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Histamine Reactions to Food and Medication: Understanding Hidden Triggers for Inflammation and Psoriasis

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Histamine intolerance (HIT) is a poorly understood condition that remains challenging to diagnose because there is no validated biomarker or definitive laboratory test. Major medical organizations, including the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, acknowledge that its clinical definition and diagnostic criteria are still under debate.  Current evidence suggests that HIT results from an imbalance between the amount of histamine consumed and the body's ability to break it down, primarily through the enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO) in the digestive tract. Reduced DAO activity may contribute to histamine accumulation, although blood DAO measurements and genetic testing are not considered reliable diagnostic tools. Many people with chronic inflammatory conditions, including psoriasis, report that certain foods or medications trigger flare-ups within hours or by the following day. While responses vary from person to person, naturally occurring compounds such as histamine, ...
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Oxidants vs. Carbon Dioxide: What Happens When Alveoli Experience Hypoxic Stress?

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The tiny air sacs of the lungs, known as alveoli , are where life-sustaining gas exchange occurs. Under normal conditions, oxygen moves from the inhaled air into the bloodstream, while carbon dioxide (CO₂), a normal waste product of metabolism, diffuses from the blood into the alveoli and is exhaled. This delicate exchange depends on healthy alveolar cells, an intact blood-air barrier, and pulmonary surfactant that keeps the alveoli open. When the alveoli are subjected to hypoxic stress —a state in which they receive insufficient oxygen—the lungs undergo a profound biological response that extends far beyond impaired oxygen exchange. Rather than simply producing more carbon dioxide, hypoxic alveoli activate inflammatory signaling pathways that generate large amounts of reactive oxygen species ( ROS ) , commonly referred to as oxidants or free radicals. Hypoxia Triggers an Oxidative Stress Response Paradoxically, oxygen deprivation often increases oxidative damage. As oxygen levels decl...
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Dopaminergic Vulnerability in Long COVID: Why Dopamine May Be the Missing Link Between the Brain and the Body

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Understanding the New eBioMedicine Editorial A recent editorial published in eBioMedicine , "Dopaminergic Vulnerability in Long COVID: Striatal PET Imaging at the Brain–Body Interface," highlights an emerging area of neuroscience that may fundamentally change how researchers understand Long COVID. The editorial discusses growing evidence that the dopaminergic system—the network of neurons responsible for producing and regulating dopamine—may be particularly vulnerable following SARS-CoV-2 infection. For millions of people living with Long COVID, symptoms such as profound fatigue, brain fog, poor concentration, depression, reduced motivation, autonomic dysfunction, movement abnormalities, and exercise intolerance have often appeared disconnected. However, the dopaminergic system provides a possible biological explanation that links many of these symptoms into a single neurological framework. Rather than suggesting that Long COVID is simply a disorder of one organ, this resear...
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