What HIT me? Living with Histamine Intolerance 

A guide to diagnosis and management of HIT – A patient’s point of view

Author: Genny Masterman

Publication date of 3rd edition: 3. May 2020

Paperback: 221 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing

Available on Amazon

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About the Author

Genny Masterman is the founder of the Histamine Intolerance Awareness Campaign. She is an Associate Producer, Researcher and Journalist in the UK with a strong connection to the German language area. She has worked on over a hundred television documentaries for clients such as the BBC, CBS, ITV, Channel 5, the Travel Channel, the Austrian media and many independent production companies in the UK, US, and Canada. These include work as a Fixer on programs such as Top Gear, Who Do You Think You Are? with Marianne Faithful, Extreme Railway Journeys with Chris Tarrant, Richard Ayoade’s Travel Man – 48 hours in Vienna with Chris O’Dowd, George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces, Paul Merton in Europe, Al Murray’s Why Does Everyone Hate The English? with Henning Wehn and many more.

In 2007, after suffering for several years, she was diagnosed with histamine intolerance (HIT) and fructose malabsorption while in Austria during the production of a BBC documentary. Soon after her return to the UK she became aware that HIT is very low on the public radar in the UK in comparison to some countries in mainland Europe. She decided to change this. She gathered information, including the food lists, cooperated with experts and medical specialists in HIT from the German language area, and wrote a book documenting her story. Genny’s book “What HIT me? Living with Histamine Intolerance” was first published in January 2011. It has been regularly updated and is now in its 3rd edition. It is available on Amazon in English, German and Spanish. Up to now it has sold over 11.000 copies world-wide. It was the first comprehensive guide on the subject in the English language area. She continues to work in her spare time on raising awareness. She has made a full recovery from HIT.

About the Book

HIT – Histamine Intolerance – is a condition that affects many people but remains largely undiagnosed.  The symptoms can appear very like an allergy and can cause stomach and intestinal complaints, migraine, tiredness and skin problems, to name but a few. This is in most cases because of the reduced activity or low presence of an enzyme called diamine oxidase (DAO), which is mainly responsible for breaking down histamine and other biogenic amines ingested through food. Foods that are known culprits include: red wine, ready meals, cured meats, mature cheeses, tomatoes and aubergines. It can make people’s lives very difficult. But it CAN be brought under control with the RIGHT DIAGNOSIS and the RIGHT DIET. This book is a guide to how to achieve both. It helps both health professionals and patients gain insight.

After the great success of the first edition, this second edition contains a new section on the different points of view about diagnosis as well as a second food list – a tolerance index which resulted from a survey of 800 participants who judged 109 foods according to their individual threshold – side by side with the scientifically based food list.

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Histamine Intolerance – In a nutshell
3. How do I find out if I have HIT?
4. Other intolerances -DAO and its closest friends and helpers
5. What HIT is not
6. Specially for the ladies – HIT’s favourite targets
7. How do I find out what to eat or not?
8. What do I need to do at home?
9. How do I keep the family happy?
10. How can I deal with this at work?
11. What do I need to keep in mind when shopping?
12. What consequences are there for my social life?
13. Meat – the good…the bad and the ugly
14. Fish – the good… and the ugly
15. Milk and Dairy Products – essentials
16. Fruit & Vegetables – the little labyrinth
17. Bread & Baking
18. The problem with alcohol!
19. Pharmaceuticals, food additives, E-numbers and other culprits
20. Food lists and supplements
21. Short summary of therapy options
22. Recipes
23. The Food Diary

Review

This book has all the potential to empower those affected by this debilitating condition to make a fresh start in life. A compelling personal story with a wealth of information.  –Society for Public Health (Gesellschaft für Öffentliche Gesundheit)

GERMAN EDITION – translation of the second edition of “What HIT me?”

Leben ohne Schmerzen – Der Weg zu Diagnose und Management der Histaminintoleranz: Aus der Sichtweise einer Betroffenen

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