I know this is an old topic but I am going to start a quercetin and bromelain (if that's how you spell it) supplementation beginning by hopefully this Wednesday. It is called NOW foods, quercetin/bromelain. I plan to take it once a day and will update on my reaction. It is a researched mast cell stabilizer helpful for allergies and inflammation. I will update. -GLC
Hi GLC,
I use both quercetin and bromelain in my pre-O pack (among other things), and they sure help reducing my symptoms. I came to use them because i wanted to block the production of the pro-inflammatory immune messengers occurring just after O. I do not have any allergic-type symptoms, like runny nose or hives - mine are emotional symptoms ( anxiety, irritability, mood swings, .... ) and fatigue. What I get is related to serotonin depletion and quinolinic acid production in the brain, taht is, at least, what I came to understand. Quercetin and bromelain help, because less inflammatory messengers production means less messing up with tryptophan metabolism, so less serotonin depletion and less quinolinic acid production in my brain.
In any case, whatever is your hypothesis about POIS, be sure to take your "pre-O pack" at least 50 minutes to 1 hour before O. The supplements you take have to dissolve in the stomach or small intestine, be absorbed and make it into the blood stream, and get distributed through the whole body via the circulatory system. In order to be effective, they have to be already "on site" when O happens. 10 to 20 minutes is too short, and maximum distribution may take more than one hour, but after one hour, a good part of what you have taken is on site and ready.
So, I totally agree with what you have written last June:
I wonder what happens if you take this prior to O. Most antihistamines only work for me (and others) if taken prior to O. Once the reaction happens there is little I can do to stop it, but if I stop the reaction in the first place it makes a world full of difference.
Once you have let your immune system start a frenzy of pro-inflammatory cytokines production ( IL-6, TNF-alpha, interferon-gamma, .... ), it is hard to stop this reaction. It is well known, for example, that if you are allergic to cats, it is much more effective to take your antihistamine tablet 1 hour before going at the place where the cat is, than taking it upon arrival, or once you have already began to have symptoms.
Please share your results with bromelain and quercetin, I will be interested to hear about it. Try adding some curcumin to it if not satisfied with the results you get - I use it also with those two, and with some more antioxidants as well, Iand I get excellent results.
Wishing you the best!