Mold, Lyme, Gut Health, and the Mystery of Histamine Intolerance
Mark Hyman
Apr 21, 2025
Mindsip insights from this episode:
Avoid leftovers to prevent histamine sensitivity issues
As food sits, even in the refrigerator, bacteria break down the amino acid histidine into histamine, making leftovers problematic for sensitive individuals.
Space meals five hours apart for effective gut cleaning
Spacing meals at least five hours apart is critical because the gut's 'cleaning waves,' which clear out bacteria, only activate during fasting periods.
Treat hydrogen sulfide SIBO with Rifaximin and bismuth combination
The newly identified hydrogen sulfide type of SIBO can be treated with a combination of the antibiotic Rifaximin and bismuth, the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol.
Reframe IBS as an autoimmune disease linked to gut nerves
A new paradigm suggests that Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is an autoimmune disease of the gut's nerves, often triggered by a past food poisoning event.
Choose frozen fish to manage histamine intolerance
For those with histamine intolerance, fish that is frozen quickly after being caught is often a better choice than 'fresh' fish, which has had more time to accumulate histamine.
Avoid fermented foods if you have histamine intolerance
Fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, while generally healthy, can act like 'gasoline on a fire' for individuals with histamine intolerance.
Perform at-home histamine test using dermatographism
You can perform a simple test for excess histamine by scratching your skin to see if a raised red line, known as dermatographism, appears.
Recognize EMFs as potential triggers for allergic responses
Emerging research suggests that electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) from sources like WiFi and cell phones can cause mast cells to release histamine in susceptible people.
Identify Lyme disease as a potential trigger for histamine issues
Severe mast cell activation syndrome, a major histamine-related condition, can be triggered by an underlying and often undiagnosed Lyme disease infection.
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