157. Histamine Intolerance, MCAS, & Vestibular Conditions

Histamine is quite possibly the most popular buzzword in healthcare right now and for good reason.

For those living with a vestibular condition and dealing with a histamine intolerance, it can feel like a lot to understand and manage.

In this episode, I’m breaking down what histamine is, what histamine intolerance can look like, how it’s impacting vestibular disorders and migraine, and what you can do about it.

• What histamine is and its role in your immune system, digestion, sleep, mood, memory, and more
• The 4 types of histamine receptors and what they have to do with your symptoms
• Histamine intolerance vs. MCAS
• What happens when you don’t have enough of the DAO enzyme
• What contributes to histamine intolerance and what it can look like
• How to properly diagnose histamine intolerance
• What you can do to support your liver if you have histamine intolerance
• How to do a low-histamine diet the right way
• How food freshness affects histamine levels
• The histamine-migraine connection
• What research is showing about histamine’s role in the vestibular system and inner ear
• How addressing histamine can make previous treatments that didn’t work suddenly start working

When there’s too much histamine in the body than what the body can actively remove, you’ll have more histamine reactions and a harder time processing histamine in general. I want you to remember though that all hope is not lost!

For additional support, we have the webinar with Isabel Smith that touches on histamine intolerance, as well as liver and gut support inside Vestibular Group Fit. 

We will also have Natalie Sampson, a Board Certified Genetic Counselor, joining me on a future podcast episode!

• Vestibular Group Fit (code GROUNDED at checkout for 15% off!): https://thevertigodoctor.com/vestibular-group-fit

• ⁠The 4 Steps to Managing Vestibular Migraine: https://thevertigodoctor.myflodesk.com/cb5js0y78n
• ⁠The PPPD Management Masterclass⁠: https://thevertigodoctor.myflodesk.com/new-pppd
• ⁠What your Partner Should Know About Living with Dizziness⁠: https://thevertigodoctor.myflodesk.com/partnership
• ⁠The FREE Mini VGFit Workout⁠: https://thevertigodoctor.myflodesk.com/minifit
• ⁠The FREE POTS – safe Workouts⁠: https://thevertigodoctor.myflodesk.com/pots

Connect with Dr. Madison (@TheVertigoDoctor): https://instagram.com/thevertigodoctor

Work with Dr. Madison:

• For 1:1 Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy, email madison@thevertigodoctor.com
• Otherwise, I’ll see ya in Vestibular Group Fit!

Connect with Dr. Jenna (@dizzy.rehab.therapist): https://www.instagram.com/dizzy.rehab.therapist/

Learn about the Oak Method: http://thevertigodoctor.com/why-vestibular-group-fit

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This podcast is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.

1. Cleveland Clinic. “Histamine.” Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, 28 Mar. 2023, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24854-histamine. Accessed 10 July 2026.
2. Jochum C. (2024). Histamine Intolerance: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Beyond. Nutrients, 16(8), 1219. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16081219 
3. Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Duelo A, Veciana-Nogués MT, Berlanga M, Vidal-Carou MC and Latorre-Moratalla ML (2022) The dietary treatment of histamine intolerance reduces the abundance of some histamine-secreting bacteria of the gut microbiota in histamine intolerant women. A pilot study. Front. Nutr. 9:1018463. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1018463
4. Jackson, K., Busse, W., Gálvez-Martín, P., Terradillos, A., & Martínez-Puig, D. (2025). Evidence for Dietary Management of Histamine Intolerance. International journal of molecular sciences, 26(18), 9198. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26189198
5. Kong, L., Domarecka, E., & Szczepek, A. J. (2023). Histamine and Its Receptors in the Mammalian Inner Ear: A Scoping Review. Brain sciences, 13(7), 1101. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13071101 
6. Tighilet, B., Trico, J., Marouane, E., Zwergal, A., & Chabbert, C. (2024). Histaminergic System and Vestibular Function in Normal and Pathological Conditions. Current neuropharmacology, 22(11), 1826–1845. https://doi.org/10.2174/1570159X22666240319123151 
7. Chen, Z. P., Zhang, X. Y., Peng, S. Y., Yang, Z. Q., Wang, Y. B., Zhang, Y. X., Chen, X., Wang, J. J., & Zhu, J. N. (2019). Histamine H1 Receptor Contributes to Vestibular Compensation. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 39(3), 420–433. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1350-18.2018 
8. Ferretti, A., Gatto, M., Velardi, M., Di Nardo, G., Foiadelli, T., Terrin, G., Cecili, M., Raucci, U., Valeriani, M., & Parisi, P. (2023). Migraine, Allergy, and Histamine: Is There a Link?. Journal of clinical medicine, 12(10), 3566. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12103566 

histamine and vestibular conditions, vestibular migraine, chronic dizziness, migraine attacks, vestibular disorders, vestibular group fit, food sensitivities, MCAS, gut issues, holistic approach, bucket theory, lifestyle changes, allergies and vestibular disorders