Antihistamines don't work for my allergies

ilovethesea

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Since beginning to eat Peat style in Jan, I've gradually developed an allergy problem to the point where my nose is now blocked most of the time and I have to breathe through my mouth. I sniffle and sneeze a lot in the morning and if I have to go anywhere during the day that is not well ventilated, it lasts all day long. For some reason I breathe pretty ok when outdoors though.

I've tried taking all kinds of antihistamines but none of them have any effect on the allergies... in fact Benadryl doesn't even make me sleepy anymore. (It used to but now I can take 2 at a time and feel nothing at all.)

I thought this allergy problem was due to the histamines I was getting from eating so much dairy, which I had previously avoided for years. So I stopped eating cheese and ice cream and switched to miniscule amounts of goat milk in my coffee.. but no change yet, I'm still suffering.

If the antihistamines don't work then is my problem really histamines? Is there something else that could be causing my allergies?

My typical diet is:
-coffee w/honey, gelatin & a tiny bit of goat milk, eggs, mango or grapes
-eggs, tomatoes, oj, grapes, coffee
-carrot salad once or twice a day with refined coconut oil & white vinegar
-shrimp or fish, rice or potato, oj, dark chocolate, fruit
-liver/oysters every 1-2 weeks
-supplements are thyroid, progest-E, Great Lakes gelatin, aspirin, Nutrisorb A, Thorne vit K

**I know it's not the ideal diet anymore on the protein side but without the dairy it's hard for me to get enough now :(

Suggestions for what I should start/stop doing would be much appreciated. thank you
 

Mittir

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You can find the allergy causing food If you look at
newly added items in this diet, which you did not eat before
regularly.
Egg white, all kind of fish specially shell fish ,tomato and
even OJ can increase histamine.
Chocolate is a problematic food for many.
Sulfur in grapes can be allergenic.
For protein you can try starch free potato juice, cottage cheese or greek yogurt
Adequate calcium with good ratio of phosphorus
helps with lowering histamine release.
You need at least 1200 mg of calcium with
calcium phosphorus ratio 1:1.
Most commercial supplements are allergenic due to
contaminants and bad excipient.
 
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ilovethesea

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Thanks. It's really hard for me to pinpoint the problem because my diet has *completely* changed so it could be anything. I was a person who lived on pasta, bread, chicken, apples and vegetables before... obviously not going back to that. Dairy just seemed like the biggest change. Other than that and gelatin I ate all the foods I am eating now, just nowhere near in these quantities.

If I have to cut out egg white, fish, shellfish, tomato, oj, grapes (I really don't eat very much chocolate and already stopped cheese/ice cream/milk) then I have no idea what I'm going to eat.

I don't have access to a cottage cheese or yogurt that doesn't contain enzymes and cultures... and I had been avoiding yogurt because of the lactic acid. Or are those not really concerns in your opinion? Also, wouldn't they be a problem if I'm already sensitive to dairy - or are they not as allergenic?

I will try the potato juice although that's not exactly convenience food to get my protein 3x a day. I guess I'll have to eat more beef. What about the gelatin, is that ok?

I'm also out of ideas for fruit if the grapes and oranges are no good (oranges aren't in season now anyway) - I thought apples and berries were bad so that doesn't leave me with much else to choose from?

As for the calcium I'm sure I'm not getting enough so have been trying to find eggshell calcium. I didn't think any of the other supplements I listed are problematic though - are they?
 

kiran

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Hmm, did you try cyproheptadine? It's an antihistamine that reduces serotonin.

I also wonder if you're having issues with chocolate.
 
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ilovethesea

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That's by prescription so no... not yet. Prescription was going to be my next step.

I really don't eat chocolate more than once a week if that.
 

Jenn

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It may be protein in general that you are having a hard time digesting and assimilating. Potatoes and gelatin are excellent forms of protein. Some people don't care for the whole potato, but I found them tremendously helpful.
 
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ilovethesea

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Ugh ok if protein is also bad then what is there left for me to eat? On another thread I saw someone said gelatin has histamines. So I guess that leaves me with... potato juice, potatoes, coffee, egg yolks and carrots.

Is that really what I'm supposed to live off of? Surely that would mean I wouldn't be getting my daily nutrient requirements... and that is still ok?

I am SO confused at this point as it seems everywhere I turn another thing is allergenic.

Meanwhile I am so stressed out from these allergies ruining my life, I'm almost ready to throw in the towel on this diet (even though I believe in it in theory). Having a constantly red, chapped, sore, dripping nose is having a seriously detrimental effect on my professional and social life. I don't even think I am getting a restful night's sleep anymore because I can't breathe through my nose.
 
J

j.

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I seem to tolerate some milk better now that I'm taking 100 mg of pregnenolone every other day, although I don't know if it would have that effect on others.
 

Mittir

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For some people slow transition is a better idea. Tolerance to food increases with time.
There is a study that showed lactose intolerant people were able to
digest milk after few weeks. They drank half a cup of meal 3 times a day.

Greek yogurt is free of lactic acid, it is a strained yogurt. Whey is removed.
You can make your own farmers cheese by adding lemon juice to boiled milk.
Fish and shellfish are problem when they are not fresh. If you have access to very fresh
seafood then it is much easier on allergy. If you can find good quality fruits those
are better than any starchy food. There is a list of peat approved fruits .
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=588&hilit=peat+approved+fruits
You can add well ripened papaya to this list. You can also eat pineapple in moderation.
 
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ilovethesea

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Honestly I feel like I did do a slow transition, except I didn't introduce just one food at a time and track symptoms with each. I just gradually ate more and more Peat until a few months in I realized 1) I had allergies and 2) they were getting worse and worse. I never got to the point where I was even drinking more than 1/2-1 cup of milk a day anyway. I ate quite a bit of cheese but even stopping that has made no difference. The other thing with milk here is that it's not even available raw or without the vitamins added (even whole milk has vitamins).

I can try the Greek yogurt and making my own cheese, I just thought I should stop all dairy since that was the major dietary change. I'm still so confused. I don't have access more than a couple times a week to fresh fish/shellfish. As for the fruits I can't get most of the tropical ones. I thought citrus was high in histamines.
 

4peatssake

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ilovethesea said:
Honestly I feel like I did do a slow transition, except I didn't introduce just one food at a time and track symptoms with each. I just gradually ate more and more Peat until a few months in I realized 1) I had allergies and 2) they were getting worse and worse. I never got to the point where I was even drinking more than 1/2-1 cup of milk a day anyway. I ate quite a bit of cheese but even stopping that has made no difference. The other thing with milk here is that it's not even available raw or without the vitamins added (even whole milk has vitamins).

I can try the Greek yogurt and making my own cheese, I just thought I should stop all dairy since that was the major dietary change. I'm still so confused. I don't have access more than a couple times a week to fresh fish/shellfish. As for the fruits I can't get most of the tropical ones. I thought citrus was high in histamines.
You could try eliminating one food at a time. I know it's hard to go slow and do only one thing. But it seems like something - maybe just one thing - has set off a big allergic reaction. This kind of investigation and experimentation is sometimes the hardest part because we are really going into it blind. Well, at least I was.

We have guidelines yes, but our own reactions/experiences are always unique to us.
Gelatin protein is really good and I think usually tolerated but check everything. Sometimes the reaction can be quite dramatic when the source is uncovered. You can do this!
Try your best to get the minimum 80 grams of protein and enough carbs/sugar and coconut oil. Maybe change up your OJ source? Mittir's suggestion to introduce milk slowly - like 1/4 to 1/2 c a day to start - will help build up milk tolerance.

You may also want to run this by Ray Peat. He may recognize something quickly and save you a lot of time and trouble.
Good luck!
 

Swandattur

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You said that the only things you hadn't really been eating before the Peat diet were milk and gelatin. If cutting out milk didn't help at all, why not try cutting out all gelatin. Any foods you were regularly eating before the Peat diet must be okay if you had no allergy symptoms before. Unless there is some supplement you have started taking that you might be allergic to, it seems like gelatin is the only suspect left.

Also, to determine if you might have a histamine problem you should compare your current diet with your old diet. Did your old diet contain many foods with high histamine? Are you eating more high histamine foods now than you were then? If you are eating lots more now, then that could be the problem. I would think cutting out only gelatin first would be an easy test to do.
 

Swandattur

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One other thought. Were you eating coconut oil before the Peat diet? If not, that would be another suspect to consider.
 

Jenn

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About milk.

I could not digest my own grass fed milk properly (without supplements) for a few years. I also noticed that the milk from one cow gave me an almost instant mucous reaction in my mouth.
I have also had the experience of drinking milk for about 2 weeks and having my sinuses totally clear up for the first time in years.

So you can try stitching brands or eliminating it temporarily.

For me, it was a pancreas/intestinal pH/excess lactic acid issue.
 

Swandattur

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I drank a gallon of raw milk over about five days, and I had a funny pressured feeling in my head, but that was all. I didn't know if that meant it was doing something good or not good. Maybe raw milk can have just the right bacteria to help your gut and in turn help allergies. Or else it's something the cows eat.
 
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ilovethesea

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j. said:
I seem to tolerate some milk better now that I'm taking 100 mg of pregnenolone every other day, although I don't know if it would have that effect on others.

Interesting... I just bought some Country Life pregnenolone (not the best kind but not bad - was all I could find since I was only in the US for a short time). It's 30 mg so will start with that.
 
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ilovethesea

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4peatssake you are so sweet. :D
I am starting to think it is pollen and not any one food. Although I don't know if that means I should do anything differently? I guess I should still try and lower my histamine load from diet as well?

I just feel like I should have gotten at least some relief by now from cutting things out and I haven't... there is no rhyme or reason to the congestion. I could be wrong but I've never noticed any difference in how I feel with anything I eat and I've never had any gut issues at all.

Also, I have heard that this year is supposed to be a particularly bad year for pollen. Maybe it was just a coincidence with the timing that it *seemed* like it was from the Peat diet but it's just the springtime pollen. (And even before - maybe I thought my previous high-PUFA/low-sugar/no-dairy diet that I followed for 5 years got rid of my allergies, but it could have just been the timing coincided with allergy season being over.)

I do think I will email Peat to see if he has any suggestions. From what I understand it's not so much the allergen itself but the person's hypothyroid/high estrogen state that is causing the hypersensitivity. Not sure what else to do about that except maybe up my thyroid dose again (which I'm already scared of my doctor's reaction toward!) and mega-dose Progest-E.... or maybe I just need to wait it out...
 
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ilovethesea

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Swandattur said:
You said that the only things you hadn't really been eating before the Peat diet were milk and gelatin. If cutting out milk didn't help at all, why not try cutting out all gelatin. Any foods you were regularly eating before the Peat diet must be okay if you had no allergy symptoms before. Unless there is some supplement you have started taking that you might be allergic to, it seems like gelatin is the only suspect left.

Also, to determine if you might have a histamine problem you should compare your current diet with your old diet. Did your old diet contain many foods with high histamine? Are you eating more high histamine foods now than you were then? If you are eating lots more now, then that could be the problem. I would think cutting out only gelatin first would be an easy test to do.

I did stop gelatin for a week but didn't notice any change. I only take 1 tbsp a day.
I didn't eat as much aged cheese before, which I understand is high in histamines, but again - no change when I stopped that.
I also didn't have as much oj, mangoes, grapes or potatoes before. I think those are the main things.
The more I analyze this the more I think it's the pollen and not the food. Do you agree?
 
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ilovethesea

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Swandattur said:
One other thought. Were you eating coconut oil before the Peat diet? If not, that would be another suspect to consider.

Yes but virgin and now I eat more refined. Which I understand is less allergenic...
 
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ilovethesea

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Jenn said:
About milk.

I could not digest my own grass fed milk properly (without supplements) for a few years. I also noticed that the milk from one cow gave me an almost instant mucous reaction in my mouth.
I have also had the experience of drinking milk for about 2 weeks and having my sinuses totally clear up for the first time in years.

So you can try stitching brands or eliminating it temporarily.

For me, it was a pancreas/intestinal pH/excess lactic acid issue.

I don't like drinking milk straight so never really had more than 1/2 cup daily (in my coffee) on this Peat diet. (Very rarely like once every 2 weeks I would have a full cup of milk for hot chocolate.) So if I did have dairy issues it would be from the cheese not the milk I think, since I was eating a lot of that. Anyway when I stopped both it didn't make a difference although maybe I need to give it longer than a couple weeks? I don't know.

I did buy some more milk but goat instead of cow, and whole milk instead of skim. They add vitamins to all the milk here but I think only D to whole milk (whereas other kinds get A & D). Raw milk is illegal :(
 

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