Hives and Gut Infections
This past winter I was suffering from severe hive breakouts. I had hives everyday for weeks, they started shortly after I got a sinus infection and came on full force.
They were so bad that I literally could not get out bed some days, I could not get them under control with any anti-histamines and I was completely confused about what was causing them and why they seemed to be spurred from an infection.
Well doing what I do, my detective instincts that I use for clients started working for myself.
I started to connect a few dots in my symptoms; a sinus infection as the trigger, severe joint pain especially in my knees, on-going digestive troubles, extreme fatigue.
What could be an underlying cause of these symptoms?
just a tiny glimpse to some of my hives
a peek into some of the hive outbreaks I was experiencing
Gut infections.
I sent in my GI-MAP test and awaited results while working to calm my inflammation and get a hold on my immune system through my diet.
I dived deeper into researching the connection between hives and gut infections and discovered some interesting correlations.
A large number of parasitic infections have been linked to causing urticaria (chronic hives), one in particular that came up over and over again was Blastocystis hominis. A study of 54 people in Egypt with chronic urticaria (hives) revealed that that Blastocystis hominis was found in 61% of them.
You may feel a bit yucky thinking about parasite infections, and I don’t blame you, but I hate to tell you that they are very common. Blastocystis hominis may be present in up to 50% of people in developing countries.
You do not have to travel out of the United States to pick these bugs up. You can get them from water, food, and even your beloved pets.
Unfortunately, millions of people have gut infections and go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, leading them on a continuous search for answers to their symptoms. Typically you are given prescriptions or offered antibiotics or prednisone to try to find relief, however that can make the infections and your immune system worse.
It makes complete sense that gut infections could lead to chronic hives and other manifestations of allergies and immune reactions.
You likely already have a somewhat compromised gut or “leaky gut” when you are exposed to the bugs, this can be due to stress, diet, trauma, antibiotics, and many other factors.
The bug can take ahold and make a home in your body, it degrades your gut further, spurs on your immune system when you try to fight it off, and allows other foreign invaders into your blood stream and creates an environment for more bacterial, yeast, or parasitic infections.
Unfortunately, this can cascade into into a over-reactive immune system, food sensitivities, malabsorption, auto-immunity, more infections, and other symptoms as your body can not get rid of the infection on it’s own. Once you have an infection it can be very hard to get rid of without a targeted approach because these pesky bugs don’t want to leave easily and do a lot to prevent yourself from killing them.
Many who get to this point of symptoms interfering with their life is when they finally start looking for answers, unfortunately a gut panel is often not even considered.
I got my results back from my gut panel and discovered, to no surprise, that I indeed had several infections, including Blastocystis Hominis. My sinus infection was like the “last straw” my immune system could handle.
I went on a therapeutic diet specific to what I was fighting off, started a protocol of supplements to kill the bugs, and took some time to rest, recover and heal. Within just a couple weeks my hives had disappeared, my joint pain eased, and now 3 months later all of my symptoms have disappeared and I have more energy than I remember having in the recent years!
I am continuing to build up my gut and immune system but am amazed by the progress I have made in such a short time.
If you suffer from hives I feel your pain, I understand how easy it can be to just grab the Benadryl. But I urge you to look just a bit further. Performing a gut panel is extremely easy, can be done by anyone at any age and may give you the answer you have been looking for.
You don’t have to suffer, you can heal naturally.
I am not special, I am not different from anyone else, I just knew where to look. You can do it too.