Success Stories are So Awesome

I never knew when I started this blog some time ago that I would have gotten so many emails from people going through what I once was going through. So it's always a wonderful feeling every time someone emails and says that the protocol I recommend is working or has completely cured them.

Case in point, Kay, who is an avid follower of my blog and who I feel I know better than most of my blog followers because she has kept me in the loop since day 1 of the treatment I recommend on here. So when I received a comment from her yesterday telling me of her success I was just elated. I know so many times, if not every time, someone out there in web space comes up with a successful treatment that helped them cure everything from acne to toe nail fungus (ewww lol) and they always want to "sell" you something like their E-book or even muster up some products of their own to sell you. There's even some out there making money off Histamine Intolerant info, whether it be with cookbooks, E-books, or pushing a product they get a kick back on.  I didn't want to be like that because I feel if I have the power of knowledge of something that I know works why not share it with everyone for FREE....I will NEVER sell my readers any supplement or ebook regarding my journey or my protocol you will find it all on my blog for nothing but your time to commit to reading and of course going through the regimen.  Actually when I first started this blog it was my wish that if I could only help one person it would make it worth it.  So I am beyond words that it has become more than one person. 

I'm very excited for Kay that she is starting to enjoy the foods that once kicked her ass into oblivion. I have included the following comment (see below) that she left in regards to her success in hopes that it will inspire you to keep on with your enzymes and to be vigilant so you, too, will be like Kay and experience life again.  Kudos to Kay and I wish her much success and health! 

KayDecember 1, 2014 at 7:36 PM

Hi Dani!!

So it is finally here, month 7 of taking your supplements and almost 12 months sticking to low-hist diet (which is SO hard and I am tired of being the irritating chick at the restaurant table with all the special requests, lol!) I have to say I am feeling GREAT. I still get a little fatigue after I eat (so I cut down on portion sizes as you suggested in another post) but nothing crazy like before, but haven't had a migraine in about 9 months, brain fog and moods are so much better. I am still a little scared to go back to a normal diet but at Thanksgiving I had a little bit of stuffing, turkey and pumpkin pie and felt fine!!! :-))

At this point I am taking about 3-5 virastops, 4 probiotic, 3 digest golds, Zinc, Borage Oil (I have actually also used Evening Primrose Oil when I couldnt get my hands on Borage and it seemed to help too) & I still take Quercetin as an antihistamine and it also gives me natural energy, I pretty much cut off everything else and it seems to be working for me, I am so excited!! Thanks for all your help and advice during this journey, I dont think I am in the clear just yet but I know I am so much better thanks to you. I have also significantly cut back on grains and am now OBSESSED with Quest Bars! :-D

This blog has been like a bible for me ever since I found it and have referred back to it on countless occasions on my road to recovery and I am so grateful to you. I was drowning in the excess of contradicting "studies" and I just needed someone who had been there to tell me what the F to do. So thank you so much for taking the time. I still will take my supplements for a bit more and slowly start incorporating normal foods and see how things go.

Anyway just wanted to update you and everyone else that your process also worked for me too, I wish everyone else luck on their journey!

Fit Babz Toody Tanks

Ok so I know the title of this post is a little "weird" but anyone that has read my blog knows I am a huuuge fitness buff (aka gym rat) so I kicked off a lil' biz called Fit Babz where I have recently launched a few Toody Tanks (short for tanks with attitude). I will be adding much more products in February so check back to my website often!  I'm also on FACEBOOK.

Fit Babz aside....I wanted to let everyone know that yes I am still very much "active" on here so for those of you hesitant to leave a comment requiring additional information for fear I will not see it "have no fear" The Histamine Intolerant Chick is here (too over the top?) Or continue to just email me like most have whatever works for you :).  I usually try to answer emails within 72 hours of receiving them but most likely it will be closer to 12-24 hours.

I hope all is well with all you little sickos! I still remain "healed" only taking one ViraStop per night before bed and that's if I remember.  I like to still take these as a preventative measure so protein never has a chance to build up again and wreak havoc on my intestinal wall! 

I love to hear from you all thank you for everyone that has shared their stories with me and don't forget to keep me updated on your ongoing treatment!

Much love, health and happiness!

Kale Chip Recipe

I love kale .....I love kale.....I love kale....

Hey did I mention I loooooove kale??? The best part about me loving kale is it was a "safe" food for me when I was sick.

Many of you probably already have done this but I'm going to post it anyways because, well it's my blog and I can. Haha.

You can make these either in your food dehydrator or the oven.  I prefer the oven it's quicker and I don't have to lug out that big ass dehydrator of mine from the pantry.

Oven Baked Kale Chips

Set oven on 350 degrees

On a large baking pan place ORGANIC (kale is on the dirty dozen list) kale. I buy mine already pre-bagged and washed (lazy ....yup).

Being careful to remove the leaves from the "stalk" in the center. You can place the kale leaves right onto the baking pan or if you're lazy (that would be me) you can line it with foil.

Once you've lined the pan with the kale spray olive oil on top of the leaves, I do this generously because I'm an olive oil whore, but if you have to watch your caloric intake just a few spritzes will do. For those that cannot tolerate olive oil, organic coconut oil can be used.

Seasoning
Now this is where it gets tricky. When I was sick I would only use garlic powder and sea salt. Which was plenty deelish. However if you can tolerate more seasonings feel free to explore your creative cooking diva and use whatever floats your boat, anything from sweet to savory.

Some ideas: Chili powder, Smoked paprika, onion powder, Mrs. Dash blends (any of them) I like the chicken one. Cinnamon, nutmeg, Stevia......and on and on.

Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on how kick ass your oven is. I personally prefer only about 10-15 minutes because I like mine only slightly crispy.

Viola your done....easy peasy, didn't break a nail, didn't break a sweat! These babies go for like 6 bucks a bag in the health food stores....REALLY? Pffft! I can make a shit ton for less than that and now so can you!

Enjoy!

The Pulse Test

I recently came across this "test" on the internet and thought I would share it with you. While we all know that people with histamine intolerance aren't actually "allergic" to the foods they are eating it's the histamine they produce, this will at least give you a guide when you ingest something that is deemed safe on a food list and you want to make sure it is in fact safe for "you".

All of these food lists for histamine intolerance contradict each other so this is a way for you to see if any food individually isn't right for your body.

Try it just for fun and see if it's accurate for you.


How to take the "Pulse Test":

Before eating a test food, sit quietly and measure the pulse rate (in heartbeats per minute). Keep the information recorded on a piece of paper.

After the challenge food is eaten, the person should remain still and measure the pulse rate after 5 minutes and then 10 minutes. Food allergies or intolerances may cause the release of the stress hormone adrenaline which will increase the pulse rate by about 10 beats per minute or more.

Such a rise will help confirm the presence of an adverse food reaction. But in your case a "histamine reaction".

If anyone tries this and finds an increased pulse on a given food please feel free to post your results in the comments section.

Thank you to everyone....

I just wanted to tell everyone that has reached out to me with their questions and comments thank you! Thank you for stopping by and having faith in my regimen for successfully getting well from leaky gut/histamine intolerance. It's an honor to be able to help people understand what's going on with them when they just don't know, their doctors don't know and there isn't much out there regarding the condition.

I am so very very blessed to have reached a point to be able to eat what I want when I want and don't ever want to take it for granted. I have recently mentioned in a response to a comment I received that today my upper eyelid began to itch after consuming left over hamburger meat, tomatoes and yogurt. It instantly brought back ill feelings of what I used to go through so I freaked out a bit. Which is a good thing because I actually have been an asshole, yes I said asshole and completely stopped taking any enzymes at all. So whether I just had an innocent "itch" it struck a cord with me that was like "hey, hey asshole I'm talking to you, wtf? Why have you not taken your enzymes in like 3 or 4 months??" So regardless if this was just an innocent itch or a nudge from my histamine saying you better shit or get off the pot... I'm starting back on my ViraStop today! LOL But I will be a newbie at it and have to start with small doses all over again because as you all know die off is a bitch. I want to reiterate that I DO NOT know if this is actually histamine intolerance creeping up on me again but there's no harm in keeping on the enzymes. I choose to just take Virastop because I know I have a problem with breaking down protein and this enzyme focuses on strictly protein. So I may or may not have a disgusting amount of undigested protein building up again in the ol' gut which may or may not send me spiraling into that black abyss of hell known as histamine intolerance but I'm not going to be the asshole that sits around and waits for it either! Haha.

Other than just today all has been extremely well with me and I am more than thankful for that. I even enjoy 1 glass of wine a week with no problems. I sincerely from the bottom of my heart thank all of you who have reached out to me and shared with me your individual stories. I hope this blog will continue to grow and be shared amongst others who truly need some answers!

I wish all of you many blessings, much health and happiness........keep your questions coming!

Cutting down on Supplements...

Things are going so well I am truly blessed that I was able to self diagnose and heal myself regarding my histamine intolerance by doing dedicated research until my eyes went crossed! I've said it before but I'll say it again, I wanted to start this blog to make it a one stop shop for all of those with histamine intolerances so they could find valuable info all in one place without having to search the web for months.  I hope I was able to help at least one person through my journey.

It has probably taken me a total of 1 year (after I self diagnosed) to heal my gut and be able to start eating those things that I once enjoyed.  I can happily say that I now eat anything I want without having to take a Histame pill prior (these little puppies were expensive as well as hard to get because they were always sold out.) So I now am able to eat tomatoes, avocado and items that contain baking soda/powder. Eggs and chocolate.  I'm too scared to have any alcohol without at least popping a zyrtec prior but I hardly ever drink so it's not a big deal.

I have started to dwindle off of supplements recently just because I haven't had a histamine issue in 6 almost 7 months now plus the fact they are just a pain in the ass to have to take. So at 1 year of treatment this is what I now take:

1 Probiotic before bed every night

6 Vira Stops before bed every night (although I will be dwindling that down to just 3 per day, by having one in between meals)

6 borage oil capsules (I mostly take these more religiously just before and during that time of month because of my endometriosis, but because it's for inflammation in the body in general I try to take it during other times too).

I just stopped taking my Digest Gold last week, honestly because I ran out (lol) and too lazy to reorder...I know I know stop judging me.  LOL.  But I believe that these were enzymes that mostly worked on carbs etc. My downfall was almost entirely because of undigested proteins in my gut so the ViraStop's take care of that and take care of it well. So I am just going to take those from now on. Not to mention it saves me a shit ton in money using just one type of enzyme per day.

I haven't taken any Zyrtec in the last several days and have been fine, so I am thinking I will stop those too only to resume during allergy season which here in Florida is around February and October, so I guess I will be taking them again next month...ugh!!  I have noticed I sleep much better now that I am no longer taking the Zyrtec. I used to wake up several times a night like anywhere between 3-6 times. I'm not sure if there is a correlation there or not but I've been sleeping through the night now that I'm off of them.

I can only hope that this remission or complete healing that I am experiencing continues and the histamine never returns.  I will keep you updated further if things change. Thanks for visiting my blog and if you know of anyone that has this condition please forward them here for all the info they need to start on the road to healing. It is a long process but well worth it to be able to enjoy the foods you love and stop having your eyes and face swell up!! Until next time my little sickos!!!