Holistic Allergy Relief: 9 Natural Ways to Support Improved Immune Regulation and Reduce Excess Histamine

Human Health

Holistic Allergy Relief: 9 Natural Ways to Support Improved Immune Regulation and Reduce Excess Histamine

Author: Emily Grochowski, Certified Functional & Integrative Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Seasonal allergies stealing the show? High histamine response? 

The World Health Organization reports allergic conditions as “one of the top three disorders to be prevented and controlled in the 21st century,”¹ and an imbalanced immune system may be the culprit to many allergic responses. 

Your immune system can be linked to headaches and migraines, food sensitivities, anxiety, and more. Read on to learn about the many diet, lifestyle, and supplemental supports you can use to support greater immune system and histamine regulation, from getting a good night's rest to managing stress and more.

8 signs of an imbalanced immune system

1. Headaches and migraines

2. Heartburn

3. Food sensitivities

4. Abdominal bloating

5. Low blood pressure

6. Tinnitus

7. Anxiety

8. Insomnia

Here’s how to balance your immune system

Without understanding and addressing the root causes of your immune imbalances, conditions can worsen and become chronic. Luckily, there are practical strategies that may help manage hypersensitive responses and encourage greater immune regulation.

1. Sleep

Sleep is one of our body’s most accessible and potent immune regulation strategies. Getting adequate rest and maintaining a regular sleep schedule is critical for healthy immune system and inflammatory responses. Supplements like l-theanine and melatonin, along with most adaptogens — especially reishi and astragalus — can be helpful in improving your ability to fall and stay asleep. You can also improve your sleep by committing to a routine. Try going to sleep at the same time each night, avoiding screens before bed, and sticking to a consistent wind-down activity like reading, coloring, or listening to calm music.

2. Stay hydrated

Dehydration is a major stressor to the body, reducing effectiveness and efficiency of immune responses. Staying hydrated with unsweetened and decaffeinated beverages is critical for immune balance. For extra support, choose drinks that are not only hydrating, but also include bioactives known to support immune functionality like hot/warm stinging nettles, hibiscus, rosehip, peppermint, rosemary, and ginger herbal teas.

3. Skip the alcohol

Did you know several common allergy symptoms can also be linked to an overproduction, or breakdown of, your body's histamine production system — the system that affects your inflammatory responses? Limiting alcohol is one of the most powerful ways you can improve histamine overproduction.

Here are 3 reasons why:

1. Alcohol contains high levels of histamine, and can contribute to a higher histamine level throughout the body

2. Alcohol increases histamine production by activating your inflammatory response

3. Alcohol diminishes your body’s ability to break down histamine efficiently by reducing nutrient uptake and impairing key histamine digesting enzymes in the gut and liver

Start by switching your go-to alcohol choices for a mocktail alternative a few times per week, or better yet, try challenging yourself to a dry month. The benefits of going alcohol-free go well beyond your immune response, and your body will thank you.

4. Manage your stress

Stress has a profound impact on immune balance, with higher levels being major triggers for increased allergies and histamine intolerance. But we get it — sometimes stress is impossible to avoid!

Whenever you can, prioritize gentle workouts and engage in relaxation activities like restorative yoga, take Epsom salt baths (especially good for supporting histamine balance), and spend time in nature.

5. Keeping a clean home environment

Using high-quality air and water filters in your home is also key to reducing the amount of waste your body has to deal with — which can further support immune regulation and histamine balance.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America also recommends that you keep your home well ventilated by opening windows for fresh air, avoid decorating with rugs (allergens can get trapped in the fibers), and use a dehumidifier to lower chances of mold.²

6. Daily nutrition

Aim to eat a variety of fresh or frozen colorful produce, especially leafy greens and cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, Bok Choy, and kale. These foods are particularly rich in many nutrients and bioactives that support optimal histamine breakdown.

More good picks for your plate:

• Lean land animal, seafood, and plant proteins — especially pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, sprouted lentils — to support immune factor generation and balanced blood sugar

• High-sulfur foods such as garlic and red onion to help promote histamine balance

• Bioactive-rich foods such as radicchio, mango, apples, capers, and sweet red peppers that help decrease histamine levels 

• Unprocessed poly- and monounsaturated fat rich food sources — like cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, ground flax, chia, hemp seeds, and fatty fish — to help boost the immune system’s anti-inflammatory responses

What to limit 

• In addition to alcohol, avoid smoked, canned, cured, and aged foods like salami, smoked fish, and parmesan cheese that are naturally higher in histamine and may contribute to symptoms

• Sugar, dried fruits, and highly refined carbohydrates can lead to spikes in blood sugar, which can increase inflammation, especially histamine reactions.

7. Supplements

While having a food-first approach is critical, another excellent way to further support immune regulation and your body’s natural histamine breakdown systems is to take a high-quality multivitamin for critical micronutrients like B-complex vitamins and vitamin C, as well as minerals like selenium, zinc, magnesium, copper, and more. 

8. Gut Health

Probiotic-containing foods like yogurts, kimchi, and kombucha are actually higher in histamines and may not be ideal for people suffering from allergies and other symptoms of histamine intolerance or overload. A better strategy for many is to focus on prebiotic-rich and histamine breakdown-enhancing foods like beets, radishes, carrots, and jicama, along with artichokes, asparagus, dandelion greens, blueberries, kiwis, and cranberries.

9. Detoxification 

Provide your detoxification systems with adequate fiber for a more complete, balanced elimination. 

Some great detoxification support bioactives to keep an eye out for: 

• Sulforaphane - from broccoli sprouts, spirulina

• Curcumin from turmeric 

• Dandelion, burdock root, and silymarin from milk seed thistle

• Supplemental amino acids like glycine and methionine

• Compounds such as glutathione and N-acetyl cysteine/NAC

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Emily Grochowski (MSN, RDN, CD (WA), CLT, CFIN) is a Certified Functional & Integrative Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at the Institute of Complementary Medicine.

Sources:

1 Wang, J., Zhou, Y., Zhang, H., & others. (2023). Pathogenesis of allergic diseases and implications for therapeutic interventions. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 8(138). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-023-01344-4

2  Päivi M. Salo, et al. (2008). Exposure to multiple indoor allergens in US homes and relationship to asthma. JACI. https://aafa.org/allergies/prevent-allergies/control-indoor-allergens/