Mast Cell Activation Syndrome: Something You Need To Be Aware Of and Yet Likely Have Never Heard About

Health, Wealth and The Ultimate Self

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, MCAS for short, is likely something you may not have heard of but can guarantee you know someone that is impacted by the complexity of this diagnosis and all its potential symptoms. Unfortunately, there is a strong chance that your healthcare provider may also not be aware of this diagnosis and how many of your symptoms may be connected and due to MCAS.

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome is estimated to impact 17 to 20% of the population and is a relatively new diagnosis. Most impacted will not know they have MCAS and will likely have multiple other names for all the symptoms that can be attributed back to MCAS. Migraine headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, allergies, low blood pressure, elevated heart rate, itchy red and reactive skin, itchy eyes, anxiety, bone density issues, brain fog, diffuse numbness and tingling, extreme fatigue, dizziness, fainting and lightheadedness, chronic nasal congestion, pelvic pain and bladder urgency to name a few are all potential symptoms that may be due to MCAS.

What is MCAS? Mast cells are essential immune cells for the immune system and help provide our body with some of the quickest immune reactions. When appropriate this allows for quick and proper responses to initiate protection and ultimately recovery. In MCAS, mast cells begin to overreact and ultimately respond inappropriately to ordinary stimuli. When this happens, they dump their chemical and immune mediators into circulation, leading to potential local and systemic responses.

The best recognized chemical we know released from mast cells is histamine and then likely followed by tryptase and heparin. Yet in the lab research has identified over 1000 chemical mediators released from these mast cells and since MCAS is still relatively new, our understanding is just beginning on these other chemicals outside of histamine.

If you or someone you know suffers from chronic health issues, I encourage you to give this episode a listen, as some of the information we discuss may help you on your journey.

Yours In Health,

Health, Wealth and The Ultimate Self Team!