Antihistamine Definition:

Antihistamine Definition:

What is an Antihistamine?
Are There Natural Antihistamine Options?

Antihistamine Definition: A drug, compound or solution that blocks, stops or inhibits the action of histamine in humans. Antihistamines may also be used for sedation, sleep and prevention of nausea and vomiting.

Antihistamines are used mostly for allergic reactions such as sneezing and itching.

Beyond Antihistamine Definition: Antihistamine Actions

Histamine is released when the body is exposed to an allergen.Histamine travels to the histamine receptor sites on each of our cells. Antihistamines block histamine from entering these receptor sites.

Histamine also plays a role in regulating the water in our body.

The over the counter antihistamines work in no more than 40% of people who use them. One study found that even if they do work, they may only reduce the symptoms by half. In other words, they do not fully help people find relief.

Antihistamine Action

Antihistamines do not affect the release of histamine and they do not inactivate histamine. A better way of describing the work antihistamines do could be saying it inhibits the effects of histamine.

When histamine is released, the receptor cells cause redness and itching that is associated with allergic reactions.

Antihistamines also reduce the release of tears and salivation. The first generation antihistamines produced sedation and helped with motion sickness, reduced nausea and vomiting.

One of the most famous, Diphenhydramine or Benadryl is used for reducing allergic reactions, nighttime sedation and control of drug-induced Parkinson's symptoms and control of coughs (in the liquid form).

Imagine you have a chemical spill on your land. There are two ways of dealing with it. Creating a dam and containing it till it can later be hauled away or diluting it till it was harmless.

The chemical spill in our body is the allergen. Histamine is the alarm or signal that we need more water. Once the water is delivered, the allergen is washed out and made harmless to both our cells and anywhere it may go.

Is Being Anti Histamine Bad?

We live in a world that being politically correct has gone to an extreme. Is it right to be anti anything? In the case of anti-histamine, consider the facts.

Histamine also works as a neurotransmitter. This is why it helps with motion sickness. It also plays a role in our sleep. Histamine has been linked to Multiple Sclerosis. Perhaps this is why the Water Cures has helped many to succeed in ending their suffering with MS.

The down side, trying to block it with antihistamines can affect our memory, causing us to forget. It can inhibit our ability to learn and ultimately affect our ability to have normal sleep.

Histamine, when it is in our GI tract, helps with the production of acid that is used for digestion. Some drugs disrupt the creation of acid in order to stop acid reflux. There is a better way to control acid reflux. It is called the Water Cures protocol.

Histamine that causes inflammation, is a red flag that we need more water.

Histamine regulates water in the body in the production of acid as well as in the production of other neurotransmitters that affect our thinking and sleep. Why would we want to chemically disrupt it? Our bodies have a natural mechanism that uses water and salt as an antihistamine. It works, it is that simple, water and salt.

Defining Antihistamine Side Effects

appetite loss
abdominal cramps
blood pressure changes
blurred vision
chest congestion
chest pain
coordination decrease
confusion
constipation
decreased coordination
drowsiness
dizziness
diarrhea
dry mouth and throat
fatigue
headache
heartbeat flutters
hives
memory loss
motion sickness reduction
nasal stuffiness
nausea
nose burning sensation
rash
restlessness
respiratory depression
sleepiness
sneezing
sore throat
stomach upset
tremor
vision problems
weight gain
upset stomach

Reactions in the blood system, while rare, if they happen may be severe. These can include....

anemia
breakdown of red blood cells
platelet count reduction
white blood cell count reduction
bone marrow failure

Contraindications: Don't Use Antihistamines If....

The following are absolute or relative contraindications or the use of antihistamines. The significance of the contraindication will vary with the particular drug and dose.

diabetes
liver disease
heart disease
glaucoma
kidney disease
enlarged prostate
bladder obstruction
high blood pressure
stomach or intestinal blockage
ulcers or other stomach problems
hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid)

Natural Antihistamine vs Anti-Histamine

The Consequences of Taking Anti-Histamines

There is a natural antihistamine in your cupboard that is better than any other and it is the best anti-histamine known to man.

What is Histamine

Histamine is defined as a chemical compound that our cells release in response to injury, immune responses when there is an allergic reaction, inflammation and chemical exposure. Histamine also helps regulate the gut. Non-mast cell histamine also acts as a neurotransmitter in our nervous system. Basophil and mast cell histamine, once released, cause the contraction of smooth muscles as well as dilation of capillaries. In this function, it is mostly an immunologic reaction.

Water plays an important role in the histamine response of the body. By understanding how it works, you can better manage your own histamine reactions, should you ever have one.

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Histamine has a protective action in the body. One of the main actions is to correct shortages of potassium, salt and water. Histamine and its 5 helpers, work to maintain homeostasis in our bodies. Homeostasis is another word for balance.

Histamine is produced in specialized cells in the body known as mast cells. Also, one type of whit blood cell called basophils produce histamine.

How Do Antihistamines Work

Antihistamines block the action of histamine.

Your mast cells leak the histamine into the cells and subsequently into our surrounding tissues and into the blood. This is the precursor of inflammation. Antihistamines are given with the thinking that inflammation is bad, eliminating inflammation is good.

Antihistamines help stop the action of histamine at receptors in our skin, nose, blood vessels and airways. But this is an oversimplification.

Three Functions of Histamine:

Histamine working as a neurotransmitter, among other things, is responsible for our sleep. It is believed to be part of the mechanism that causes us to forget memories and learning. Is it any wonder that a side effect of antihistamine use is memory disturbance?

Histamine in our gut helps with the production and stopping the production of acid for digestion. Why would we want to tell our gut to stop doing what it is supposed to do?

Finally, histamine has a protective response, the inflammation. This is in reality, a cry for water. It should also be noted that histamine is implicated in Multiple Sclerosis.

Commonalities Of Histamines in the Body

The one main commonality of the various histamines is prompting us to hydrate and inner body water redistribution. We do not store water in our bodies the way that animals such as camels do. Our water stores are more diverse and limited. The water it does have can be shifted from one place to another. Histamine plays a role in this shifting when necessary.

Should We Use Chemical (Drug) Antihistamines?

The late Dr. Batmanghelidj worked on the theory that the current thinking of antihistamine was wrong. Histamine, he pointed out based on research, can be overproduced due to the exposure of too much of something we are consuming or may be exposed to. When exposed, histamine signals for water intake or for transferring water from a place of abundance to a place of lack.

The natural histamine response is one of our bodies cries for water, salt or both. Why not fix it with a natural antihistamine.

When we use chemical or drug antihistamines, all that is happening is a covering over of the bodies water shortage and the need for salt and water.

The Best Natural Antihistamine: Salt

What do wild animals turn when they have congestion or runny noses? The fact they don't often have health problems like humans should clue us in. Animals get their salt (natural antihistamine) from certain foods other sources. Have you ever noticed deer grazing on grass by the side of the highway. No doubt it is for the extra salt they get from the roads in the winter.

The first thing you will get on admission to the hospital is usually a saline IV. Our cells, everyone of them, needs both water and salt to maintain health. Only drinking water can actually cause harm to our heart. When we only drink water, the sympathetic nervous system is constantly stimulated, which prematurely ages our heart.

Why are we told to cut down on salt? Why not drink more water? The key, drinking plain water. While too much salt is bad, not having enough plain water is worse. Water helps wash out the excess salt.

A related problem is the substitution of sweetened drinks and juices for thirst and not water. What do all animals, wild and domestic drink? Water. Yet they rarely get the diseases humans do.

Self Test the Natural Antihistamine Theory

When you get a runny nose, have congestion or need to constantly clear your throat, put a little salt on the end of your tongue. It is not necessary to swallow it. Just let it be absorbed and after a little while, rinse or otherwise, get rid of the excess.

Notice what happens within seconds. Likewise if you are having a hay-fever attack, try the salt and a glass of water. Make sure and look at the second hand of a clock. Because you will want to take note in how many seconds it takes to work.

Everyone is different and we will all have various salt and water needs. Test the theory and if necessary, increase or decrease the amount of unprocessed salt and water you take in.

Now that JAMA and the CDC both have said that we need more salt to avoid heart attack and cardiovascular disease, why have doctors not got on the band wagon?

Low Salt Intake Increases Your Risk of Getting a Heart Attack

Super Charged Histamine: Adrenaline

The antihistamine that comes from our adrenal glands is the strongest kind. Remember, histamine regulates water. Why would we need to shut off or change the transference of water inside our body when it is designed to do just this? Think animals in the wild.

Adrenaline is our fight or flight hormone. It has a specific use. When we drink coffee and especially caffeine, the adrenal glands are signaled to release adrenaline. So our emergency reserve is released just because we told it too by drinking a glass of coffee.

But what happens when we repeatedly call for adrenaline? The body will go into a very mild form of cachexia. Our bodies cannibalize themselves but at the level of the organs. Depending on how strong our liver is will determine the damage and which organ or system will suffer the most.

Since salt is the ultimate natural antihistamine, it stands to reason that we need to learn exactly how much we need based on our own biology. The water cures protocol is only a starting point. Likewise, it is only the foundation for our health. As such, we need to tailor it to our personal needs.

 Best Natural Antihistamine For Dogs.
The best natural antihistamine for dogs can be found in the Water Cures protocol. It consists of water and sodium chloride. More specifically, unprocessed sea salt that has the extra minerals not found in table salt.

Antihistamine for Dogs: What is Antihistamine.

Histamine is a substance released in the cells of humans and animals. It is released when there is injury, allergic reaction, inflammation or exposure to chemicals. Histamine helps with the electrical transmission between nerves. It plays a role in the immune response.

The most important thing to know, histamine helps protect us. In the case of our fury pets, it helps balance salt, potassium and water. When exposed to something unhealthy for them (or us), the body overproduces histamine. When this happens, you will notice your pet has problems. It could be skin problems or it could be pain.

Antihistamines stop the action of histamine in the receptors, where the cells receive the histamine. They do not fix the cause of the release of histamine. They only block the cells from receiving the histamine. They do not heal. What if there was a better way. What if there was a natural way?

Treating the Cause Not the Symptom

Instead of treating the symptom (giving antihistamine) what would happen if we treated the cause of discomfort in our four legged friend? We would eliminate the discomfort. We would help with the healing process.

By providing salt and water for our pets, we are giving them the nutrients to allow them to balance their bodies and heal.

The Natural Antihistamine For Dogs: Salt and Water

Antihistamines chemically try to block the action of histamine. Histamine is released because something is happening within the body that needs to be fixed. Antihistamines mask the effects of something gone wrong inside the body of our pets.

One of the primary functions of histamine is management of water.

Since histamine manages water, why would we want to interfere with it? Would it now be better to help it.

Water and salt provide the best natural antihistamine known to man or dog. The water is transported into the innermost parts of the body by the salt. We need salt to live. So do our dogs and cats.

Isn't Salt Dangerous for Dogs?

Numerous health and vet sites say salt is dangerous for dogs. Yet the same doctors know that life is dependent on salt. How do we balance the two views.

The Merk Manual Says: "Salt poisoning has been reported in virtually all species of animals... ...salt poisoning has historically been more common in swine (the most sensitive species)...cattle and poultry, there are increasing reports of adverse effects in dogs from acute excess salt consumption."

Note: Many are aware that cows and horses have salt licks. They need salt to live, more than they get from foods. Yet too much is dangerous. The same is true of dogs. Perhaps you have noticed some dogs lick certain peoples skin. Why? Often because of the salt.

The health issue to be concerned about is not salt. The issue is too much salt.

How Much is Too Much Salt for Dogs?

To provide a general idea, according to the Merck Manual 3/4 teaspoon of salt at one time would be too much for a 100 lb dog.

A Schnauzer weighs 30 - 45 pounds (14 - 20 kg). A German Shepherds weigh 49–88 lb (22–40 kg). Respective amounts of salt would be 1/4 tsp for a small dog and 1/2 tsp for a medium sized dog.

Note that the 'too much' is an 'at one time' amount.

1/4 teaspoon of salt = 500 milligrams of sodium 1/2 teaspoon of salt = 1,000 milligrams of sodium 3/4 teaspoon of salt = 1,500 milligrams of sodium

With salt, dogs can tolerate small amounts in water. Remember, salt on food is not the same as salt in water.

Sea water can have in excess of 2 tablespoons of salt in a quart. This is way too much and why dogs will get sick drinking sea water. We recommend having at least 2 bowls, one without salt and one with up to 3/4 teaspoon of salt for large dogs, less for smaller dogs.

The dogs will drink what they need. Watch which bowl your dogs drink from. Adjust the salt as you see what they drink. Initially they may drink the larger amount. Then when they drink less, adjust the level of added salt down to what they prefer.

My Experience: A good friend tried the WaterCures Pet Protocol on Timmy. He was a small terrier mix. At 15 years old, he was showing his age. He could no longer jump on the couch or chair. Paco, his 2 year old Chihuahua friend and companion was always wanting to play. On starting the water and salt as a natural antihistamine for dogs, Timmy perked up dramatically. Once again able to jump on the couch and chairs, he would also be found playing with Paco. The amazing thing, this was a 15 year old dog.