The Estrogen + Histamine Rollercoaster

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go”

Joshua 1:9

For years, I have known that endocrine disruptors can contribute to many health concerns…

…but I had no idea how prevalent these “false hormones” really are, until recently when I took a deep dive into balancing my hormones while working with a holistic health coach.

After becoming as informed as possible about toxin-free living for the past 5 years, I felt confident that I had a solid grasp on how to avoid, or at least minimize, my exposure to harmful ingredients. I had started out by eliminating the obvious culprits like:

• fragrance in personal care products

• parabens

• pthalates

• petroleum based ingredients

• artificial dyes & artificial flavors in foods and cosmetics

• preservatives in foods

• artificial sweeteners

Then I spent years learning how to identify greenwashed products, which are products branded as healthy but actually contain harmful ingredients. I became a discerning shopper, scouring product labels for hidden toxins and using the best clean brands for everything my family needs on a regular basis including our food, bath & body products, home cleaning supplies, cosmetics, cookware, and even our clothing!

Not only that, but during my process of healing from mold exposure in 2024 I learned even more about reducing toxin exposure while under the care of knowledgable holistic healthcare practitioners.

I did everything I could to improve my health and eliminate toxins from my life

So you can imagine my frustration when my health still wasn’t at 100% after all these changes…

…and my surprise when I learned that estrogen dominance was hiding behind nearly every health issue I was experiencing, including:

• Chronic fatigue

• Restless sleep

• Skin rashes

• Headaches & migraines

• Chronic muscle & joint pain

• Gut and vaginal microbiome imbalances

• Painful, severely symptomatic menstrual cycles

• Anxiety

• Histamine intolerance / mast cell activation

• Food allergies

But how could this be?

I thought I had eliminated all the endocrine disrupters from my life when I committed to toxin-free living?

The truth is, many natural and non-toxic ingredients can still disrupt the human endocrine system by mimicking and overriding your body’s natural hormone levels

Overcoming Estrogen Dominance

Today I can confidently say I have overcome nearly all of these issues - but it took time, patience, prayer, and the skillful guidance of an incredible Holy Spirit-lead health coach.

In December 2024, at a friend’s Christmas party, I met a wonderful woman named Andy Reid. We connected over our shared passion for holistic wellness, discussing the joys and challenges of making healthy food choices during the holiday season, and how God had worked healing miracles in both our lives.

Shortly thereafter, I learned that she is a Holistic Health Practitioner who uses her wisdom, which is built on the foundation of God’s biblical principles, to help people thrive and experience good health by living the way God intended us to live. Her approach was simple, yet radically different than anything I had heard before!

Her book, “His Ways for Health” has become a trusted resource of mine for understanding how to discern which health practices are in alignment with the Lord’s principles for health - - and those that are not aligned, potentially leading to disease and detriment.

I decided to work with Andy professionally, and after taking some key assessments, she was able to identify specific areas where I was unknowingly consuming things that were disrupting my hormones, despite my best intentions and hard work to eliminate toxins from my life.

The Estrogen + Histamine Rollercoaster

When we think of overall wellbeing from a holistic (whole and interconnected) perspective, we can begin to understand that when one system of the body is not functioning optimally, every other system of the body can be impacted.  As Andy beautifully stated in her book, His Ways for Health,

“We have estrogen receptors all throughout the body.  Not only that, but our minds and emotions are dependent on the proper, God given ratio of hormones as well”

In my case, the primary issue was that my liver was struggling to remove excess estrogen because my body was still heavily burdened with pathogens from mold exposure, such as mycotoxins & candida, which are living organisms that hide in the gut lining and continually produce an estrogenic waste byproduct - a potent form of xenoestrogens.

The mycotoxins and candida that had taken up residence in my gut microbiome were constantly creating a high internal load of estrogen that my body simply could not keep up with!

The presence of high levels of xenoestrogens caused a histamine response in my mast cells. To make things worse, I was also consuming plenty of sugary and/or high-histamine foods on a regular basis, which further fueled the candida overgrowth and slowed the estrogen liver detox pathway - which happens to be the same detox pathway the body uses to clear histamine.

I am deeply grateful for Andy’s wisdom and guidance through this process, as she lovingly walked me through the necessary steps to restore my proper, God-given balance of hormones by implementing her “Endocrine Restoration Protocol”, which is a comprehensive holistic approach that includes physical, emotional, and spiritual components.

I highly recommend her book, His Ways for Health, because it has truly shined a light into areas that were previously a source of fear and confusion for me… but the Lord calls us to live with strength and courage.

Below I have included some of the key sources of endocrine disruption that were impacting me personally, but there are many others, which you can read about in her book.

Please keep in mind, this is only a partial list, and this is not medical advice.

I encourage you to consult with a qualified healthcare provider, if necessary

• essential oils -

  • These are marketed as being completely safe and free from toxins, but many types of essential oils have been found contribute to estrogen dominance. For example, take a look at this info from EWG.org which rates “lavender essential oil” at the lowest score of “1” for toxicity, but cites a concern that “one or more studies show significant estrogen disruption”. Other popular oils, like peppermint essential oil, citrus essential oils, and tea tree essential oils share similar concerns. Whether these are applied topically as fragrance (lotions, deodorants, hair care, oil rollers, etc.) or they are diffused as aromatherapy, there is an impact to human hormones. Some people are more sensitive to these impacts than others, so if you choose to use essential oils, it’s important to consider frequency of use and method of exposure

  • Frankincense essential oil is a safe option that can be used topically or as aromatherapy without concern for endocrine disruption. I find this amazing, because frankincense is mentioned in the Bible multiple times. Especially notable is that frankincense was one of the gifts offered to baby Jesus by the wise men at His birth.

  • One of the key principles Andy teaches in her book is, that which God calls “good” we should honor and recognize.

• dairy & Red meat -

  • Red meat and milk from conventionally raised cattle can be a source of exposure to xenoestrogens because the animals are often fed a diet of GMO grains, which contains glyphosate. Further, the usage of hormones and antibiotics in cattle can have negative impacts on human health when the meat or milk from those animals is consumed.

  • Organic, grass-fed beef, milk, and cheese is a healthy option, but should still be consumed in moderation because all cow products consumed can contribute to elevated estrogen levels, as the animals themselves have their own hormones which can be passed on to us through consumption.

  • Goat’s milk and goat cheese, as well as organic, pasture raised chicken, eggs, turkey, and wild caught fish are an excellent source of protein with a lower impact to human hormone levels.

• tapioca (Cassava)-

  • Commonly used in gluten-free foods, tapioca/cassava is a starchy root vegetable that has a binding quality which helps create more pliable baked goods. It has infiltrated the health foods market, making it’s way into gluten-free cereals, snacks, breads, pizza, tortillas, waffles, even some “healthy” sodas.

  • Unfortunately, it is a strong estrogen mimicker and also blocks iodine uptake in the thyroid which can lead to sluggish/slow thyroid. This one was rather difficult for me to eliminate because it is so prevalent, but ultimately, eliminating it has had positive impacts on my overall wellbeing.

• CBD -

  • I used to love taking CBD products to help me relax and offset high levels of stress, but unfortunately CBD, THC, and hemp products (including hemp seeds) are potent estrogen mimickers so I chose to completely eliminate it during my focused time of hormone restoration, now only occasionally consuming hemp based foods on rare occasion.

  • After completing the endocrine restoration protocol, I had a profound realization about the cycle I was stuck in with CBD. The primary reason I felt I “needed” CBD products was because it helped with joint pain, mood, and sleep - but all of those issues went away when my hormone levels returned to a normal, healthy balance. So I only “needed” the CBD to offset the negative side effects of having too much estrogen, but I was unknowingly adding even more estrogen to my body by taking CBD! I now find that without coffee, sugar, alcohol, or CBD, my stress levels are drastically reduced, and I am more relaxed and pain-free than I was before.

• sugar & Sweeteners -

  • Refined sugar is completely devoid of nutrients and has zero benefit to human health. Sugar is highly addictive, it increases inflammation, increases estrogen, and decreases the immune system by inhibiting Vitamin C uptake.

  • Additional sweeteners to avoid:

    - corn syrup & high-fructose corn syrup

    - invert sugar

    - evaporated cane juice

    - tapioca syrup

    - stevia

    - alcohol sugars

    - maltodextrin

    - molasses

    - stevia

    - saccharin

    - sucralose

    - aspartame

  • Consuming sugar feeds pathogenic bacteria and candida yeast in the gut, which fuels the estrogen + histamine rollercoaster. In her book, Andy highlights the idea that pathogenic gut organisms, which are fueled by sugar, also have a negative impact on our thoughts, feelings, emotions, sleep, anxiety, fear, and more.

  • Likewise, eliminating sugar from your diet can have positive impacts on your energy levels, sleep, thoughts, emotions, and moods, which is something I can attest to from my personal experience with Andy’s endocrine restoration protocol

• stress

  • When we regularly experience high levels of stress, the body releases cortisol, which increases estrogen levels. In this modern, fast-paced world it can feel impossible to avoid stress, so I want to encourage you to focus instead on finding ways to reduce stress by doing things that create more space for you to experience peace.

  • Consider Jesus’ powerful words from Matthew 6:25-34:

    Do Not Be Anxious

    “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

  • In the book of Matthew 11:28 (NIV) Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. I believe this is a call to all believers to seek a deeper, more intimate personal relationship with Him, where we can allow His redeeming grace to mould and shape us, and carry us through the challenges of life through faith, obedience, and full surrender.

  • Some methods that have helped me reduce my daily stress levels are:

    - daily prayer and reading my bible

    - avoiding sugar

    - avoiding caffeine (or drastically reducing)

    - avoiding alcohol

    - walking barefoot in nature

    - deep breathing

    - magnesium baths

    - reducing blue light exposure from screens, especially in the evening, which can disrupt the circadian rhythm

    - doing creative activities like drawing, painting, writing, dancing, and somatic movement exercises

    - singing, especially worship music

    - avoiding TV, news, and social media

  • Also notable is the impact that unresolved trauma can have on the nervous system, which can increase stress on a long-term basis leading to many seemingly unrelated health issues. I am so thankful for the redeeming grace of God, who has become the firm foundation of my life, and helped me overcome the seemingly impossible emotional traumas I experienced.

  • Please reach out if you would like prayer for yourself or loved one, or if you would like help finding a church in your area.

• yeast, mold, bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens

  • The waste byproduct of mycotoxins, mold, etc is a potent form of xenoestrogen that can tip the scales quickly, causing a major histamine & estrogen overload. This is an important category, but one that often requires professional support to resolve. Candida overgrowth is often behind many gut, skin, and histamine issues, and you’ll find an entire chapter of the book explaining how it can negatively impact health, and strategies to balance your microbiome naturally.

• histamine

  • Many popular foods are high in histamine, which can increase estrogen levels when consumed on a regular basis.

  • Below are some examples of high histamine foods:

    - matcha and/or green tea

    - kombucha

    - coffee

    - avocado

    - banana

    - tomato

    - corn

    - aged cheeses

    - citrus fruits

    - seed oils (canola, sunflower, soy, vegetable)

    - sugar

  • This is one of the primary areas I was surprised to learn was contributing to my elevated estrogen levels and overall health issues, because I have strived to eat clean, healthy, organic foods for many years. Unfortunately it’s not common knowledge that histamine and estrogen compete for the same liver detox pathway, and many health focused individuals fall into a pattern of consuming things regularly that are generally quite healthy, but can become problematic. Awareness is key to making informed dietary and lifestyle choices.

Please keep in mind, this protocol is not meant to be a long term-diet. I highly recommend reading His Ways for Health, where you will find Andy’s Endocrine Restoration Protocol in full, along with ample supporting information, as well as recipes, meal ideas, and more!

I pray that you find this information helpful, and I encourage you to continually seek guidance and healing through prayer and reading the word of God, for it is through His power and loving design that we can be set free and healed from the pitfalls of this world.

As always, please reach out to me if I can support you in any way.

Aloha,

Liz

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