Gut Dysbiosis, Immune Activation, and Histamine Intolerance: Untangling the Web

Presented by: Michael Ruscio, DC

GI tract dysbiosis, immune activation and histamine intolerance exist in an interconnected web resulting in patients with multi-system symptomatic presentation. While reaching for a presumed diagnosis of MCAS may be temping in theory, many of these patients can achieve substantial improvement with the appropriate series of natural interventions.

Dietary aspects of the optimal therapeutic approach can be counterintuitive. For example, published data has shown a low FODMAP diet can result in an 8-fold decrease in serum histamine. However, a low FODMAP diet may reduce seemingly healthy foods. Additionally, the impact of probiotics on histamine is often overcomplicated when attempting to use non-histamine-producing strains. This discounts the net effect a given probiotic may have on one’s histamine production. Speculatively, a probiotic that is pro-histamine but simultaneously able to decontaminate the small bowel of SIBO (also published) may result in a net anti-histamine effect.

While some of the science here is still preliminary, this talk will attempt to provide progressive, yet evidence-based recommendations for using diet, lifestyle, environment, probiotics, anti-bacterial treatment and OTC medications in the management of gut dysbiosis, immune activation and histamine intolerance.

This presentation was recorded at the 2019 Integrative Healthcare Symposium Annual Conference.