Histamine Health Coach

Episode 1 - My Story

• Teresa Christensen • Episode 1

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What happens when your body becomes a battleground of mysterious symptoms that medications can't fix? For decades, I struggled with histamine intolerance that started as a simple rash but evolved into something that threatened to consume my entire life.

My journey began in the mid-90s with a diagnosis of urticaria pigmentosa, followed by years of escalating symptoms—migraines, extreme fatigue, brain fog, and eventually anaphylaxis. The medical solution? More medications. At the height of my struggle, I was taking seven different antihistamines daily while my symptoms continued to worsen.

The connection between histamine and hormones revealed itself dramatically after my hysterectomy when I experienced a blissful three-month period completely symptom-free, only to have everything come rushing back once menopause hit. Food became my enemy, social outings turned into anxiety-inducing gambles, and my world grew smaller as fear limited where I could go and what I could do.

Everything changed when I stepped away from conventional medicine and embraced a functional approach. Rather than treating symptoms, I learned to identify triggers, support my body's natural healing processes, and implement lifestyle changes that transformed my health. Today, I manage my histamine intolerance without medications, focusing instead on nurturing my body based on its unique needs.

Whether you're dealing with unexplained rashes, digestive issues, headaches, fatigue, or anxiety that conventional doctors can't explain, this podcast offers practical strategies for recognizing triggers, calming symptoms, and reclaiming your life. You don't have to live in fear of your next reaction or resign yourself to a life of limitations. Real healing is possible—I'm living proof.

Speaker 1:

Hi, welcome to Histamine Health Coach, the podcast for women navigating histamine intolerance and looking for real answers. I'm Teresa Christensen and I know firsthand how overwhelming it can be to deal with food triggers, environmental sensitivities and unpredictable symptoms. But you don't have to figure it out alone. Each week, I'll share my personal journey and practical strategies to help you break free from fear and take control of your health. So let's get started. Hello everyone, I'm Teresa Christensen, a functional medicine certified health coach, and I'm so happy you decided to join me today. As a health coach, I help women with histamine intolerance calm their symptoms and recognize their personal triggers, triggers from food, stress and the environment. If you've been struggling with symptoms like headaches, extreme fatigue, gi issues, anxiety, unexplained rashes, muscles and joint pains, or generally feeling like you've lost control of your body, you're in the right place. I've been there and I can relate to you and your story. Today, though, I want to share a bit of my story how histamine intolerance turned my life upside down and how I found a way to move forward. My hope is that as you listen, you'll feel a little less alone and start to believe that healing is possible and freedom from fear is real.

Speaker 1:

So for me, it all started with a rash on my belly. At first I thought it was something simple, something that would just simply go away on its own. You know, take a Benadryl and it'd all be gone in the morning. That's also when I realized I react to Benadryl too, but that's another story for another time. My simple rash wasn't simple at all. It was actually urticaria pigmentosa. Keep in mind, my diagnosis was in the mid-1990s and very little was known about histamine intolerance at that time, so the doctors just sent me on my way. Since there was no internet at the time and Google was only something to dream about, I thought the only symptoms would be my horrible itching, burning skin. Over the years, though, I had other symptoms that I had no idea were related to histamine intolerance. I was naive in thinking my histamine just affected my skin. I had no idea that the migraines, the extreme fatigue and the brain fog were also symptoms, but it was when I started having anaphylaxis that the light bulb went on in my brain. It was like a flashing neon sign that just read histamine, histamine, histamine.

Speaker 1:

So about 15 years into my journey with Up, I moved to Chicago. Living here, I had the opportunity to find a doctor that specialized in mastocytosis. He seemed to get what I was going through, but generally his answer was just to throw another medication at each symptom. It was during that time that I noticed the food intolerance and the digestion issues were making it tough for me to even leave the house. Also during that time I made a personal connection to histamine and hormones after I had a complete hysterectomy.

Speaker 1:

For three months after my hysterectomy I had no food intolerances and I finally felt free of symptoms Plenty of energy, my headaches were gone, the weight was coming off and I felt great. Then menopause hit. All of a sudden, everything came flooding back. So I don't know if you've ever been to Chicago or if you happen to live here, but it's known for great food and restaurants, and I am married to a food scientist who loves to sample great food.

Speaker 1:

Unfortunately, though, I was growing more and more afraid of foods and was avoiding leaving the house, so the idea of restaurants was kind of going out the window, had no idea what foods were safe and really didn't know how long my GI issues will cooperate on any given day. So going out was kind of tough Generally. I felt like the walls were closing in on me and had no idea what was coming next. So, with the food intolerances, the headaches, the fatigue, the anxiety and the itching burning skin, I just felt lost. I was taking seven antihistamines a day yes, seven and things were getting worse each year.

Speaker 1:

I really liked my allergist, but I got to a point where I was afraid to mention any new symptoms, basically because I knew he would just schedule more tests or simply throw another antihistamine into my life. When he retired, though, I knew this was my opportunity to break free from traditional medicine. With the urging of a friend or two or three Everybody said it I decided to reach out to a local functional medicine practitioner and finding functional medicine and changing my lifestyle. Yes, changing my lifestyle Completely changed my world. There's still a few foods that I try to avoid, but I don't take any medications. Yes, any medications. Yes, no medications. I've learned how to nurture my body with what it tells me it needs, and I want to help you do the same.

Speaker 1:

This is basically a condensed version of my story. To find out more about me, you can just visit my website. You can find me at histaminehealthcoachcom In upcoming episodes. This is not the last you'll hear from me. I'll share the strategies that helped me, everything from food choices and lifestyle tweaks to simple ways you might calm your symptoms, recognize your personal triggers and relieve your stress so you can reclaim your life and hopefully, prevent the walls from closing in.

Speaker 1:

I'll also answer some common questions about histamine intolerance, maybe bust some myths and share tools to help you feel empowered, not overwhelmed. If you have questions or topics you'd like me to cover, please feel free to reach out at Teresa at histaminehealthcoachcom, and, if this sounds familiar, that you are not alone, you can take control of your health, one small step at a time. I'm here to walk this path with you, share what worked for me, and I'll show you that you have what it takes to live without fear. Thank you so very much for being here. If you found this helpful, please feel free to share it with someone who you think might need it. Thank you, have a wonderful day. Bye.