Category Archives: Conditions

Unknown's avatar lassesen 12:09 am on December 26, 2015  

Radio and Chemical Sensitivity

I was sent a December 2015 article looking at this. Before getting into it, I would like to share my own first hand observation:

A friend had the full panel of coagulation tests and a week later had a multiple chemical experience. Two weeks later, they were still suffering and the panel of coagulation tests were repeated. Everything was the similar except the measure of active coagulation occurring — it was literally through the roof (from the edge of high (2 StdDev above) to 10 Std.Dev. above). The chemical response triggered coagulation that the body was barely keeping in control. This was back in 2002.

To me, MCS is real. I had it for a short while during one of my MCS episodes.

My tradition view is simple: it is an allergic response that do not have the classic IgE response just a coagulation response. I read a PubMed (can’t located) article that found that something like 30% of people with IgE response also had increased coagulation. It seemed reasonable that there may be some with a coagulation response without an IgE response.

There are sites dedicated to this area such as MCSRR.ORG for MCS and WEEP for EHS.

Let us now get to the PubMed findings….

EHS – sensitivity to electromagnetic waves – for example, WiFi, Cell Phones, Wireless-In House phones, Radio Transmitters, etc.

  • “year 2000 such symptoms were identified in the Internal Code of Diagnoses, version 10 (ICD-10; R68.8/now W90), and have been since.”[2015]

MCS – sensitivity to some chemicals (which may not have a scent at all)

“Some people with environmental sensitivities reported having negative reactions to anesthesia of long duration; most common were nausea and vomiting, fatigue, and reduced cognitive ability.”[2015]

Reliable disease biomarkers characterizing and identifying electrohypersensitivity and multiple chemical sensitivity as two etiopathogenic aspects of a unique pathological disorder [Dec 2015]

“our preliminary data, based on 727 evaluable of 839 enrolled cases:

  • 521 (71.6%) were diagnosed with EHS,
  • 52 (7.2%) with MCS, and
  • 154 (21.2%) with both EHS and MCS.

Two out of three patients with EHS and/or MCS were female; mean age (years) was 47.” – MCS is 3x rarer than EHS.

“Finally, considering the self-reported symptoms of EHS and MCS, we serially measured the brain blood flow (BBF) in the temporal lobes of each case with pulsed cerebral ultrasound computed tomosphygmography. Both disorders were associated with hypoperfusion in the capsulo thalamic area, suggesting that the inflammatory process involve the limbic system and the thalamus.” – hypoperfusion is often associated with inflammation and/or coagulation. Strokes in this area are associated with language-vocabulary loss (i.e. why some people report a “loss of words”).

“Our data strongly suggest that EHS and MCS can be objectively characterized and routinely diagnosed by commercially available simple tests.  Both disorders appear to involve inflammation-related hyper-histaminemia, oxidative stress, autoimmune response, capsulothalamic hypoperfusion and BBB opening, and a deficit in melatonin metabolic availability; suggesting a risk of chronic neurodegenerative disease. Finally the common co-occurrence of EHS and MCS strongly suggests a common pathological mechanism.”

Another [2015] study found “Electrohypersensitivity (EHS) can be a precursor to, or linked with, multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) based on reports of individuals who first develop one condition, then rapidly develop the other. Similarity of chemical biomarkers is seen in both conditions [histamines, markers of oxidative stress, auto-antibodies, heat shock protein (HSP), melatonin markers and leakage of the blood-brain barrier]. ”

How it happens is not established, but in [2013] it was suggested “Downstream responses of such EMF exposures may be mediated through Ca(2+) /calmodulin stimulation of nitric oxide synthesis.” and [2015] “Microwave/lower frequency EMFs were shown in two dozen studies to act via VGCC activation because all effects studied were blocked by calcium channel blockers. This mode of action was further supported by hundreds of studies showing microwave changes in calcium fluxes and intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i signaling. The biophysical properties of VGCCs/similar channels make them particularly sensitive to low intensity, non-thermal EMF exposures.”

“Based on our current understanding, a treatment approach that minimizes the adverse effects of peroxynitrite – as has been increasingly used in the treatment of multisystem disorders – works best.” [2015] however this document “The EUROPAEM EMF Guideline 2015, published on 27th November 2015 in the Journal Reviews on Environmental Health,
has been withdrawn by the authors on 11th December 2015 for editorial reasons.”[Link] It is available for download here and is worth a serious read for those with cognitive skills. The full document includes:

“According to 76% of the 157 respondents, the reduction or avoidance of EMF helped in their full or partial recovery. The best treatments for EHS were given as weighted effects: “dietary change” (69.4%), “nutritional supplements” (67.8%), and “increased physical exercise” (61.6%). The official treatment recommendations of psychotherapy (2.6%) were not significantly helpful, or for medication (–4.2%) even detrimental. The avoidance of electromagnetic radiation and fields effectively removed or lessened the symptoms in persons with EHS” – unfortunately, the type of diet change nor nutritional supplements used were specified. The paper does give advice (without any clinical studies on each effectiveness).

“Radiation from wireless technology affects the blood, the heart, and the autonomic nervous system[2013] states “The symptoms of electrohypersensitivity (EHS), best described as rapid aging syndrome, experienced by adults and children resemble symptoms experienced by radar operators in the 1940s to the 1960s and are well described in the literature. An increasingly common response includes clumping (rouleau formation) of the red blood cells, heart palpitations, pain or pressure in the chest accompanied by anxiety, and an upregulation of the sympathetic nervous system coincident with a downregulation of the parasympathetic nervous system typical of the “fight-or-flight” response. Provocation studies presented in this article demonstrate that the response to electrosmog is physiologic and not psychosomatic.”

Replication of heart rate variability provocation study with 2.4-GHz cordless phone confirms original findings[2014].  Reported

  • 7% were classified as being “moderately to very” sensitive,
  • 29% were “little to moderately” sensitive,
  • 30% were “not to little” sensitive and
  • 6% were “unknown”.

and “Novel findings include documentation of a delayed response to radiation.”

Hypothesis: Assuming that calcium channels/calmodulin are involved and they have become hyper reactive due to microbiome shifts, we find 2000 hits on pubmed for  “calmodulin bacteria” and a single one with “calmodulin probiotic” dealing with a “probiotic-fermented purple sweet potato yogurt“.

A full text article from 2013 identifies “artemisinin [wormwood] …affect operation of Ca2+ channels”

  • “Therefore, the ability of microbes to preferentially control host intracellular Ca2+ pathways enables them to optimize the timing and effectiveness of infection stages against barriers to invasion, pathogenesis, proliferation, and release”
  • “In the case of viruses, increased host free cytosolic Ca2+ levels may promote viral adsorption, structural stability, capsid uncoating, enzymatic activity, replication, assembly, transport, and fusion”
  • “in cases of bacteria, fungi, and protozoa, alterations of host intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis is critical for pathogen sensory transduction, cell energetics, infection sequences, stress adaptation, gene expression, toxin biosynthesis and secretion, molecular biomimicry, conjugation and true sexual reproduction, cell motility and tropisms, growth, biofilm formation and cell aggregation, antigenic variation, and morphogenesis and lifecycle transitions”

The last section of this article reads “Prospective Ca2+-modulating probiotic and other treatment strategies” but does not give any specific species or strains to consider. We do find some other articles

It is interesting to note that CFS tends to have a high incidence of EHS and MCS and is also associated with low/very low levels of L.Reuteri.  This suggests that significant (10 B CFU per day?) supplementation of L.Reuteri may have therapeutic value. There are no studies of this approach that I could locate.

Evidence for microbiome involvement?

“Many of those displaying symptoms caused by electromagnetic fields have fungus infections or have been living in fungus-contaminated environments for long periods. In animal studies mycotoxins have shown the same effects as those seen in the ‘electrohypersensitivity‘ syndrome.” [2000]

 

Bottom line

If you have MCS, you likely have a 75% chance of acquiring EHS. Read the WEEP site and follow their advice.

  • Be tested for fungal infection and take action against them
  • Use wormwood / Artemisia supplements – warning: this may produce a herx
  • Use probiotics containing L.Reuteri. I would suggest the following
    • Oral Probiotics  – see my last post
      • Swanson Oral Probiotic
      • PRO-Dental: Probiotics for Oral & Dental Health 3
    • Regular Probiotics
      • Jarrow’s fem dophilus (which contains NO ACIDOPHILUS!!) which contains 5 Billion CFU
        • L. Rhamnosus GR1
        • L. Reuteri RC-14
      • I would suggest 1 capsule with each meal (discuss with your medical profession always).
  • “reducing the electromagnetic irradiation of the computer can lessen the symptoms of electrohypersensitivity and permit working without problems.”[2012] – leads to the following:
    • Place computer unit as far away as possible (laptops should not be used as is unless a metal case – i.e. Mac)

 

Unknown's avatar lassesen 12:01 am on December 24, 2015  

A letter from a reader

It is Christmas and the best Christmas present that I can give is hope. A reader sent me this email and consented to have it shared
Note: This reader may have be fortunate starting with just the right things for her microbiome dysfunction – each person’s microbiome is unique (more unique than DNA).  You may or may not experience the same response if you follow her steps. 
Hi, Ken!
 I hope you are doing well!  I am sorry I haven’t sent notes back to you right away. I started several times but was foiled by a computer that is now having its hard drive replaced. I want to thank you again for the work you are doing, for being so science-based and detail-oriented. You truly have helped me very, very, very, very much.
The purpose of this e-mail is to give you a summary of my symptoms, treatment and progress. Any thoughts you want to share with me are welcome, and you can use this in your blog any way you want.  Keep in mind that I don’t have a diagnosis of CFS, though I do think I have something on that spectrum.
At the time I found your blog, these were my symptoms, all of which, disappeared or diminished within days  of taking action based on reading your blog (except for the asthma and allergies, which nonetheless somewhat better)
  • Hypersomnia (12-16 hours sleep per day) Several shorter episodes in my lifetime, but continuous for the past couple years, and becoming very bad fall 2014. At the time I had a bunch of medical tests that were all negative, supposedly, but when I went to a back-up MD for a sore throat fall, he looked at the test results and said they showed that at the time of the test I had active mononucleosis. That validation for my exhaustion last year is part of what spurred me to think something medically really was wrong and to redouble my efforts leading to finding your blog.
  • Post-exercise exhaustion/malaise. Exercise has always been one of my favorite things when I am doing it, but in the past several years I would get really into it and then crash.
  • Intense brain fog and very poor executive function (Getting worse these past 10 years. It was to the point I virtually stopped making any kind of social or other appointments because I was afraid I would miss them)
  • Fatigue when not asleep (several years) (A three-hour drive would sometimes take seven because I would have to pull over and sleep.
  • Small but chronically painful lymph nodes (about 10 years) I just figured I was constantly fighting off a cold or something.
  • Chronically coated tongue (about 10 years) Doctor always said it was due to post-nasal drip due to allergies.
  • Distracting foot discomfort when sleeping (not pain, not swelling, hard to describe) Affected by heat and foods, and especially tea and coffee but not caffeine in other forms.
  • Occasional boils in groin area (supposedly common for post-menopausal women)
  • Intersticial Cysctitis (feeling like you have the beginning of a bladder infection when you don’t)
  • Intense hay-fever (ongoing seasonally since childhood, now all year round)
  • Pet allergies
  • Painful sensitive skin
  • Asthma (emerged in adulthood, usually episodes are virally induced)
  • Snoring (Recently had gotten quite bad according to my husband.)
  • Depression, maybe (Now I am rethinking symptoms that I have in the past attributed to depression, like hypersomnia.
  • Irritable bowel symptoms (which started 17 years ago, and which I have almost always successfully controlled via diet.
  • Sinus pain in face
  • Jaw pain
  • Conjuctivitis
  • Gas
Ha!! I’m sure I sound like I was more fun than a barrel of monkeys.  I actually presented suprisingly well given all of this.  I have kept things, under control with antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds, antihistamines, advil, and so forth.
 I had gone to my GP for this stuff periodically for years and I gradually got the impression he thought I was a whiner or perhaps just someone who needed to accept I was aging badly. So I just attributed my fatigue  to stress and burnout. ..[lots of life stress]… so I just concluded I was worn down and needed to take care of myself. Oh, and up until last year, I maintained a fairly responsible work at home job for 11 years for a national program where my last title was Associate Director, and that was stressful too. During the time I had mono but didn’t know it, and couldn’t work no matter how hard I tried, I thought I must just be irretrievably burnt out on my job, and because my husband had a great job at the time, I quit, with the intention of exercising and nutritionizing my way back to health, but it didn’t work, I just kept sleeping.
Here’s what I did after reading your blog (the timeline may not be quite right but I think I have been doing this for about 9 weeks now in all)
1. Started with turmeric (in the form of Golden Milk) and Yakult.  I did this for about a week.
2. Added Bifidobacterium infantis.
3. Added oregano oil.
4. After two weeks of that, added tulsi and neem.
5. Switched out the Bifidobacterium infantus that came with a scoop with Align.
6. Started taking Culturelle.
7. Took a couple of weeks off the oregano, tumeric, tulsi and neem,  while continuing the probiotics
8. Started 20,000 IU per day of vitamin D
9. Started tumeric again about a week ago.
10. Added daily Alpha Lipoic Acid and vitamin B6
11. Started the oregano, tulsi and neem about two days ago.
12. I occasionally take ginseng, because a friend who recovered from CFS said she used it.
Other things to keep in mind are that I started allergy shots in around November (had been preparing for them since spring) and got a cavity filled about 6 weeks ago, which may have put a stop to some bacterial activity. I also occasionally did oil-pulling with coconut oil, swished the Bifidobacterium infantis around in my mouth, and gargled the Yakult.
Anyway….for the first three weeks or so the results were little short of miraculous. I was walking on air. I felt better than I have in 25 years.  I would still say I am doing AMAZINGLY better, to the extent I have begun looking for a job (would have waited a bit but my husband just got laid off.)
However, the fatigue is coming back a bit, as is the foot discomfort, which makes me worry that I am headed for another crash and burn.
I may have sabotaged my recovery a bit early on — I felt so much better that I started drinking coffee (which is my favorite thing but haven’t been able to unreservedly enjoy for years), and having a little bit of alcohol and pasta. And, having heard how careful one is supposed to be around exercise, I may have overdone it, even though I was trying to really pace myself.
I am planning on ordering the probiotic you mentioned that just came out recently, that focuses on histamine-producing bacteria.  I’ve looked at a couple of other ones that aren’t available in this country, but don’t feel like taking on the international piece right now.
And…I am thinking about taking a large dose of dark chocolate.
You may wonder about herxing – I had some symptoms of that when I first started with the oregano, and fear of that is why I am holding back on embracing chocolate, having had herx problems from too much chocolate before (I now realize) (Main symptom is very bloodshot eyes)
 Thanks again for all you are doing and I will continue to stay in touch. I love your blog and whenever I read it, just when I think that you have already written as much as you possibly can that applies to my situation, you write more.
I hope you have a very nice holiday season, whatever you celebrate.
Gratefully,

P.S. A couple of things…you have so much info on your blog, even reading the posts where you put things very simply I had to go over them again and again due to brain fog to come up with a plan. Dont have any specific suggestions but I bet others have had that issue too.

Also, is there a simple way to access all your posts and read them in chronological order from the beginning?

My comments

The reality is that dysfunction bacteria are adaptive and will mutate to survive in a hostile environment.  In the case of anti-bacterial, it means rotation is the key to deal with this adaptation. Anti-bacterial includes herbs, probiotics and prescription antibiotics.

I would suggest adding the following herbs to your rotation:

  • Olive Leaf
  • Wormwood (especially if you have MCS or EHS)
  • Haritaki

For probiotics,

Other supplements:

  • Mastic Gum — chew in mouth
  • Gum Arabic– chew in mouth
  • Boswellia — aka Frankincense
  • Ashwanghada

The latter two will help with cognitive function (see earlier post). The two gums, if chewed, are anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and should reduce any dysfunctional bacteria reserves in the mouth that may repopulate the gut. I will be doing a post on available oral probiotics in the next week.

Miyarisan and ashwanghada should both make a significant impact on stress.

Stabilizing the recovery of a healthy microbiome takes months, there are residue bacteria (some may be “sleepers”, i.e. go into a dormant state) that can repopulate weeks later. Sleepers are not affected by anti-biological agents because they are dormant and do not interact. These species can be robust (“tough”) and aggressive (“fast breeders”).

I continue to protect my recovery by doing rotations of probiotics, herbs and spices — usually just one at a time for a week before switching to something else. If any sleepers awake, I want a reception to be waiting for them!

Concerning your PS — I will look at a creating a “Cook Book” page over the holidays. A list of items in tables:

  • Pick one of the following and try for 2 weeks…
  • With the above, pick one of the following…
  • Slowly add this to regular ongoing supplements (i.e. Vitamin D, Zinc, Magnesium…)

with links to a related blog post on this specific item.

This will be added to the MENU BAR — to make it easier to find…

 

REMINDER: This is educational information only. Always discuss changes of diet, supplements and probiotics with a knowledgable medical professional before doing any modifications. 


Unknown's avatar lassesen 12:23 am on November 10, 2015  

When to take probiotics? – an actual study

Today I came across an actual study on PubMed.

“Enumeration during and after transit of the stomach and duodenal models showed that survival of all the bacteria in the product was best when given with a meal or 30 minutes before a meal (cooked oatmeal with milk).Probiotics given 30 minutes after the meal did not survive in high numbers. Survival in milk with 1% milk fat and oatmeal-milk gruel were significantly better than apple juice or spring water….We conclude that ideally, non-enteric coated bacterial probiotic products should be taken with or just prior to a meal containing some fats. ” [2011]

“Food intake led to a delay in yeast release and a two-fold increase in strain survival. Whatever the dose, yeasts were particularly sensitive to the large intestinal environment.” [2012]

“our results indicate for the first time that low-fat spread is a suitable carrier for these probiotic strains.” [2009]

“The objective of the study was to compare oral and faecal recovery during and after administration of a combination of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and LC705, Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. shermanii JS, and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Bb12 as capsules, yoghurt, or cheese…. Yoghurt yielded the highest faecal quantity of JS and Bb12 strains (8.01 and 9.89log(10) genome copies/g, respectively). The results showed that the administration matrix did not influence the faecal quantity of lactobacilli, but affected faecal counts of propionibacteria and bifidobacteria that were lower when consumed in cheese.” [2010]

“Taken together, our findings indicate that the manner in which a probiotic is delivered – whether in food or supplement form – could influence how effective that probiotic is in delivering the desired health benefits,” said Marco, an associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology at UC Davis…. They discovered that mice fed L. casei in milk exhibited fewer symptoms of IBD than did mice fed milk alone or the same probiotic strain in a nonfood supplement format.” [2015]

 

Bottom Line

Taking probiotics with milk (assuming no lactose intolerance) appears to be best. If lactose intolerance, it should be taken with some food that contains fat, for example rye crisp with olive oil.

Unknown's avatar lassesen 6:09 pm on August 14, 2015
Tags: , Crohns   

Crohn’s Disease: Supplements

This is a review of supplements and Crohn’s Disease[CD]. Some of the findings may apply to IBS and CFS.

  • “A diet high in protein, particular animal protein, may be associated with increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease and relapses” [2012]
  • ” Micronutrient intakes were suboptimal most notably for folate, vitamins C, E, and calcium.” [2007]
  • Trace Elements
    • The recommendation of the supplementation of these trace elements [Zinc, Selenium, Copper] in IBD is further supported by the findings of this study'[2002]
    • Copper[Cu]
      • No studies on supplementation on humans with CD found
    • Selenium [Se]
      • “Selenium deficiency is common in patients with severe gastrointestinal disorders. The deficiency is mainly related to malabsorption, and a low selenium level was almost invariably present in patients” [1998]
      • “This data, particularly from animal experiments, hold promise that adequate dietary Se supply may counteract chronic intestinal inflammation in humans.” [2014]
      • “New Zealand has one of the highest incidence rates of Crohn’s Disease (CD), whilst the serum selenium status of New Zealanders is amongst the lowest in the world.”[2012]
      • “Selenoprotein-P is a selenium-rich serum protein that carries more than 50% of serum selenium.. the serum selenoprotein-P level is decreased in patients with CD “[2005]
      • ” Supplementation of selenium (100 microg/day) and zinc (10 mg/day) for 2 months significantly improved the trace element status in CD patients.” [2007]
    • Zinc [Zn]
      • “[At onset]  serum zinc levels are significantly lower compared with children without IBD” [2011]
      • [AI found low Zinc level dominantly produced] 94% correct classification of CD and healthy subjects. [2014]
      • Zinc supplementation tightens leaky gut in Crohn’s disease.[2012]
        • “oral zinc sulfate supplements (110 mg three times a day) for 8 weeks”  [2001]
      • ” adolescents with CD have significantly reduced zinc absorption” [2004]
      • “Serum zinc levels correlated with plasma vitamin A in acute colitis”[1990]
  • Vitamin A Supplement – should supplement, but no impact on symptoms expected
  • Vitamin C [ascorbic acid] – do not supplement (contradictory results)
    • “Caution should be exerted regarding surplus ascorbic acid intake for patients with chronic inflammatory diseases.” [2003]
    • “The results indicate that ascorbic acid absorption is normal in patients with both fistulizing and nonfistulizing Crohn’s disease.”[1989]
  • Vitamin D supplement — big plus
    • “We found statistically significant inverse associations between vitamin D status and development of any autoimmune disease and thyrotoxicosis in particular.” [2015]
      • translation: low vitamin D level means higher risk of ALL autoimmune diseases
    • “Short-term treatment with 2000 IU/day vitD significantly increased 25(OH)D levels in CD patients in remission and it was associated with increased LL-37 concentrations and maintenance of IP. Achieving 25(OH)D ≥ 75 nmol/l was accompanied by higher circulating LL-37, higher QoL scores and reduced CRP.” [2015]
    • “vitamin D doses between 1800–10,000 international units/day are probably necessary.” [2015]
    • “an association between vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency and disease activity in IBD patients” [2015]
    • “Replication of phagocytosed E. coli was substantially decreased by [hydroxychloroquine] HCQ and vitamin D” [2015]
    • “Increased UV exposure is associated with a reduced risk of inpatient surgery among patients with CD. Further studies of vitamin D‘s role in CD are necessary.”[2015]
    • “Greater inflammation was associated with lower PTH and 1,25(OH)2D concentrations.” [2014]
  • Whey

Probiotics – recent articles

  • “The highly concentrated probiotic mixture VSL#3 has been shown to be effective in prevention of pouchitis onset and in maintaining antibiotic-induced remission.” [2015]
  • Detail analysis in The role of probiotic lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria in the prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and other related diseases: a systematic review of randomized human clinical trials. 2015 is worth reading. Note that many of the trials were done taking 5-ASA with it.
    • “The current scientific evidences are more significant in UC than in CD. However, more detailed mechanistic studies on the effectiveness of probiotics in IBD are necessary to determine their potential beneficial effects.”
  • Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis BB-02 attenuates acute murine experimental model of inflammatory bowel disease.[2015]
  • “Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 has comparable effects to low doses of mesalamine in maintaining remission in UC. VSL#3, a combination of 8 microbes, has been shown to have an effect in inducing remission in UC and preventing pouchitis. Prebiotics have yet to be shown to have an effect in any form of IBD, but to date controlled trials have been small” [2014]
  • “E. coli Nissle 1917 seems promising in maintaining remission and it could be considered an alternative in patients intolerant or resistant to 5-ASA preparations. in pouchitis, small controlled trials suggest a benefit from VSL no. 3 in the primary and secondary prevention of pouchitis;” [2013]
  • “support the promising results for E. coli Nissle in inactive UC and the multispecies product VSL#3 in active UC and inactive pouch patients.”[2012]
  • “Patients with CD in remission present alterations in the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier according to lactulose/mannitol ratio. S. boulardii added to baseline therapy improved intestinal permeability in these patients, even though complete normalization was not achieved.”[2008]
Unknown's avatar lassesen 8:26 pm on March 28, 2015  

TNF-Alpha Suppressors and Histamines

After the last post, a reader sent me some articles showing the relationship between TNF-Alpha and Histamines. Earlier on this blog, I have discussed the possibility of some CFS patients having histamine sensitivity. It turns out that reducing histamines may increase the inflammatory response :-(. Things are never simple – unfortunately.

“These results suggest that histamine may act as an autocrine regulator of cytokine release by MC and thus modulate inflammatory responses[TNF-Alpha] in allergic asthma.” [1996]

“Histamine injection into human skin engrafted on immunodeficient mice similarly caused shedding of TNFR1 and diminished TNF-mediated induction of endothelial adhesion molecules. These results both clarify relationships among TNFR1 populations and reveal a novel anti-inflammatory activity of histamine.” [2003]

Digging a bit deeper we find:

“Histamine is recognized as a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator in the brain, and it plays a major role in the pathogenic progression after cerebral ischemia. Extracellular histamine increases gradually after ischemia, and this may come from histaminergic neurons or mast cells. Histamine alleviates neuronal damage and infarct volume, and it promotes recovery of neurological function after ischemia; the H1, H2, and H3 receptors are all involved. Further studies suggest that histamine alleviates excitotoxicity, suppresses the release of glutamate and dopamine, and inhibits inflammation and glial scar formation. Histamine may also affect cerebral blood flow by targeting to vascular smooth muscle cells, and promote neurogenesis. Moreover, endogenous histamine is an essential mediator in the cerebral ischemic tolerance. Due to its multiple actions, affecting neurons, glia, vascular cells, and inflammatory cells, histamine is likely to be an important target in cerebral ischemia. But due to its low penetration of the blood-brain barrier and its wide actions in the periphery, histamine-related agents, like H3 antagonists and carnosine, show potential for cerebral ischemia therapy.” [2012] and similar in Cerebral ischemia and brain histamine[2005]

This raises an interesting prospect that histamine levels in CFS may increase in response to the brain trauma which is a typical part of CFS (as seen by SPECT scans). Checking PubMed, we find nothing about histamine levels with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. On the general internet, there appear to be conjecture and speculation:

  • ” Dr. Cheney has speculated..”  “Tufts University researcher Theorharis Theorharides. For years Theorharides has believed that mast cell activities play a role in a number of chronic illnesses including autism, fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, interstitial cystitus, IBS, migraines, cardiovascular disorders, asthma and multiple sclerosis.” [Phoenix Rising, 2012]

What we find is hypersensitive and not over-production…

“What is more, most ME patients are also hypersensitive to biogenic amines (histamine and tyramine) and alcohol.” Prof. K. De Meirleir /  Christine Tobback

 

Hypersensitive does not mean over-production. “These results demonstrate, that increased reactivity to histamine and airway contraction to allergen induced by passive sensitization, occur through independent mechanisms and that, unlike allergen-sensitivity, histamine hypersensitivity is caused by a serum factor other than IgE.” [1998]  this is echo by another study ” In patients with low serum IgE current smoking is associated with increased bronchial responsiveness to histamine in vitro” [2001].

The bottom line is that we do not know the mechanism for hypersensitivity to histamine. 😦 We should be careful not to go down the over production of histamines route because it may result in increase (and permanent) cognitive issues.