interesting tidbits, allergies

Histamine, an important part of our immune system, is automatically triggered when an inflammatory food is introduced. Histamine causes immediate water retention by causing capillaries to dilate and allowing them to leak fluid.

To control this histamine response the body produces cortisol. Cortisol and hormones such as progesterone and testosterone use the same building blocks; the more cortisol that is released the more your hormonal balance is negatively affected. The body is producing cortisol at the expense of progesterone and testosterone. These hormonal fluctuations disrupt water balance, metabolism, thyroid health, healthy sex drive and immune response. Elevated cortisol produces glucose which leads to increased blood sugar levels. This will start to affect yeast growth, altered gut flora and could be a reason behind the incredible rise in the US with Type 2 diabetes. Altered gut flora leads to weakened immune response as the balance of our intestinal bacteria is thrown off. Remember that 60-70% of our immune system is in our guts! thanks to www.homemademommy.net