Becky Campbell - The 4-Phase Histamine Reset Plan: Getting to the Root of Migraines, Eczema, Vertigo, Allergies and More

Getting to the Root of Migraines, Eczema, Vertigo, Allergies and More

author of The 30-Day Thyroid Reset Plan

The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the authors copyright, please notify the publisher at: http://us.macmillanusa.com/piracy.

This book is dedicated to the memory of Yasmina Ykelenstam of Healing Histamine, who left the earth too early. She was a very smart and brave woman who did so much to help others who have suffered with histamine intolerance and mast cell activation syndrome.

At first, its a nuisance. You try to ignore it. Its just a headache. Again. It doesnt justify your time to dive into why its there. It definitely doesnt justify a visit to the doctor.

Then you start experiencing another symptom on top of your headaches: I cant fall asleep. Its not just a one-time thing. Its happening more and more, but so randomly you cannot determine the cause at all.

A few months later, you realize My eczema is flaring up. Along with These mosquito bites itch like crazy.

A year goes by and you find yourself exclaiming to a friend, Why cant I enjoy drinking one single glass of wine?! I feel awful when I do! Amazingly, your friend says theyre struggling with exactly the same things! They are as lost as you are.

Youre finally at your wits end and off to the doctor you go.

Howd that work out? You try another one. And another one. From steroids to antibiotics. To steroids AND antibiotics. No relief. In fact, youre worse.

You learn about integrative medicine and try a naturopathic doctor. No luck. You try a functional medicine doctor. No luck. You try acupuncture. No luck. You try everything from probiotics to fish oil and vitamin D to a multivitamin. Your shelves are looking like you could run a pharmacy. Youre a bit better, but still struggling.

Frustrated with all the doctors, you turn to social media forums. Perhaps that is how you found out about this book. Let me tell you right now that youre in good hands! If youre on the fence about buying it, buy it. I was just like you are right now: I had a plethora of oddball, seemingly disparate symptoms appearing randomly that did not necessitate a trip to the doctor but that certainly affected the quality of my life. Welcome to what seems like one of the fastest growing undiagnosed problems today: histamine intolerance.

Did you know that it takes on average about ten years for someone to get diagnosed with histamine intolerance?! For me, it took about thirty-five years. My histamine intolerance symptoms included:

Bloody noses

Irritability

Difficulty falling asleep

Headaches

Eczema

Sweaty feet (gross)

Profuse sweating when exercising (you didnt want to guard me in basketball)

Fast resting heart rate (about 70, even when I was fit; now its 48)

Super itchy mosquito bites

Red spots all over my hands when exposed to dust mites

Always hot

These symptoms all disappearedthats the awesome news! The bad news? They can come roaring back quite fast, and sometimes they do. But I now know that I am genetically susceptible to histamine intolerance, and I understand why my histamine levels increase and what to do about it, so I can get myself back on track.

You cant fix what you dont know is broken. But with Dr. Campbells book in your hands, youll discover all things relating to histamine intolerance. It will be a lot of work. There is no quick fix here. Its up to you to implement what you read in these pages. Trust the process and stick with it. You absolutely will experience a life without histamine intolerance! Dr. Campbell will share with you a few of her tricks and shell share a few of mine. Together, we have your back!

DR. BEN LYNCH

Founder and president of Seeking Health, www.seekinghealth.com

As we start this journey together, I want you to know that this topic is personal to me in the same way it may be to you.

Those of you who know a little bit about my story from my first book, The 30-Day Thyroid Reset Plan, will remember that for many years, I suffered from thyroid issues that were driven by gut problems, heavy metals and viruses. But what most people dont know is that one of the most significant issuesin addition to my thyroid symptoms and my general ill healthwas mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) and, therefore, histamine intolerance. As you will learn in this book, mast cells (white blood cells) are responsible for releasing histamine. This is not a bad thing unless your body isnt equipped to break down the histamine properly or you are producing more histamine than your body can handle, which happens to be the case with MCAS.

As a kid, I had terrible heat intolerance. I would often faint in the sun, and Id get hives out of the blue. When I ate certain foods that contain high levels of histamine, like aged meats, pickles, aged cheeses, citrus fruits and more that we will cover in this book, my scalp would tingle and a heavy fatigue would wash over me. Later, I also experienced gradually worsening symptoms like migraines, vertigo, heart palpitations, anxiety and panic attacks, acid reflux, a skin condition called seborrheic dermatitis and low blood pressure. Those symptoms never went away.

In fact, in my early twenties, when the thyroid and gut issues were at their worst, almost any food I ate caused my body to react in a negative way. Yet a histamine intolerance diagnosis was still almost a decade away.

Luckily, my situation improved a great deal when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, excess cortisol levels and gut issues like leaky gut, candida and parasites. Thanks to functional medicine, I was able to heal my gut and balance my thyroid and adrenal hormones, as well as eat a much wider variety of foods. However, I still experienced strange symptoms, like migraines, that no one would be able to explain for years.

It wasnt until I was 32 and began learning about histamine intolerance as a functional-medicine practitioner that I finally began to piece together the puzzle. That led to a life-changing diagnosis: I realized that my symptoms and food sensitivities were being driven by histamine intolerance brought on by some genetic mutations, like methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), methylation issues and other underlying causes that we will discuss in this book. From there, I began following the plan outlined in this book, continuing to work on my health, and now Im able to eat most foods without any problems at all. Most of the symptoms I suffered are gone and I live a pretty normal life day-to-day.