Does histamine affect your breathing in CFS?

[David Tyrer]

Just as the title says: I've not heard about this in CFS until I joined this forum and have done a tiny bit of googling. So does histamine have an impact on breathing in CFS, and how are levels normalised, i.e. just with normal anti-histamines?

I've no idea what's causing my breathing probs but I've been taking anti-histamines for over a year now every day. I don't think it helps an awful lot but it's become almost a habit now.

So how does histamine come into this, of if there's any reading already on these forums, please just point me in that direction.

 

[Carl#1]

The problem is not histamine itself, it is with Kidney energy ie high cortisol, depressed mood, anxiety which all go together when the Kidney energy in TCM is depleted. supporting the Kidney energy helps breathing and lowers/normalizes cortisol levels.

Histamine can affect sleep and usually goes along with increased Liver demands which are placed upon the body in CFS. That tends to contribute along with histamine to the awaking in the early hours.

I use Tu Si Zi (Dodder seed) to support my kidney energy. It also increases the pituitary weight in tests on animals and hypothalamus function. It can be a little bit constipating but it is worth countering that for it's beneficial effects IMO. To do that increasing Choline intake and adding a source of Acetyl groups such as Acetyl-L-Carnitine helps produce Acetylcholine which helps the bowel movement. Large amounts of lecithin can be helpful but the choline content is fairly low but it does have other beneficial effects such as on cell membranes which tend to be affected by the choline deficiencies.

Tu Si Zi is often taken with Gou Qi Zi (Wolfberry and often corrupted to Goji berry)

 

[JES]

The problem is not histamine itself, it is with Kidney energy ie high cortisol, depressed mood, anxiety which all go together when the Kidney energy in TCM is depleted. supporting the Kidney energy helps breathing and lowers/normalizes cortisol levels.

It is well established that histamine causes bronchoconstriction, so I don't know how you can state with confidence that OP's breathing problems are not caused by histamine release. Then to relate it with unproven TCM concepts makes even less sense to me. Everyone with asthma or a mast cell disorder knows excessive histamine release affects all kinds of organs in the body, including airways.

 

[David Tyrer]

It is well established that histamine causes bronchoconstriction, so I don't know how you can state with confidence that OP's breathing problems are not caused by histamine release. Then to relate it with unproven TCM concepts makes even less sense to me. Everyone with asthma or a mast cell disorder knows excessive histamine release affects all kinds of organs in the body, including airways.

Hi JES,

Thanks for clarifying that. I'm fairly newly diagnosed and no specialist has yet been able to put their finger on what has caused my breathing issues specifically, and all previous reading I'd done suggested that histamine would definitely affect my breathing so that first response was a little confusing/contrary to that reading.

I'm going to have to dig a bit deeper and see if this is something I can take to my doctor for his input.

 

[Issie]

Look at all the threads on MCAS. There is alot here. We are starting to have more information on mast cell issues and it for sure can affect your breathing. In fact the mast cell stabilizer I use is GastroCrom and it originally was created for people with asthma.

 

[David Tyrer]

Look at all the threads on MCAS. There is alot here. We are starting to have more information on mast cell issues and it for sure can affect your breathing. In fact the mast cell stabilizer I use is GastroCrom and it originally was created for people with asthma.

Thanks Issie, I will be sure to take a look!