North Baltimore Journal

Histamines are commonly known for the key role they play in allergies, but they have recently been linked to medical ailments like depression and rare diseases.

Scientists are beginning to discover that histamine may play a role in an extensive array of body processes, while immunology is proving an effective treatment against allergies.

“It's the duty of the physician to provide those alternatives," Dr. Jamie Oberman of Frederick Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers told Maryland Business Daily. "Some still do better with allergy shots, but there's also the sublingual route that we can always consider if they do have a needle phobia or can't make it to a monthly doctor's appointment, if that doesn't work well with their lifestyle -- in addition to the medical management."

WebMD recommends trying home remedies for sinus headaches. Knowing what you’re allergic to involves getting tested for allergies. Allergy medications (both prescribed and over the counter), alternative treatments and immunotherapy or allergy shots are treatment options, though there is no known cure for allergies.

“You're doing either skin-prick testing on the back or the forearm, and you're placing the allergen to see if they develop a flare," Oberman said. "So that's called in vivo testing, and that is still performed, but equally as sensitive and specific is what's called in vitro testing or RAST. In vitro testing, which is a blood test, we're testing for a specific allergy-type antibody. This is a specific antibody to an allergen that somebody is allergic to, and it would be elevated on a blood test. And it's specific for a geographic region. For Frederick, the mid-Atlantic states, we test for that in addition to other panels for food and other allergens.”

Allergen immunotherapy is the process of desensitizing the body to allergens by gradually increasing exposure. Subcutaneous immunotherapy is highly effective, especially against seasonal allergies, according to Current Treatment Options in Allergy.

Using computer-mined data from the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, scientists concluded there are more than 25 rare diseases related to histamine physiopathology.

Histamine is also responsible for an astonishing number of processes in the body, according to SelfDecode. Its levels have both positive and negative effects on mood, motivation and stress management.

Histamine begins the body's reaction to sinus allergies, according to WebMD. During this process, patients might feel the familiar postnasal drip and possible sneezing. Further in the process, histamine causes inflammation of the nose, which signals to the body to produce even more immune responses to fight the allergen.

Research reported by Science Daily may be on the verge of a medical and psychological breakthrough. Imperial College London and the University of South Carolina conducted a study on mice and concluded there is a direct correlation between serotonin, the feel-good molecule, and histamine in the brain.

Statistically speaking, about 50 million Americans suffer from allergies each year, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

To learn more about the information in this article or evaluate your symptoms, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.