How I Defeated Mast Cell Activation Syndrome
Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) is still VERY new to the medical community, but it’s OLD news to me. I battled with it for 2+ years before putting the MCAS puzzle together. Since it was EXTREMELY complicated to figure out, I felt obligated to help my readers. In this article, I will explain how to overcome this beast STEP by STEP.
How did I overcome mast cell disease? I will explain everything step by step in the section below. After completing these steps, you should be living a normal life again and looking back at this with a grin.
10 Steps to Overcome Mast Cell Activation
Low Histamine Diet
This helps to reduce histamine entering the body and keep blood levels low, (1) It also it makes sure you don’t “TRIP THE WIRE” of the mast cell, which would cause histamine release. Read my article about the low histamine diet for more information. Follow the low histamine diet VERY CLOSELY during this process and you will be well rewarded.
HIGH Dose Bifidobacterium
Bifido species are responsible for breaking down histamine in the gut (2) and modulating the immune system. (3) I used Probiota Bifido by Seeking Health and took 6 per day, FIRST THING in the morning. Afterward one week at this dose, I cut down to 4 per day. This made a DRAMATIC difference in the way I felt, and my histamine reactions were far less noticeable. I would say this was the MOST important of all supplements!
HIGH Dose Chelated Magnesium
Magnesium is the mineral responsible for managing the stress response in the body (4). In addition, magnesium levels are directly tied to DAO enzyme production (5). This enzyme is responsible for degrading histamine in the blood (6). I took 3 pills per day for the first 2 days, then 1/2 pill 3 times per day for the next week. I used “Dr’s Best” brand, which is the ONLY one I have experienced great results with. This was the 2nd most important supplement for MACS, by far!
Vitamin K2/D3
K2 increases the absorption of D3 (7), while Vitamin D increases the production of cells in the gut responsible for mineral absorption (8). As discussed prior, mineral balance is important for mast cell modulation. In addition, vitamin D has been shown to modulate mast cells on its own (9, 10). I only had to take 1 pill of K2/D3 right before bed, and it helped tremendously with sleep (11) and mood (12).
Replace Amino Acids
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body, and is first to be depleted during times of prolonged stress (13). It is a GABA producer which counteracts the production of histamine, while also helping significantly with anxiety/sleep. I used 5g spread throughout the day, the first few days, then only 1-2g daily after that, depending on mood. This is less of a daily necessity, and more to escape the histamine reactions initially.
L-theanine is an amino acid which can effect GABA, serotonin and dopamine levels in the body (14). Keep in mind, it’s VERY strong and low doses go a long way. None the less, this is the most POTENT way to shift histamine levels when using an amino acid. Please note, L-theanine must be taken on an empty stomach to ensure it crosses the BBB, just like glutamine.
Kill Chronic Infection
If mast cells are activated due to a bacterial infection (15), I prefer raw colostrum (16), oil of oregano pills (17), or silver nanoparticles (18). If dealing with a parasite, I used pyrantel pamoate at a triple dose one time per week, for a month, to address both pinworm (19) and tapeworm infestation. I also used diatomaceous earth which I feel was effective against protozoa and/or other parasites (20). Read my article, the Ultimate Parasite Cleanse for more information. Please note, after killing the infection, you must restabilize gut bacteria with bifidobacterium or kefir grains ONLY. Do not use just any probiotic and hope for the best. That could be a recipe for disaster. For more information, read my article, how to find the right probiotic.
Restore Glutathione Levels
By taking NAC and liposomal glutathione (21), and then adding a high quality whey protein isolate, I noticed a huge shift. Though these supplements were helpful, the real difference came when I stopped increasing oxidative stress on my body This meant, eating extremely clean/organic, reducing animal fats, performing liver flushes, moderating exercise, etc for 90 days. In short, it takes both supplements AND lifestyle to rebuild your oxidative reserves.
Chelate Heavy Metals
I started off with 10-15g per day of chlorella (22) and just rode out the detox until it stopped happening. This did take a about 5 months to complete. I then starting using cilantro extract in combination with chlorella. Once the detox reactions stopped happening from the cilantro/chlorella combination, I moved on to humic acid, the superstar of chelators. This started a detox process that lasted for quite some time. Read my article, the ultimate guide to heavy metal chelation for more information.
Restore Mineral Balance
After getting magnesium levels under control, my next step was replacing trace minerals via fulvic acid (23). I then replaced zinc until backing off of each and using it intermittently. In addition, I started to juice mineral rich vegetables like carrots, beets, swiss chard, bell peppers, etc. Between the fulvic minerals and fresh juices, I was flying high within a week! This is when I noticed my biggest energy shift!
Balance PH Level
Shift from low histamine diet, to less animal based products and mostly plant based foods. Though meat has benefit, it also increases histamine production and acidity in the body. It has been shown that acidity levels in the blood influence mast cell activity (24). For this reason, you want to shift your PH to 6.5-7-5 and then stay there. Good strategy for this is juicing GREEN vegetables 2x daily for 2 weeks. In addition, chlorella can help increase alkalinity due to its high chlorophyll content.
10 Steps Useful for Other Conditions
Please note, this process can also be VERY USEFUL for anyone with autoimmune disease (25), fibromyalgia (26), crohn’s disease (27), IBS (28), inflammation (29), food sensitivities (30), rheumatoid arthritis (31), multiple chemical sensitivity (32), autism (33), IBD (34), and similar conditions. In short, anyone dealing with chronic inflammation or allergies could benefit significantly. Enough about the protocol, let”s answer some frequently asked questions about MCAS.
Questions about Mast Cell Activation
What is Mast Cell Activation Syndrome?
Mast cell activation disorder (MCAS) is a condition where the mast cells become aggravated, dramatically increasing histamine production. Over time, blood levels of histamine rise and mast cells repopulate, then releasing more histamine.Once this occurs long enough, MACS manifests into a wide array of symptoms. These symptoms can be food allergies, smell sensitivities, itchiness on skin, histamine intolerance, chronic sinus issues, rashes, anxiety and plenty more (35). Refer to the picture below for all of the symptoms that can manifest with MCAS.
How do You Get Mast Cell Disease?
Typically this occurs after a period of prolonged stress combined with a strong antibiotic. This depletes essential mineral reserves and bifidobacterium (most important good bacteria species). If the person also has a chronic untreated infection, this can make the immune system hypersensitive and SPIKE histamine levels. Once histamine is elevated for a continuous period of time, symptoms of mast cell activation start to occur.
Mast Cells Implicated in Autoimmune Disease?
It has been shown in countless studies that mast cells play a role in autoimmune disease. In fact, they started studies on the first mast cell modulation drug designed to treat Fibromyalgia (36). Though it was unsuccessful, mast cells have become the obvious target of the pharmaceutical industry due to the mounting evidence. For this reason, I recommend modulating mast cells before treating the root cause of any autoimmune condition. Read my article about healing autoimmune disease for more information.
What Causes Mast Cells to Degranulate?
There are a number of reasons mast cells will be triggered to release inflammatory chemicals. The most common are: bacterial Infection (37), parasitic infection (38), impaired detoxification, mineral deficiencies (39), hormone imbalances, chronic stress (40), oxidative stress, temperature changes, airborne chemicals, food additives, drugs/alcohol, processed foods, excess meat consumption, exercise (41), insufficient sleep, etc.. To really calm your mast cells down, you must detox from ALL of these things until histamine levels are under control. This could take 10 days to a few weeks depending on the severity of the case.
Summary of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome
Remember, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) is a MAN MADE term which explains a certain group of symptoms. It is NOT a lifelong condition. I am living proof. The key is replacing the deficiencies you created during this period of prolonged stress, and addressing the untreated infection. After that, you just correct the remaining imbalances in the body and let it heal itself!
Don’t be intimidated by this beast of a condition. With the tools I provided, you should see a MAJOR SHIFT in just 10 days. The key is following these 10 steps religiously. By doing so, your success should be next to guaranteed.
Thanks for reading. Happy healing everyone!
Matt Nedin
EndSickness.org
Office: (734) 846-8619
Email: endsickness@gmail.com
