Is Histamine the Reason you are Depressed?

Sexual Attraction with Histamine

Hormonal dysregulation may contribute to mental health conditions like depression. Research has shown that histamine release is increased by oestrogen. Oestrogens are essential hormones required for regulation of sex, vaginal lubrication, and maintenance of PMS and menopause. A lack of oestrogens brings about a lack of interest in sex, dry vagina, hot flushes, moodiness and irritability.

Oestrogens make you more attractive to the opposite sex, induce pheromones and odors. Histamine induces neurons that stimulate arousal, motivation or vocalisation and libido. The excitatory effect of histamine on arousal is enhanced by oestrogen. In a female oestrogens peak in the productive years in line with their libido. As a male ages, oestrogen production increases particularly during their midlife. This may be the reason why males during their midlife crisis cause more histamine to be released.

Histamine could be why you could be attracted to the opposite sex. (3)

Testosterone in men tends to convert to estrogen as men age leading to andropausal symptoms like pot belly, receding hairline and the old “grumpy man’s syndrome”. Estrogen and histamine stimulation can be one mechanism by which men may seek extramarital sexual relationships – we colloquialise this a mid-life crisis!!

In females, histamine is produced by the mast cells and endothelial cells in uterus and ovary. As Histamine increases oestradiol production thereby causing a decline in progesterone. This leads to cyclical headaches and painful periods. The painful uterine contractions associated with dysmenorrhea are caused by an increased production of inflammatory prostaglandins which is stimulated by oestrogens and inhibited by progesterone. This is why progesterone or progesterogenic herbs are useful for PMS. Histamine can therefore intensify PMS and pain via an increase in estrogen production.

Histamine antagonists like cimetidine can contribute to low libido and erectile dysfunction by reducing the uptake of testosterone. Injections of histamine in men with impotence has been shown to improve erections.

Sexual Offenders and Histadelia

Could there be a correlation between high histamine (Histadelia) with sexual offenders or rapists?

Histadelia, is a disorder of too much histamine and seems to be prominent in males. These sexual offenders will experience phobias or no phobias at all, chronic depression, hyperactivity, agitated, compulsions, obsessions, and have a lean build, rapid metabolism, and will sweat profusely. They will also have a high imagination, have lots of saliva, low tolerance to pain, very strong sexual desires and have addictive personalities.

Histamine and Headaches

Histamine-induced headache is a vascular headache caused mainly by nitrate monoxide. In migraine patients, histamine levels have been shown to be elevated both during headache attacks and during symptom-free periods. (4)

Migraine patients may have histamine intolerance as a result of reduced DAO activity. This triggers headaches by food rich in histamine, such as, long-ripened cheese, blue cheese or wine. (5)

Removing the histamine-rich foods can alleviate headaches and migraines in these patients.
Therapy is based on the consequent conduction of a histamine-free diet. Alcohol and long-ripened or fermented (and therefore histamine-rich) food, such as aged cheese, cured meat, and yeast products; histamine-rich food, such as spinach or tomatoes; or histamine liberators, such as citrus fruit, should be avoided.(6)

Testing for Histamine

Histamine can be tested as a functional pathology test in a blood sample. It is appropriate to delve deeper into the metabolic blocks associated with histamine imbalance by identifying in-depth testing for mental health, testing for female hormones, testing for male hormones, testing for mental health.

Regulating Histamine requires detailed assessment of Histamine with other excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters and correcting them with appropriate natural inhibitors or inducers. To ascertain the relevance of Histamine within the sexual offender, it is important to identify upstream regulators.

To really delve deeper into Histamine levels, the measure of Histamine is not enough. It is important to measure how Histamine is metabolised.
A measure of Histamine, DAO and HNMT is recommended. Identification of methylation status is also recommended.

References

1. Missbichler, A et al, Stuttgart, Germany: Georg Thieme Verlag KG, 2004:8–17 (in German)
2. Suzuki H, et al. .Structure and function of human histamine N-methyltransferase: critical enzyme in histamine metabolism in airway. Am J Physiol 1994;267:L342–9.uchi
3. “Histamine-Induced Excitatory Responses in Mouse Ventromedial Hypothalamic Neurons: Ionic Mechanisms and Estrogenic Regulation” Journal of Neurophysiology Published 1 December 2007 Vol. 98no. 3143-3152
4. Thomsen LL, Olesen J. Nitric oxide in primary headaches. Curr Opin Neurol 2001;14:315–21
5. Krabbe AA, Olesen J. Headache provocation by continuous intravenous infusion of histamine. Clinical results and receptor mechanisms. Pain 1980;8:253–9.
6. Wantke F, Gotz M, Jarisch R. [The histamine-free diet]. Hautarzt 1993;44:512–6 (in German)