Recurring Hives. Racing Heart. Dizziness. Shortness of Breath.It's POTS & MCAS time!
Hot button topic this week and one conventional medicine has little to no help for: MCAS and POTS!
One of the hardest parts of developing MCAS or POTS is how suddenly it can seem to happen.
One day you're eating normally.
Then you're reacting to foods you've always tolerated. Supplements that used to help. Perfumes. Heat. Exercise. Stress. Even your own hormones.
It feels random. But in our experience, it rarely is. My onset came when I had a tick bite that carried the meat-allergy, Alpha Gal (don't worry, I'm 100% better and 100% back to enjoying steak).
When our team sits down with someone experiencing MCAS or POTS, we're almost always asking one question:
Why is the immune system sounding the alarm?
While every person's story is unique, we repeatedly see three major themes behind new or worsening symptoms:
• Chronic infections like Lyme disease, Epstein-Barr virus, COVID, or other lingering infections that keep the immune system on high alert. Even my Alpha-Gal incident wasn't alone - I contracted Borrelia or Lyme and an Anaplasma infection at the same bite - that group, together, was causing the MCAS repsonse with a side of POTS.
• Mold and environmental toxins, which can activate mast cells while placing tremendous stress on detoxification pathways.
• Hormone shifts - especially during perimenopause and menopause—when changing estrogen levels can suddenly unmask or intensify histamine and mast cell symptoms.
MCAS isn't simply a histamine problem.
POTS isn't simply a nervous system problem.
They're often signs of an immune system that's been under pressure for a very long time.
The good news?
We've also seen these conditions improve, completely eliminated. (Hi, that's my story!)
When we stop asking only, "How do we manage the symptoms?" and start asking, "Why is the immune system behaving this way?" we often uncover a path toward lasting healing.
This week's podcast is one of my favorite teaching episodes yet. Krista and I break down what MCAS and POTS actually are, why they so often occur together, the symptoms to watch for, and the root causes we investigate every day in practice.
Your body isn't being dramatic. It's communicating. We need to listen: not patch symptoms. When we learn to understand what it's saying, healing becomes much more possible.
Replenishing Electrolytes
MCAS and POTS bring about one common thread: the woozies. Whether its the low blood pressure drops, unexplained dizziness, feeling faint or fainting or the infamous racing heart - electrolytes - namely sodium and potassium are the keys to feeling well and staying upright. If you struggle with food sensitivities and reactions or allergies - electrolytes help support healthy blood pressure after a reaction and support the liver and kidneys in creating those inflammatory products the body creates, too!
Amidst my own Alpha-Gal season with MCAS and POTS rocking my world - Buoy Rescue Remedy drops were my top tool, followed closely by LMNT. I loved that LMNT has an unflavored option, too. When you're dependent on that level of electrolytes each day to make it around without falling down - you don't always want to have a flavor with every sip!
Wondering if mold is a problem? Let’s get an ERMI Test done. By far the most popular and commonly used test for indoor mold assessment. This test is for 26 Toxic mold plus 10 Control mold or reference mold species; the ERMI test provides a score to help with the interpretation. However, the most crucial part of the test is not the score but the individual values for each toxic mold or Group 1 expressed in Spore Equivalent per mg of dust sample (SE/mg). All sent straight to you with a helpful handout on how to collect your sample!
Homeopathy Support
Hista Wheel: This one is in my purse and a daily spring and fall staple. 3 drops daily keeps the allergies at bay, while additional doses quickly stop food sensitivity reactions, allergy symptoms and get itching to subside.
Mast Ease Wheel: We've been using this remedy with clients before its launch and seeing wonderful results - ready and shipping to you now!
