Dark circles under the eyes can be caused by a variety of factors, including genetics, lack of sleep, and allergies. However, one possible cause is an imbalance in histamine levels in the body. Histamine is a chemical that is released by the immune system in response to allergens, it is also released by gut bacteria in your microbiome. An excess of histamine can cause inflammation and swelling, it can also cause your gut to become leaky.

When your gut is "leaky," it means that the lining of your intestines is damaged and allows harmful substances to pass through. This can lead to a cascade of problems, as the histamine can than leak out of the gut and into the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, the histamine can travel throughout the body, affecting various organs and systems, including the brain, skin, nose, eyes, heart, bladder, uterus, placenta, developing baby, and breast milk. This is why consuming foods or drinks that contain histamine can cause symptoms throughout the body within seconds to minutes.

These signs may mean that you have High Histamine:

• Diarrhea*
• Bloating*
• Abdominal discomfort*
• Reflux*
• Food Intolerance*
• Leaky Gut*
• Skin Issues
• Migraines and headaches
• Irritability
• Difficulty falling asleep
• Joint Pain Musculoskeletal or connective tissue pain (fibromyalgia)
• Chronic Fatigue
• Estrogen Dominance
• Painful Menstruation
• Hypotension
• Tachycardia
• Rapid Heart Rate
• Hypotension
• Dizziness
• Trouble regulating body temperature
• Trouble Sleeping

*The gut is usually the biggest reason why people experience histamine intolerance. You can find out if your microbiome, or your gut immune system, is overwhelming your DAO enzyme in two ways.

1. Have your doctor or functional medicine practitioner test for high histamine with a Diamine Oxidase (DAO) Level test. This is analytical test which is carried out in the laboratory using the ELISA method to measure the level of the DAO enzyme in the blood.
2. A quick home test:

Away from food, on an empty stomach take a histamine blocker supplement. You can create a free account with my online store here to order.

After swallowing the capsule, it opens up and begins digesting histamine right away in your small intestine. If there’s a lot of histamine in your small intestine, you’ll likely begin feeling better.

If there’s not much histamine in your gut, you won’t notice much of a difference.

What does this tell you?

1. Do I have a lot of high-histamine producing bacteria living in my gut? Yes or No.
2. Is my gut immune system producing a lot of histamine? Yes or No.

With this information, you know if your histamine symptoms are gut related or not.

If not, then you know you’re reacting to something in your environment like mold, an infection, or your histamine pathway is dirty for other reasons.

Addressing the root cause of high histamine levels in the gut is crucial for healing leaky gut and preventing further health issues.

By maintaining healthy histamine levels in the gut, you may be able to reduce the appearance of dark circles and improve overall skin health.

There are many ways to heal with functional medicine. You can work with Heidi via our group functional medicine program or one on one. To find out if this is the right path for your health journey you are welcome to schedule a free health discovery session with our office.