Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS)

For me a MCAS reaction often feels like food poisoning that comes on really hard and fast but only lasts about an hour or two instead of a day.

I found that the supplements I was taking that helped with other conditions were triggering the MCAS reaction when they hit my stomach if there wasn’t enough food with them. Getting the amount and timing was too challenging until I found the Orgain Protein Shakes (ThriveMarket has good prices on them).

I also call the MCAS reaction a histamine dump – the mast cells dump too much histamine into the system at once and can cause any symptoms that allergies can – which are immune system processes overreacting.

The “simple but not easy” (is there a word for that?? I want a word for that, I don’t care what language – to do, search) answer is to reduce the toxic load my body is coping with and increase the nutrients I’m getting.

Cutting all sugar and processed foods would be a major step in that direction. It’s also why I try to be eat low or no gluten and low dairy consumption.

Stub Published Nov 26 2022, updated Jan 10 2023

To do: look into Cromoloyn(?) and beta blockers

Who is the Who?

We are not a single being, we are a community – various micro biomes, our cells, our matrilineal mitochondria inside our cells. We are the planet they live on. Benevolent and oblivious. Just as the Earth is to us.

We are the Earth’s immune system. We co-evolved with the plants and other animals. Hunting the old and infirm, gathering dead and diseased wood for fires. Later coppicing trees for polewood to build and helping them rejuvenate in the process.

The earth has a fever and it’s our job as the immune system to repair what is broken and restore the earth’s health. It doesn’t matter whose fault it is, or even why it happened, what matters is how are we going to fix it? I think people, permaculture and perseverance are the key.

The humans who survived the black plague had stronger immune systems. Their descendants do too, and if their immune system doesn’t have enough work to do….it gets bored or anxious or hypervigilant. When that happens, we see allergies, and auto-immune diseases.

‘Black death’ survivors had plague-resistant genes that may boost their descendants’ risk of autoimmune disease | Live Science

I know they’ve found that folks who grow up in rural environments or spend time on a farm have fewer allergies. Have they studied that for autoimmune diseases?

It’s ok to want to do more research and learn more, it’s not ok to use that as a reason to not do what we think should be done. It’s true that maybe in the future we’ll look back and see that we made mistakes, but the only way we’ll know that is if we MAKE those mistakes.

When you know better, you do better. Do the best you can and know that it is enough, and that others are doing their best too. And then when you learn more, instead of wasting your time and energy on regret, accept the mistakes and do better. All success is built on a foundation of failure.

If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough. If you aren’t growing, you aren’t living. Mistakes and learning are what fuel growth. Just be your authentic self, and if you don’t know what that is, then go experiment and find out!

Horton heard the Whos. Someone will hear you, you just need to make some noise.

We are here! We are here! We are here!