Bohica, I wish you success in getting the hives to fade away.

I managed to get hives, too. I went on the strict version of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH) Elimination Diet. Some call it the FailSafe diet.

It is low in amines, salicylates and other naturally occurring chemicals. I keep other categories low, too, such as: gallates, phenols, and oxalates.

As long as I stay on the strict version of the diet, the hives do not flare up.

Too much stress, or tea, or trigger foods mean flare-ups, for me. Staying on the strict version of the diet seems to reduce the overall stress load in my body. Everything feels calmer. I like it.

I read one description of hives feeling like mosquito bites on sunburn, which I think is an apt description. Also, the tiredness and sometimes swelling and heat build-up are high stress factors.

I take diphenhydramine at night, and sometimes the "second generation" anti-histamines in the day, mostly loratadine. Quercetin and vitamin C help me. I use a Vitamin C made from tapioca.

Here is a link to Emma Davies' blog about the FailSafe/RPAH diet.

It is much more of a challenge to keep my LC food plan now, as I cannot tolerate canned fish, or red meat, due to amines. I might try chicken livers as an amine test soon.

Reducing amine content of my diet takes work. Salicylates is just avoidance. Amines build up on the surface of meat and fish, so rinsing those off before cooking helps. There area various posts about how amines are formed at Sue Dengate's website, and how to reduce the amount of amine formation in cooking.

No more crockpot cooking these days. That's what triggered hives in the first place, for me. Canned fish, cooked way too long in the crock pot.

Egg yolks, fish, and fresh cheeses (queso fresco, yoghurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese) seem ok for now.

If I read of a way to detox the amines and salicylates quickly, I'll post about that.

There is a lot to read about hives, mast cells, and the stressors of city life.