Amine Reaction?
I've been seeing a naturopath for my 2yo's eczema and she suggested starting her on a probiotic and cod-liver oil. I started giving these to her as well as a fermented probiotic milk kefir drink that I thought might be helpful. She's now had quite a significant eczema flare on her neck and legs and I'm wondering if this is an amine or histamine reaction, or if it's a healing response? Going back to the naturopath in a week's time but wondering if I should stop giving her the cod liver and probiotic in the meantime (already stopped the kefir).
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Hi Erin,
That's great.
Yes, you're right, histamines are a type of amine that is produced in your body during an allergic reaction - histamine causes the swelling and itchiness you experience when you eat a food you are allergic to. You can also eat histamine-rich foods and histamine-releasing foods in your diet.
Dietary histamines require enzymes called DAO and HNMT in order to break down the histamines so they don't accumulate and cause damage in the body.
The issue is this... The more histamines you consume in your diet, the more vitamin B6, vitamin C, zinc, copper, magnesium, and other DAO supporting nutrients you will need in order for your body to cope. When you run out of any one of these nutrients, histamine toxicity can occur. So until her skin clears I would recommend avoiding foods high in amines altogether. You can search for any food to find out its amine content via our Food Finder.
Do you know about our Food Intolerance Diagnosis (FID) program? It will give you a clear indication about what foods she reacts to, and if she's sensitive to amines. Find out more about FID here.