1 of 3 Long Covid: Mast Cell Activation

There is an activated condition of mast cells in long COVID-19, with abnormal granulation and excessive inflammatory cytokine release. A study by Weinstock et al. indicates that patients with long COVID-19 suffer the same clinical syndrome as patients with mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS).
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10166245/#:~:text=There%20is%20an%20activated%20condition,cell%20activation%20syndrome%20(MCAS).

Mast cell activation triggered by SARS-CoV-2 causes inflammation in brain microvascular endothelial cells and microglia
  https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2024.1358873/full  

Detoxing from the spike protein and the role of MCAS
Dr Tina Peers
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzl93aUtRR0

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome :
The Interplay Between Immunity and Neuroinflammation
 Dr. Tania Dempsey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w0VeJkACI8&t=18s

Hypoxia regulates human mast cell adhesion to fibronectin via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway
  https://ww

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Transcript

0:25

Ever get that feeling, you know, like your body's just not playing by the rules, like it's a symphony orchestra, but all the instruments are going rogue. I think I know what you mean. Today, we're diving deep into something that might be behind those weird, unexplainable symptoms. Mast cell activation syndrome, MCS for short. We've got a ton of research papers, expert opinions, even a personal story about navigating this thing. Yeah, and it's interesting, because people think MCS is just, oh, too much histamine, right. But it's way more complicated than that. So cut through the noise for us. What's actually happening in the body with MCS beyond just a buzzword? It's like, imagine your immune systems is crack security team, always on alert, and the mast cells, they're the super vigilant guards. But with MCS, they get a little jumpy. Jumpy how? They sound the alarm for like that tiniest thing. And it's not just a little blip on the radar. They release this flood of inflammatory stuff, like a chain reaction. Okay, so it's not just about calming these mast cells down. It's figuring out this whole chain reaction they set off. Exactly. And here's where it gets even more wild. There's one doctor, Dr. Anderson, he calls it a four-part system. Four parts. Lay it on me. So you've got your mast cells, those first responders, then basophils and eosinophils jump in. They're like the backup, releasing even more inflammatory stuff. And if that wasn't enough, CD40 class cells get involved too, and they're all about allergic reactions. So your body is basically waging war on itself. In a way, yeah. This crazy communication breakdown between these cells is why MCS is such a pain to diagnose and treat. It's not a simple on-off switch, you know. Right, makes sense. And this whole complexity thing, it seems connected to another head scratcher, long COVID. There's all this talk about how they're linked, how MCCAS might be involved in those lingering symptoms people have after COVID. Definitely a hot topic. There was this study, Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. It suggested that in some people, COVID could actually trigger MCS. Triggered. Meaning COVID's like the starting pistol for this whole mess. What's the connection there? Remember we talked about those overreacting mast cells? Well, they have this protein, ACE2, and get this, it's the same protein the virus uses to get into our cells. Hold up, the virus has a direct line to the very cells causing problems in MCS. That's kind of freaky. Yeah, a little bit. But it might also be the missing piece, right? This virus mast cell connection could be why some people have fatigue, brain fog, all those M-pass like things long after the COVID's gone. No, we actually found a story while we were researching for this. A young woman, Elle, she was only 19 when she got hit hard with COVID. And even after it passed, she had all these symptoms that just wouldn't quit. And that unfortunately is where the real struggle begins for a lot of people with MCAS, the whole trying to get diagnosed odyssey. It sounds like Elle went through a lot before getting answers. Why is it such a difficult diagnosis to get? Is MCAS just hard to pick up with normal testing? It's tough because MCAS symptoms, they're all over the place, right? They could be a bunch of other things too, like Elle sees she had fatigue, gut problems, even stuff like neurological stuff. And it could be so many things. So how do you even start figuring it out? Is it just that the tests don't really work for MCA? That's part of it. See, the usual test, it looks for high triptase levels, but with MCS, that's not always reliable. Triptase. Now, there's a word I haven't heard in a while. Refresh my memory. What is that again? So triptase, it's an enzyme from mast cells. And doctors, they used to think high triptase must be mast cell problems, right? Right. But MCS is tricky. You might not have much triptase, even if those mast cells are going nuts. Remember that whole symphony of inflammation we were talking about? Yeah, it's like a whole orchestra in there. Exactly. Triptase might be playing softly, or not even playing at all, even with all the chaos. So you could feel awful, have all the classic MCS symptoms, but your triptase is normal. Yep. Dr. Dempsey, we looked at some of her research. She says focusing only on triptase, it misses a lot of MCS cases. Okay. So if triptase isn't the answer, what are doctors looking for then? Good question. There's this other thing, Heparin. Dr. Dempsey, in one of her videos, she's really big on Heparin being a more reliable marker. Heparin, break that down for me. What is it and why is it a better clue for MSAS? Well, mast cells, they're like those Swiss Army knives of cells. They do it all. Triptase is just one tool, Heparin is another. It's an anticoagulant, so it stops blood from clotting. And with MSAS, if you've got high Heparin at certain times, that might be a better sign than triptase. So using triptase alone is like you're looking for a hammer, but the problem is actually a screwdriver or something? Exactly. You need a doctor who gets that, someone who'll look beyond just triptase for MSAS. Sounds like you need a medical Sherlock Holmes basically. Totally. But it's more than just diagnosis. Once you know what's up, then you got to figure out how do we calm these mast cells down? How do we get things back in balance? The million dollar question, right? How do you treat MSAS? Is it as easy as taking a pill or is it more involved? Not that easy, I'm afraid. Medication helps for sure. But a lot of the experts we looked at, Dr. Anderson, was when they say, it's got to be holistic. You got to find what's setting those mast cells off in the first place. A good way to picture is like a bucket. A bucket? Okay, I'm visualizing a bucket here. I'm not sure where you're going with this. So the bucket, that's your body's ability to handle stress. I don't just mean the deadline kind of stress, I mean everything. Genetics, hormones, toxins, even your gut health, those all add stress. Okay, I'm seeing it now. So all these things, they're like drops in the bucket and eventually it overflows. That's when the mast cells freak out. You got it. And that's why just treating symptoms isn't enough. You got to figure out what's filling that bucket, what's pushing you over the edge. So what are some of the big things people with MSIA should look out for? What's filling their buckets? It's different for everyone, but diet's huge. Right. It makes sense. A lot of people with MSIA talk about this low histamine diet, right? Why is that? Well, histamine, it's one of the main inflammatory things mast cells release. So the idea is if you eat less of it, maybe you can calm those inflammatory responses down a bit. So ditch the aged cheese, fermented stuff, processed meats, all those histamine bombs. Those are the usual suspects, yeah. But here's the kicker. Histamine levels in food, they can change. Depends on how it's stored, how ripe it is, all sorts of things. What makes one person react might be totally fine for someone else. That sounds like a minefield. Probably need to work with a dietician or someone to figure all that out. For sure. And it's not just what you put in your body, it's also how you handle what's going on around you. Like stress is a big one, right? Tell me about it. If I get stressed, my whole body is out of whack. But what's the connection between stress and these mast cells? It's all about the nervous system and the immune system. They're best buddies, but sometimes they fight. When you're stressed, your body releases hormones, cortisol especially. Cortisol, right. The stress hormone. So how does that play into empathy? Well, cortisol can actually make mast cells more active. It's like giving them a bullhorn, telling them to go wild. Oh, man. So the more stressed you are, the more cortisol, the more those mast cells act up, the worse the symptoms get. It's like a vicious cycle. Yep, exactly. And as if that wasn't enough, there's another sneaky culprit, our environment. Environment. What do you mean? Remember Dr. Anderson talking about mold and microtoxins? He said it's like throwing gasoline on a fire for MCS. Okay, that's a scary thought. What's so bad about mold specifically? Mold releases these toxins that mess with mast cells directly, and those toxins, they can hang around long after the mold's gone. So you might not even see it, but it's still there causing problems. Unfortunately, yeah. And it's not just mold. People with MCS, they're often super sensitive to chemicals and like everyday stuff. Perfumes, cleaning products, even certain fabrics can set them off. This is a lot. It's like you have to be so careful about everything. Diet, stress, your environment. No wonder it's overwhelming for people. It definitely can be. That's why it's so important to find a good doctor, someone who gets it, who will work with you to make a plan. So you need to find a way to calm the mast cells down, but also figure out what those triggers are, those things that are throwing you off balance. Exactly. And that's where medication can help. It gives you some relief while you're working on the bigger picture stuff. Speaking of medication, are there certain types that usually work for MCS or does it depend on the person? So with MCS, it seems like every case is different. How do doctors even know where to start with meds? Yeah, that's the thing. There's no magic bullet. We saw this presentation by Dr. Dempsey. She was saying, treating MCS, it's all about trial and error. You try a medication, see how it goes, adjust the dosage. You're constantly tweaking things. Sounds like you need a lot of patients, both the patient and the doctor. Totally. Having a doctor who really gets it, who's in your corner, that makes all the difference. Definitely. So even though MCS, it can be tough to diagnose, it's tough to live with, there's still hope, right? Absolutely. And I think that's important to remember. What makes you say that? What are you hopeful about? Well, for one, people are talking about MCS more now. Doctors, researchers, even just regular people. And the research, it's exploding right now. As we learn more about how these cells work, what to look for, it means better treatments, faster diagnoses, all that good stuff. Remember that story about the patient who was able to go skiing again after they found the right treatment? Those are the stories that give me hope. It's amazing to hear about those wins, right? When someone gets their life back, that's powerful. It's a good reminder that even when it feels impossible, you gotta keep fighting, keep searching for answers. I love that. You know, even though we're focusing on MSAS specifically, I think there's a bigger lesson here. Thinking about your health, like that bucket, you know? Stress, diet, your environment, those things matter for everyone. Such a good point. It's easy to forget that everything's connected. Maybe those bucket fillers, even if they're not causing full-blown MSACs, they're still messing with us, you know? Maybe that's why we get aches and pains or brain fog, all that. Makes you think, what if we all paid a little more attention to those things, right? Stress less, eat better, clean up our air and water, imagine how much better we'd feel. Definitely something to think about. So as we wrap up our MSACs deep dive, I'm feeling, I don't know, informed but also curious. We've gone deep into this condition that most people haven't even heard of, looked at the research, heard some amazing stories. What will you take away from this? What questions do you have now? Knowledge is power, as they say. So until next time, keep asking those questions, keep digging for answers and keep on diving deep.