2022-01-05, Wednesday - Getting my head around histamine and cytokines: I’ll probably have to try the low histamine diet. 
v1 11:50 bad today, so put off a meeting and tooth cleaning. But a great opportunity to see if breath-holding helps, and if not ibuprofen. Now looking at an antihistamine diet…
ALA at night obviously hasn’t helped (unless taking it together with other supps is reducing effectivity, but that isn’t a meal, so I can’t imagine that).
Triggers & resulting Symptoms
SLEEP (click for details): 8h23, up 3x (50') + 26' = 8h49 ✅, but ➔ Feeling 70% well, Ache 2 of 7 🧐, waking up: ➔ 70%/3 ❌
No fw! lbu: belly tensing? No half-sitting on sofa!
alternating shower p0 Sleep 22:55-
1:35 5’ 90%/1 p0 st1 drink fw1’
3:55 10’ 80%/2 p0 st1 drink fw1’
5:00 35’ 80%/1 p0 st1 drink fw1’
5’ 90%/1 p?1 st1 drink fw1’
-8:08 Massive painful pee urge, feverish, nauseous
8:32 Nidra -8:58 = +26’
Sum: 1h05+8h08-(5+10+35=)50’ = 8h23, up 3x (50’) + 26’ = 8h49
ACTIVITIES (aiming for 40% - well 20% - of pre-fibro) ➔ ACHE: Why so bad today?: Yesterday twice docs & 20’ shop, but together only 2h, nothing strenuous or exciting apart from getting air under the mask, all didn’t seem too much, esp. in the evening ➔ 70%/3.
(e.g. cycle 
, TT = 
, meetings/social 
, mask 
, kids 
, work ➔ ?80%/2) ?
ACTIONS ➔ PAINS: . Lower back pain and difficulty walking by the evening , maybe due to forgetting back exercises in the morning, but quick long torso twist-stretching, some yoga and doing the back exercises in the evening seemed to have brought it down fairly well . Everything else OK except mask-breathing . Esophagus pain/cramp gulping 3 capsules (for the first time, up to now I’ve always been able to swallow 4 and even sometimes up to 8 capsules without problems .
(e.g. lie, stand, loins, sit, arms up, neck, stiff, walk, cycle, 0xp1-2, GI, talk, mask.)
Treatments
THERAPIES: Put off dentist’s tooth appointment, deciding on whether I try teeth cleaning tomorrow, based on how today’s appts (GP & cardio go) e.g. acu, psy, doc, dx ?
Supps to CHANGE: Wash capsule machine… ALA & pycnogenol harmed less tonight. However neither they nor the breath-holding exercise seemed to have helped as much as the last few days. Was it the ibuprofen after all? Hmm, not keen on repeating the skin problems, but…
SELF-PHYSIO (click for details): 3h35... ✅✅✅.
twist-stretch 35’, cold shower (6’), palpate 1’, belly 2x3’, back 2x12’, massage gun 10’, Timing, hunchback-pillow 15’, AuTr 26’, left foot on/under right knee/cross-legged 35’, teeth 2x2’, yoga/stretching 5’, breath-hold 11’, RR 4x2’, HWB 2x2’, cream 5’, temperature 5’, hand-exerciser 3’, plantar/calf stretch 5’, neck 1+ 2’, loins 2’, jolt-jump 1’, marionette-hang 1’, shaking dance 1’,
neck 2 3’, gums 2x30’’, V ‘, mirror 2’, workout 7’,
23-24 Supps: PLANNED/TAKEN TODAY (click for details): NEW/IRREGULAR/CHANGED: ALA/pycnogenol sfx are getting better, but not helping, but I'll definitely continue them. Nd 0 Arg, B3, Ri: 0 today. Pe & Ps 0 (23 REGULAR: B2 1x.1g, B12 5mg/2m, C 2x.5g, Cr 3x1g, D3 1/w, Ga: ~2g(4), Gi2, Gu:~1.2g(4), Ma3x2, Nc: 2.5g(5, incl. 2x1/night), Ω3, P5:1, Pf4, Pq1, Q10 2x1g/d, Qc 2x.5g/d, Rs2, Ro2, Sa1, Se1, Sr 3x1x125k, The.2g, Zn1)
Abbreviations resolved under blog references
What-when-details: Updated Dec 3rd (before: see the reference post)
/20:30 A1/2 “19:00” PF#1 Cr#1 mal#1+2 P5P/2Rho/0Se +/22:00 PQQ Ω3 = “PfCr Ml P5Ro Pq.Ω3”
/22:45 A3 “21:00” PF#2 .6 GABA&.4glu#1 NAC#1 = "PF+.6GaGlu+Nc
/01.35 A4 “23:00” PF#3 .3 GABA&.3glu#2 = “PF+.3Ga/Glu”
/03:55 B1 “01:00” PF#4 NAC#2 SRP#1 = “PF+Nc+Sr2”.
/03:55 B2 “03:00” +ALA+pycnogenol
(teeth))
B3 “07:00” (30’) Q10#1 0quercetin resveratrol#1 SAM-e1, “Q1QcRsSa” + ?NAC#
B4 “Up”: 2xNADH#?
/11:30 MEAL! C1/2 “+30’=Meal” Cr#2 .6GAB#3,the2,gink#1, NAC#2,Zn=B2,C,Cr.GaThe Gi n’AC/Z
/11:45 C3 “08:00” .1gB2,.5gC#1, NAC#3+ “B2CNc”. Nut > grain-Meal:
/13:30 C4 “11:00” (+2h/) ma#3+4 Nd#? SRP#2 — MlNdSr (1st meal till: ?)
→ 14:00 D1 “13:00” Pectin and/or psyllium with meal, no other supps.
/17:00 D2/3 “15:00” .5gC#2,Cr#3,.3GA#4/glu#3,gink#2,mal#5+6,NAC#5, “C.Cr.GiGa/Gu.MaNc”
/19:40 D4 “17:00” (“meal/acids+2h”) Nd#?.Qc#1+2.Q10#2.Rs#2,SRP#3. “Nd&Q1QcRsSr2” >19:15
eve:
“18:00” Prepare: 1) Complete & C changed supps. 3) Complete ##. 4) Tally irreg. 5) Remove “v” 6) Cut template 7) Save this 8) Paste 1x & unhide & paste 2nd (+1 to date and ##). BATCHES OK?
(Nov 4th: 18:00 vitamin B12 5mg methylcobalamin s.c.; next: Jan 4th.)
The day's 16 compartments (10', plus 5-10' making capsules)
Arg: Capsules? Pf: A1+3+4+B1, (0 Nia+) B2:A1+C2 C:C2,D3 Cr: A1+C1+D2, Ga: A3,a4,C1,d2, Glu: A3,a4,d3, Gi: C2,D3, (0Gly: A1+C2+C3), Mal: A2+C4+D3, Nc: A3, B1,C1,C3,D2, Q1QcRs: B3,D4 Sr2x: B1,C4,D4. SINGLE: A2:P5/Ro, B3:Sa C2: Th+Zn.
(A2:0Se)(A2:Ω/Pq:meal), (B2:0mu), (B4: 5NADH if nec.) (D1:0Pe).
Development:
Jab-sfx: Praps not tolerating showering anymore (I still do it, but it hurts, even the warm bit, and just wondered whether doing it is right or worth it) and praps even not tolerating the acupressure anymore is actually the histamine and mast cells. What’d I have to eat for “antihistamines”?
“Woke up” with a massive painful pee urge, reminding me that I may be sleeping deeper since the jab, but it’s the same unhealthy burning oppressed feeling all might (esp. in face - forehead and eyes) as with melatonin or CBD, plus feverishness & sometimes nausea) just not as hard to come out of it and get awake. The pain (after-pain) of the urge, like when often going to bathroom nowadays, remains with fatigue for half an hour afterwards. No sore throat.
After about 3 better days back down again. Opportunity to check what may have helped or not…
With 35,9°C (or 35,4°C??) not the slightly increased temperature of late (36,6°C). RR 130/80 OK too.
But a flu-feeling in head (forehead, eyes, nose)
Mask-breathing is still a big problem since the jab, as well as the breathlessness. I get attacks ‘needing oxygen’. Despite doing breath-holding in between.
Research-search today:
Having a look at an antihistamine diet cos of the above, incl. mast cells
I’m pretty sure my allergologist checked for histamine last summer, but here it says that docs usually don’t believe in an intolerance, yet the diet may make a difference. Hope it’s not as bad as a lectin-free for me… So, here goes!:
Of the (few) things that I have not yet had to eliminate, antihistamine would mean a restriction on olives, avocado, dried fruits, walnuts and cashews, legumes, , vinegar, (mushrooms I can hardly eat anyway) yoghurt (& cheese), chocolate, yeast, bread needs to be gluten-free (non-celiac gluten sensitivity may be due to histamine intolerance).
first no nuts & legumes (soy, beans, peanuts) dairy for 2 weeks at all, then slowly back.
So whilst the other big one, a lectin-free diet, would for me mean only eating nuts, here on an antihistamine diet I would luxuriously be allowed my gluten-free muesli with water (ugh…), but no nuts or dried berries, apples and (most of my 10) veggies (esp. broccoli - and broccolini whatever that is, brussels sprouts, cabbage, zucchini), I could go back to gluten-free bread (ugh too).
Also: DAO enzymes are blocked by many meds, such as aspirin.
Aloe vera is good and I like it and have it.
YMMV… as ever.
My wife laughed at me when I suggested I might be working again next week. I can’t trust myself on that, I need her feedback.
Regarding the expert recommendations (“alpha lipoic acid, ascorbic acid, B6, diamine oxidase enzymes (DAO), luteolin, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), Omega-3’s, riboflavin, SAMe, quercetin, and natural sources of theophylline like green and black teas”) I’m also adding all 4 antihistamine things I don’t yet take and am research-searching…:
**Histamine (not necessarily cytokine/autoimmune) connection? - up & beyond the forefront of research once again… **
- ALA , also added pine bark, ~5x at night, so it’s away from all food. Tonight showed that that improvement hasn’t held.
- luteolin is in broccoli and someone had suggested raw broccoli anyway, so I’m starting that.
- theophylline is in cocoa beans, i.e. I’m eating a bit more dark chocolate (70-80% cocoa), but actually cocoa contains amines similar to histamine too…Now I understand why Klimas says tea, and not dark chocolate.
- Yesterday I discussed histamine with my GP and also mentioned it to my cardiologist (who checked that my heart is OK) because of the skin burning & itching and the histamine connection in the jab-sfx list: As antihistamines increase tiredness we dropped the idea of taking them, but he offered to check a histamine enzyme called DAO , which could if necessary be supplemented. And that’s the 4th piece of the puzzle on the list above I was missing, I hadn’t been able to find it to buy…
- As he mentioned antihistamine food I’ve had a look: My heart sunk seeing it in the radical form means stopping a lot of my main nutrients: nuts, soy, olives, dry fruits, chocolate, gluten & yoghurt. I’d be left with only meagre veg, apples, gluten-free muesli/bread for 2 weeks, and could then slowly add some nuts.
- I also asked about the ibuprofen my wife was urging me to try, but he reminded me of the GI complications with that and diclo, suggested aspirin as NSAID instead. However it’s on the histamine negative list along with many other meds…
- In the evening I had another esophagus block upon starting to eat (almost daily at the moment), reminding me that histamine may be related to eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) . I never seemed to fit, but another pointer to histamine.
- Maybe irrelevant offshoot: important details about cytokines (broken down a bit)…
That research-search also brought up the cytokines IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 being secreted in one EoE -study - reminding me of cytokine changes as a FM-biomarker (e.g. used by Gillis in his daring so-called “FM/a test”). Looking those 3 up showed an FM-study with those reduced . Cytokines have always got me confused, so at last I’ve now clarified: IL 6 and IL-8 belong to the pro-inflammatory ones and may be too much in FM, whilst 4, 5 and 13 belong to the anti-inflammatory ones and may be reduced. However this is all not well-proven, the studies are too small & hard to compare. (So Goebel’s autoimmune study in July/Aug21 found a different / more complex possibility using IgG directly). (IL stands for interleukin: -leukin as in leukocytes, the white blood cells, which are responsible for immune defense, and were originally thought to be the main producer of interleukins.) Looking up EoE and FM, a page on redorbit on an easier level suggests the cause connection is via GERD (which I have under control), plus autoimmune factors (= the above) and as treatments corticosteroids, which is out of the question, and a proton pump inhibitor plus elimination diet for the hyperacidity, which is unncecessary. - But what have vaccines and cytokines got in common? CoV itself can cause a cytokine storm, i.e. increase pro-inflammatory cytokines , like IL-6, - but vaccines don’t, but not saying that they can cause too little cytokines. Wikipedia suggests that that means pro-inflammatory cytokines, esp. IL-6, and under “research” that taking nicotinamide (B3, niacin) and magnesium can help. Magnesium I’d reduced a bit of late and B3 I’d stopped cos I wasn’t sure of it and the itchy flush was annoying. (NSAIDs also help according to one study). But it’s not evident that my jab-sfx are due to too much IL-6 etc.
- Specifically looking for decreased anti-inflammatory cytokines like IL-4, -5 and -13 in vaccines I’ve found a German/Dutch study, 2021, on europepmc “The BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 reprograms both adaptive and innate immune responses”, via news-medical.net. It expands the obvious that vaccines change the immune system - actually nothing vaccine-critical, altho used that way. It’s pre-print, so not peer-reviewed yet, but 23 researchers involved and reading thru the “whole” study any obvious flaws aren’t visible to me. Also on ScienceImmunology from Jun21 “COVID-19 vaccine side effects: The positives about feeling bad”, suggesting that it’s very increased anti-inflammatory IFN-1 which causes a lot of the immediate sfx in young females, as opposed to what they say in the introduction “As with other vaccines, these effects can, on rare occasion, be the result of delayed-onset, local allergic reactions.”
So: The apart from as yet unclear immune modulation, the vaccine like all vaccines seems to increase histamine in a belated allergic reaction (may be associated with EoE, if I have that at all). So continuing the histamine route,
1. the DAO blood result and if decreased taking the enzyme might help,
2. a low histamine = histamine elimination diet for 2 weeks might be worth the effort. I’d need a dietitian/nutritionist mid-term tho. Seems the diet wouldn’t increase tiredness like antihistamines do.
Lessons in self-care #178 Putting off both appointments is sensible, even tho I cdve forced it.
Reasons to be cheerful #190 At least now after a day of research I’m more confident about cytokines, and that they don’t need to be in the forefront.
- My blog references, e.g. abbreviations, supp chart/overview
- My “How to symptom track & trigger hunt”
- Next up…: Oct/Nov-Summary (& add to blog-summary); finishing off the treatment list…