The sudden, tragic death of Beth O’Hara, this summer, a pioneer in the understanding and treatment of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), “left a big hole in the hearts of many,” as so eloquently articulated by her friend and colleague, Dr. Kelly McCann. I didn’t know Beth…I wish I had…, and I thoroughly endorse her need to dig deep for root causes of common symptoms of disease. When I lost my beloved grandmother to suicide, I vowed to dedicate my life to understanding the relationship between the mind and the body. I could never have anticipated where that promise would take me, how many amazing people I would meet, or that the world of allopathic medicine would still be questioning this relationship more than 50 years later.
Furthermore, when I wrote the previous blog entry reviewing Neil Nathan’s important book, The Sensitive Patient’s Healing Guide, I never expected this to be my next entry. I had learned about mast cell dysregulation in autism spectrum disorders from Dr. Anju Usman Singh, but I didn’t really understand how important it was to address MCAS up front in almost every ailment, until I read Nathan’s book.
What are Mast Cells?
Simply stated, mast cells are a type of white blood cells that are made in the bone marrow, and migrate to almost every tissue of the body. They line your sinuses, your digestive tract, your nervous system, your blood vessels, connect your muscles and tendons, and are found in every organ, including the brain. They have over 200 receptors that release chemicals, as they sense everything you breathe, put in your mouth, or swallow. Mast cells function as the frontline defense, the guards at the gate, of the body’s immune system.
When normal mast cells are stimulated by a trigger of any kind, they create inflammation, and evoke a healing response. That’s what happens when you get food poisoning or sprain your ankle; you get diarrhea, or swelling and redness. Then the reaction calms, and inflammation decreases.
What Happens in Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS)?
In today’s toxic world, mast cells experience a constant onslaught of triggers. That is what I began calling “Total Load Theory,” over 25 years ago. When the mast cells of some individuals are bombarded by too many stressors, this total load puts their bodily systems over their personal threshold of tolerance. The inflammatory response is no longer healing, and does not pass, reflecting the body’s inability to cope with the increasing number of stressors in today’s world. Chronic inflammation remains, and tortures the patient 24/7. We call this complex condition Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS).
This is what Beth O’Hara experienced almost for her entire life. In The Sensitive Patient’s Healing Guide, she describes her barrage of symptoms: her eyes burned, she itched, she became nauseous at the smell of any chemicals, her muscles spasmed, her nerves hurt, her sleep was disrupted, she experienced brain fog, and had panic attacks. Her mast cells were completely out of control. They had lost their fine tuning, become both overly sensitive and responsive, acting as if EVERYTHING was “the enemy.” Read Beth’s chapter in Neil Nathan’s book, to learn more about this devastating, and not-so uncommon condition.
MCAS is a relatively “new” diagnosis, and doctors are still continuously debating diagnostic criteria. Understanding and treating it is still in its infancy.
Taming Inflammation
We now know that inflammation is at the root of every ailment and condition. I devote a large section to this ubiquitous problem in my updated edition of Outsmarting Autism. Everyone knows the symptoms of inflammation in various parts of the body: swelling, redness, warmth, pain, and discoloration. External inflammation is visible and tangible; internal inflammation is invisible, and difficult to localize. We have gradually discovered that it occurs everywhere from the joints to the digestive system to the brain. Combining lifestyle changes with dietary modification, and targeted supplementation, we can make significant progress in decreasing both external and internal symptoms.
MastCell360
Beth’s legacy is her work explaining the complex condition of MCAS, and her organization, MastCell360, which will be carrying on her vital work. By combining Genetic Analysis, with Functional Naturopathy, and supporting Emotional Wellbeing, their comprehensive program is fine tuned to each individual patient.
According to their website, genetic analysis can uncover specific factors in each patient’s unique genetic code that can cause frequent flare-ups, inflammation, indigestion, poor detoxification, methylation, energy production, impaired histamine pathways and neurotransmitter imbalances. By understanding the underlying triggers that can contribute to mast cell activation practitioners can construct a program that supports the body’s natural healing processes through personalized supplementation, healing foods, optimized sleep, and lifestyle choices. Finally, they help develop a combination of proven techniques that can help lower stress, and thus reduce flare-ups, by empowering and supporting each patient as they follow through on their customized plan.
Beth didn’t die of MCAS. According to a post released by her family, mid-2023, she felt she had exhausted all the options that she had developed to help thousands of others, and heal herself regain health. In July, she took her own life.
Obviously, staying on track isn’t easy, or Beth would still be with us today. Maybe she was one of those selfless souls who found it easier to counsel her patients than take care of herself. She was truly a guiding light to others, who will bathe in her luminescence, even though the world is much dimmer without her.
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