Histamine Health Coach
Welcome to Histamine Health Coach, the podcast for women ready to take control of their histamine intolerance, calm unpredictable symptoms, and feel like themselves again—without fear, overwhelm, or extreme restrictions.
I’m Teresa, a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach who’s been there—living with mast cell issues, hives, and the daily uncertainty that comes with histamine-related conditions. Here, we go beyond just lists of “yes” and “no” foods. You’ll get real talk on how to support your body through nutrition, stress management, movement, and mindset—plus practical tips to help you enjoy life again.
Whether you’re navigating MCAS, mastocytosis, or just curious if histamine is behind your symptoms, you’ll find education, encouragement, and simple tools to help you feel more resilient, more energetic, and more at ease in your own skin.
Ready to feel better? Let’s get started.
Histamine Health Coach
Episode 8: Tired, Foggy, Bloated? Your Gut Knows Something the Tests Don’t
Have you ever felt something was wrong with your body long before any test could confirm it? That gut feeling isn't just intuition—it's your body's intelligence speaking directly to you.
When fire ants attacked me during what should have been a relaxing day in South Beach, my body sounded an alarm I couldn't ignore. Within minutes, my hands swelled, my legs failed, and I lost consciousness in the park grass. That terrifying experience with anaphylaxis completely transformed my understanding of histamine intolerance and taught me the life-saving power of trusting my body's signals.
Women navigating histamine intolerance often face a frustrating paradox: we know something's wrong—the bloating, brain fog, headaches, and fatigue are real—yet medical tests come back "normal" and we're told it's probably just stress. But in functional medicine, we understand that stress isn't just in your head; it directly impacts your nervous system, immune response, and gut function. When chronic stress slows digestion and increases gut permeability, histamine levels rise, creating a cascade of symptoms that deserve serious attention, not dismissal.
Your gut houses 70% of your immune system and serves as your body's first responder. When it sends warning signals through uncomfortable symptoms, it's not overreacting—it's protecting you. Learning to trust these signals isn't weakness; it's profound wisdom that can transform your health journey.
Ready to reconnect with your body's wisdom? Download my free low-histamine diet starter plan at histaminehealthcoach.com and begin decoding what your gut has been trying to tell you all along. Remember, you are your own best health expert—trust that knowledge and watch your healing journey transform.
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. Hi, welcome back to histamine health coach, where we navigate life with histamine intolerance and find ways to fill our pest. I'm Teresa, your histamine health coach, and today we're diving into something that's deeply personal and incredibly powerful trusting your gut. So here's a funny thing. I was listening to a podcast version of a radio show the other day and the host was talking about how crude women have become because we talk about our gut and gut health. Apparently, somewhere along the way, caring about our digestive systems became unladylike. Well, if that makes me crude, I'll take it, because the gut is way more than digestion. It's your second brain, your internal compass, your early warning system that something's not right and sometimes, like in my case, it can even save your life.
Speaker 1:Years ago, I had a work event in Miami, had a free day, so I decided to go to South Beach for a nice lunch. After lunch, I was sitting in the park reading a book, and what should have been a beautiful, relaxing day turned into one of the most scariest moments of my life. It was my first anaphylaxis experience. As I'm sitting in the park, I knew I was being bitten by something. It was irritating, but I didn't think too much about it. Well, it turns out, I was bitten by fire ants and within minutes my hands began to swell. At that moment I knew something was wrong. And then something even more terrifying happened. I lost control of my legs. I had no idea what was going on and I couldn't walk. But before I could even fully process what was happening, I knew because my gut told me loud and clear something was terribly wrong. It wasn't anxiety, it wasn't drama, it was survival. It was my body sounding the alarm and thank goodness I was listening because I was going into anaphylaxis. That's when I passed out in the grass. When I woke up about 15 minutes later, I was able to get the intention of a young woman who was walking past and she called 911. At that moment, everything in my life clearly changed, because it's that moment I realized what histamine intolerance was really all about. Even though I hadn't made the obvious connection to the bloating, headaches, fatigue or the brain fog I'd had for years, I now knew what it looked like the next time I was going to have anaphylaxis and I knew to ask for help as soon as I started having signs that something was wrong. And I know I'm not alone in that.
Speaker 1:Women are smart and we know when something is wrong. So many women go to the doctor because deep down they know something isn't right. You're exhausted, you're bloated, you wake up with a headache, your brain is foggy and your body aches, but then you're bloated. You wake up with a headache, your brain is foggy and your body aches, but then you're told your labs look fine, everything's normal, it's probably just stress. But let's talk about that for a minute.
Speaker 1:In functional medicine we don't separate the mind from the body or the spirit. Everything is connected. When you feel stressed, it's not in your head, it's happening in your nervous system, your immune response and your gut. Chronic stress can slow digestion. It can lead to gut permeability, nutrient deficiencies and you guessed it higher histamine levels. So yes, stress is real, but it's not a reason to dismiss your symptoms. It's a reason to look deeper. When you calm your nervous system, your symptoms often begin to soften. When you support your gut, your brain gets clearer and when you start trusting your body again, things begin to shift.
Speaker 1:If you're dealing with histamine intolerance, your gut isn't just your second brain, it's your first responder. It's where 70% of your immune system lives. It's constantly scanning for danger, trying to protect you, even if that protection shows up in uncomfortable symptoms. So when you notice a pattern, feel a symptom or just know something's off, you're not overreacting, you're not making it up. You're listening to your body and trusting your gut. And learning to trust your gut. That's not weakness, that's wisdom.
Speaker 1:So I'll leave you with this has your gut ever tried to tell you something before the labs could? Before a doctor did? What would it look like to trust it next time? And if you're learning how to listen again, whether it's to your food, your energy or your stress levels, know that you're not alone, or your stress levels. Know that you're not alone. You can visit my blog at histaminehealthcoachcom slash blog for more insights on histamine intolerance and, if you haven't already, download my free low histamine diet starter plan. It's a great first step towards learning what your gut might be trying to tell you. Until next time, I'm Teresa, your histamine health coach. Trust your gut, support your body and remember you are your own best expert. See you soon. Bye.