To make a long story short, nightshade foods were the cause of my cholinergic urticaria! I went through a massive and time-intensive food elimination protocol, spanning over many weeks, and came to the irrefutable conclusion that nightshade foods were the cause of my heat hives.
What I find most interesting is that one article states that nightshade foods “inhibit the breakdown of acetylcholine.” Wasn’t it described here on this forum/YouTube channel that acetylcholine is involved in cholinergic urticaria?
Once I read this article, I cut out nightshades, and I was 100% cured–not 95%, not 98%, but 100% cured. I don’t get the thousands of red bumps when body temp rises, and I don’t even get the itchy prickly skin, either!
Common nightshade foods:
- tomatoes
- bell peppers
- white potatoes (NOT sweet potatoes)
- peppers (think hot sauce)
You know what the sad thing was? I was eating bell peppers every morning with breakfast (+pepper hot sauce! in my breakfast burritos). I was eating white potatoes everyday with lunch, and I was eating tomatoes almost every night with dinner!
So, I was essentially eating the heat-hive causing food with almost every single meal. No wonder my hives got out of control recently.
I wish you guys the best and hope this might help someone out there.
Take care,
Jake
Hivesguy says
I’m so glad to hear that your elimination diet and removal of nightshade foods has cured you. Thanks for taking the time to share your story, Jake.
Anonymous says
Thanks so much for your sharing and for the link to the article!
Anonymous says
I will try this tomorrow. Only relief I get is drinking beer.
John says
Very helpful post! Out of curiosity what is your ethnic background, Jake? It would be interesting to note your genetic origins.
Jake says
John I am of Northern European descent.. Blonde hair blue eyes
So apparently nightshades are too overwhelming for white Europeans like me
Anonymous says
Do you eat rice?
Anonymous says
Hey Jake, what is your current diet now? Also how long did it take you to see results from elimating nightshade?
Carl says
I’m happy for you^^. Thanks for sharing your story
Ken says
Hi Jake
Just wondered how long it took for you to notice a change from cutting out nightshades from your diet?
I too am a sufferer, whereby the prickling sensations which I’ve had all my life really took a turn for the worse in the last 6 months and now my entire upper body breaks out in tiny skin coloured lumps/hives when my temperature rises. From my neck to my hands and waist… Its pretty bad.
I’ve tried everything from the diet elimination/food allergy groups (gluten, dairy and nuts) over the last 3 months, to no noticeable improvement.
I read your post and realised throughout last year I was eating a bag of potatoe chips (crisps) every evening after work, as well as fries (chips) at least once a week with a meal out. Really bad, I know…
I’m concerned I may be suffering the effects of eating too many nightshades… Having read up on the long term effects of it turning your immune system into overdrive… So I’m wondering whether this could be the cause (having tried almost everything else).
Hope you are still CU free!
K
Anonymous says
I just want to add that tobacco is a nightshade and I’ve noticed the absence of hives when I stopped smoking last summer, even though I sweated profusely at the beach. I don’t digest nightshade foods like potatoes and eggplant rreally well so I don’t eat those, but I would cry if I can no longer eat hotsauce.
So I’ll have to stop smoking again 🙂
Rebecca. says
Im reading your suggestion crying my eyes out.
Im 23, from the UK and have always suffered with allergies: horse, peanut etc. 3 years ago i developed CU and 2 years ago i started using fexofedamine, and i thought my problems were over completely as it 100% worked.
In october 2015 it completely stopped working and now I cant so much as walk down the street without getting hives. Im just completing my final law exams at uni and looking forward to a much needed holiday in the sun with my family after a really stressful year.
Im so worried that I just wont be able to cope now and will have to stay inside all the time and wont be able to enjoy it at all. when i react, my entire body is covered, to the point that my whole face including lips and eyes swell. I literally cant do anything and its taken over my life completely.
Ive had homeopathy since I was little and been told to cut out ‘nightshades’ (we call it belladonna in the UK) several times.
Youve just given me a little bit of hope that I can change my life around. If i had to eat nothing but boiled rice for the rest of my life id take that over what its like to be me at the moment (I know that cutting out nightshades isnt as hard as that obviously!)
how long was it before you noticed a change??
Thanks