriched flour is simply a fancy word for, among other things, synthetic iron filings. If iron is not absorbed properly in our bodies, then, like tools left out in the rain and environment, it will rust our organs. Iron is notorious for rusting our liver. Iron needs a carrier, like hemoglobin or haptoglobin to perform its functions properly. If it is free and unbound, as is the case with “enriched flour”, then it is no longer a mineral. Like mercury, lead, and arsenic, it is now a heavy metal, wreaking havoc and puncturing holes where it should not be. The body thus considers it a foreign object, and treats it as such — because it is. Now comes the birth of what we may call gluten intolerance or celiac disease or autoimmune disease. Now comes leaky gut, gallstones in the gallbladder, pancreatitis, insulin resistance, diabetes, Hashimoto’s, Parkinson’s disease and a host of other diseases science has no clue what causes them. Or so they claim.

So what is the solution? Eat healthy. Eat fresh vegetables, especially leafy greens, and fruits, especially berries, made by nature, which gained their life-force from the sun. Avoid synthetic unless you don’t have a choice. Drink natural spring water that contains minerals. Eat small amounts of animal meat and their organs, that when they were alive were allowed the graze out in the sun on natural, organic grass, that grow in pristine, rich, mineral soil. Consider certain sea-foods like oysters, harvested from pristine waters and rich in mineral content, on a limited bases.

But the damage done may have been so strong, that we may need to take it a step further. We may need to add certain healing herbs to fix and cleanse the liver, blood and lymphatic system. For the liver, the ayurvedic herb kutki is legendary for rebuilding damages done to it. For the lymphatic system, another ayurvedic herb called manjistha will unclog it, thus simultaneously cleansing the blood. Olive leaf extract has been made famous since biblical times as a healing herb for general health and well-being.

I personally follow these recommendations listed. In addition, I may occasionally include a heavy metal detox with IP-6 – inositol, to chelate unbound iron out of my body. I may also include modified citrus pectin, to bind and chelate any other toxins or heavy metal out of my system. It is not a quick process. It may take months before seeing noticeable results. Keep in mind that herbs should typically be used only three (3) times per week, and are best decocted or infused into tea form. Keep in mind also that IP-6 chelates not only unbound iron, but calcium and zinc as well. So be sure to be re-instituting your body  with food rich in these minerals after the process.