You’re exposed to over 80,000 chemicals a day from your environment and most you can’t control.
But what about the toxic scents you choose to add like the candles, perfumes, dryer sheets and fabric softeners that might be quietly wrecking your health (and the health of your pets’)?
Back in college, I thought I’d landed the coolest job ever by working for SC Johnson Wax in Racine, Wisconsin.
At the time, I was studying biology and completely obsessed with my entomology professor, Dr. Walter Suter.
He was in his 70s, yet he’d light up talking about beetles, bugs, and ecosystems like a kid on Christmas morning.
Dr. Suter helped me land that lab gig at SC Johnson, where I cared for cockroaches, flies, and mosquitoes while testing products like Raid and Yard Guard.
One day I’d be outside testing citronella candles “infused” with essential oils.
The next, I’d be placing bugs into chambers filled with sprays that mixed oils and chemicals to test new formulas.
Here’s the kicker, the products worked with or without essential oils.
The oils were kept in for marketing!
And during that time, my skin and gut inflammation were at their worst.
Sure, my college diet and weekend choices didn’t help, but looking back, I can see just how sensitive I became to artificial scents and chemicals while working that gig.
Fast forward to now: my family still teases me for being the “canary in the coal mine.”
But recently, after my husband painted a steel beam in our basement without running the product by me first, I got so sick I had to leave the house.
That night, my husband called me in a panic and said “the carbon monoxide detectors are going off like crazy from the off-gassing.”
Let’s just say… he’s not going to question my “sensitivity” any longer.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
Histamine intolerance is on the rise, and it gets worse as progesterone declines, especially for women over 40.
Progesterone stabilizes mast cells, the cells that release histamine.
When it drops, your histamine bucket overflows and your tolerance for scents, chemicals, and even certain foods drops with it.
That’s why so many women suddenly become sensitive to perfumes, cleaning products, foods or wine in midlife.
The sickest women I see in my practice are often those wearing heavy perfume or surrounded by synthetic scents.
So if you’re struggling with insomnia, gut issues, or strange new sensitivities, it’s time to consider how scents, foods, and hormones might be driving up your histamine load.
This week on my podcast, I sit down with Steven Wright, founder of Healthy Gut Company, to unpack:
- The connection between histamines, hormones, and gut health
- How low progesterone impacts histamine intolerance
- Why GLP-1s and enzymes can help calm your gut
- And how using DAO (diamine oxidase) can make life easier if scents, wine, or eating out trigger your symptoms
It’s one of the most eye-opening conversations we’ve had and if you’ve ever wondered why your gut and sleep struggle go hand in hand, this one’s for you.
Click HERE to listen in (or grab episode 582 of The Health Fix Podcast anywhere you get your podcasts)!
Stay tuned, tomorrow I’ll share more about how to navigate high-histamine living in a scented world.
Here’s to clearing the air (literally),
Dr. J
