Hi
@Gingergrrl ,
I can answer some of your questions, but I'm not a doctor and can really only tell you what worked for me.
I don't appear to have any mold exposure or allergies; skin prick allergy tests were negative for mold.
I don't have a severe reaction to food dyes; I might have some reaction, but I don't have many food dyes. I have been organic and unprocessed for the most part. The little dye I come in contact with doesn't seem to bother me. I did eliminate them during the time I eliminated histamines.
What I understand about a 3-day fast is that it resets your immune system. I believe (and I could be wrong) that the histamine reaction starts in the gut. When you fast, your body needs energy and picks off some cells to digest instead of others. It appears to pick off the bad-acting immune cells in your gut preferentially (and I'm interpreting here - no reference, more inference from what my doctor said.) I'm not sure if it's leaky gut, or just the immune system cells in your gut that over react to dietary histamines. For me, it was interesting that I react/reacted to dietary histamine but not "histamine releasers" in food, such as citrus. But put a pork rib in the refrigerator overnight and the reaction was noticeable.
There's the question of leaky gut. My HI developed after a respiratory infection followed by 5 rounds of antibiotics over 10 weeks; and antibiotics are a culprit in leaky gut. I did about 26 months of trying to avoid foods identified by an elimination diet before I did a leaky gut protocol (whatever was on sale from several lists of leaky gut treatments) for 8 weeks. Then a week later I did the fast in December. I didn't do the leaky gut protocol this time, but I also haven't had antibiotics or infections. So will it work again this time? I'm going to an event with pizza for dinner tonight - maybe not the best way to break my fast, (and maybe I'll chicken out and wait until it's over,) or maybe since this fast has been so much easier than the first, I'll just push it with some pizza, eaten very slowly. If it doesn't work, I think I'll need to repeat the leaky gut treatment and fast again.
I think that there is a good chance that a fast will help for people who can fast; a better chance than every other treatment. But not everyone can, a point that my pulmonologist made very clear to me. So it's reckless to say that it will help everyone regardless of the cause. But it seems like there is a good chance, if your practitioner OKs it, that it will help.
For me, the results were immediate and I just started eating everything after nothing I tested was making me sick. Then about 3-4 weeks ago, I started reacting slightly, and it got worse over time. But this time DAOsin worked for me, so I just took some when I was going to drink kombucha or eat spinach, for example. But it was going too far, and I'm going to Germany soon, with a trip leader who is a true foodie. I've traveled there with my food list translated. I just had to do this before I left, though, so I wouldn't have to pass up the sauerkraut and sausages.
I'd say ask your practitioner if you can fast. If you can, it's certainly worth a try, and decide for yourself if it works.