As part of my ongoing attempt to solve a decade-long battle with histamine intolerance, I recently began testing a new hypothesis: that low copper might be the missing piece.
In my previous post I explained the theory and began supplementing copper while stopping the zinc megadose that my doctor had me on for years. (Due to the relationship between zinc and copper)
So how has the first week gone?
Well in a real trial by fire to test if the early signs were as promising I thought they were – I just ate my bodyweight in chocolate.
Like a lot of people my self-control has a tendency to go out the window where chocolate is concerned. Doesn’t help that I just happen to work in a chocolate store. Big vice though it is for me – and readily accessible – I haven’t been able to fully enjoy it for over ten years. Historically chocolate has fucked me up like nothing else. Worse even than coffee, tea or alcohol. Chocolate is basically a histamine triple bomb – it contains histamine, releases histamine in your body and interferes with histamine breakdown. And for me that means massive brain fog like I’m on drugs, scratchy eyes and an almost poisoned like feeling.
And you know what?
I feel ok.
My eyes aren’t scratchy. I’m not sneezing. Not particularly foggy. And the big one – I don’t feel sick.
That’s a pretty big turnaround for one week on copper (though it’s been two since I ceased my zinc supplementation). But that has been the story of the week. Just overall less reactivity and more stable energy. When the fatigue has hit, it hasn’t been nearly as severe – I’ve been able to get through some days without napping which is HUGE for me. That’s despite often only sleeping 5-6 hours a night (a one-year old and lots of competing goals will do that to you).
Occasionally in the last week I have had fleeting moments of normality where all my symptoms subside, and I feel a sense of clarity and almost euphoria. Wondering to myself is this what normal people feel like all the time? What I used to feel like all the time? Of course the symptoms then return. But when they do they’re milder as I’ve described.
Which is why, for the first time in a long time, I’m cautiously optimistic that I may have actually found the missing piece.
So how to interpret what’s possibly going on?
Copper is required for the body to produce DAO – the enzyme responsible for breaking down histamine in the gut. Simply bringing my copper levels back up could be enabling my body to more adequately produce DAO, and my histamine symptoms are reducing accordingly.
But obviously one week is a small sample size, especially when we’re dealing with a problem that has crippled me for a decade. It’s too soon to declare victory, that will only come with total recovery – I will accept nothing less.
For now though, the early signs are lifechanging – I can’t remember the last time I had this much hope about my health.
Stay tuned for further updates. I believe histamine intolerance can be defeated.
Cheers,
Remy.
Toomanymind 