#adhd and depression and autism(?) and chronic fatigue that MIGHT be fibromyalgia?
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I can really judge how bad of a day I'm having based on how hard it is to get tucked in bed. Sometimes just lifting my weighted blanket to get under it is a HERCULEAN effort. Im working on coming to terms with the fact that this is not my fault.
#all my life I've been surrounded by people who tell me to be more active#exercise more#try yoga#go to the gym#just to discover now that I have hypermobility which is causing chronic pain#(and weight-based exercise was making it worse)#and also along the way I've developed POTS#depression and ADHD have always made focusing difficult and now I have 24/7 brainfog#like. I couldn't have prevented this#I couldn't have prevented it! nothing I could have done.#literally as I'm typing rn the muscle in my forearm is burning just from the effort of moving my thumb#that's not from 'sedentary lifestyle'#that's something I do every damn day that sometimes hurts for no reason#exercise isn't going to help that#it's not. my. fault.#at the same time I feel like I'm getting buried under the weight of these conditions#adhd and depression and autism(?) and chronic fatigue that MIGHT be fibromyalgia?#and I think about my biological father. who was a drug and alcohol addict and died at forty years old#I didn't get all of these conditions from my mother#I wonder if he was just coping#anyway that's enough introspection for tonight
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Could you maybe explain what executive dysfunction is and how one might be able to tell if they have it?
Tonight on “So You Think You Might Have Executive Dysfunction: How to tell if this is what’s ruining your life right now.”
Have you ever woken up, starting scrolling aimlessly through things on your phone, and just continued doing that for three hours despite knowing you have errands to run, food to eat, bathrooms to use, and materials to study?
Have you ever sat in a chair and stared at the carpet for hours instead of starting that new book you bought, all the while thinking “I want to start that new book I bought”?
Have you ever wanted or needed to do something but instead didn’t for absolutely no discernible reason?
If you said yes to any of these questions and deal with this shit on a regular basis, then you might have executive dysfunction!
Executive dysfunction describes the case where there are problems regulating the executive functions, which are the brain processes that control behavior. Essentially, it’s when you have problems planning, starting, and finishing tasks and goals. In my experience as someone with executive functioning problems, it’s pretty much when you just can’t get yourself to do something you know you need/want to do.
I’ve heard it described before as being constantly “stuck”, or that you’re waiting for something so you can start doing what you need to do, but you don’t know what you’re waiting for or when it will happen, so you just do nothing instead. (I can’t find the post that talks about being “stuck”, but here’s the one about waiting for something to happen.) If you want some more expressions of what executive dysfunction feels like, here are some posts I’ve reblogged that talk about it:
one two donald duck executive dysfunction meals.
Executive dysfunction comes often with anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, autism, and a variety of other mental or physical health problems, since all of them impact your ability to moderate your behavior and get things done. Though I’ve dealt with anxiety and depression issues for most of my life, I didn’t have problems with executive dysfunction until about two years ago between my sophomore and junior years of college when I developed fibromyalgia, which is a chronic fatigue and pain disorder. However, it’s not a prerequisite that you have to have any mental or physical health issues in order to struggle with executive dysfunction.
Personally, a lot of times when I say I’m having executive dysfunction issues, it’s because I’m struggling to get things done even when I’m not feeling the effects of fibromyalgia, anxiety, or depression. For example, on days I have off from school or work but still have things to do, I’ll often wake up feeling okay, but just play on my phone for like four hours (not an exaggeration) without getting out of bed, even though I’m hungry, have to use the bathroom, need to charge my phone, and have other things to do that require more steps, like go run errands or work on grad school applications.
People with executive dysfunction also often have memory and concentration issues. My reading speed for non-fiction slowed down by a lot when executive dysfunction hit me because it takes that much more mental energy to focus on what I’m reading and not forget the preceding sentence. In my last two years of college, I had to take really good notes because otherwise I’d barely remember what we talked about. It impacted my grades in class because I’d often lose out on participation points because I’d have to focus really hard on taking notes and what people literally just said or else I’ll forget. It takes me longer now to formulate thoughts and speak well without preparation because my brain feels slower. It’s not just in a class or work setting, either, that these things cause problems, but in most parts of my life as well.
In the process of writing this post, I kept stopping and staring at the wall or the fork on my table or the piece of link on my sock or something and thinking about what I wanted to write. I had the words in my head, already planned out, but just...couldn’t type them. Thought about it, but just didn’t. There was nothing stopping me. Talking about this stuff doesn’t give me anxiety, and I’m not depressed at the moment (I actually got a lot of stuff done today so I’m in a good mood). My head is relatively clear and I’m not dealing with fatigue or extreme sleepiness. Continuing with the post was just not something I could do at those moments until I was able to break myself out of it. (Also, don’t feel like it’s a burden asking me about executive dysfunction. I’m more than happy to talk about it and help someone. That has nothing to do with me having problems writing it.)
I haven’t paid my rent yet and it’s overdue. I didn’t clean most of my dishes for over a week and so they just sat in the bathroom sink until this afternoon when I finally had the mental capacity to do it. It’s often too much to open the closet door and toss my dirty clothes where they should go, so there’s a pile of them sitting right outside the closet door. I need to fix a problem with my Amazon account so that my orders stop being cancelled, but I haven’t done that yet. I’m supposed to take a variety of supplements and medications for my multitude of health issues, but most nights I can only manage to make myself take the prescription ones (aka the ones where if I don’t take them, I will have a VERY crappy next day.) My leg has been in pain for about half an hour and even though the ibuprofen bottle is within reach, I still haven’t taken some to make the pain lessen.
Though this post is long, I hope it’s given you a bit of a look into what life with executive dysfunction is like. My experiences are, of course, not universal, but from my understanding, I have fairly standard executive dysfunction problems. If you want to know more, I recommend reading through the Wikipedia page, though that’s fairly dense and full of jargon. This page talks about executive dysfunction as the result of a traumatic brain injury, which is one way but not the only way that executive dysfunction can arise, but I found it a good overview of what the symptoms and effects are.
Of course, if you or anyone else has any further questions for me, I’m more than happy to give a go at answering them.
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May Neurofeedback Support Musical Efficiency?
What's Neurofeedback? Neurofeedback is a questionnaire of biofeedback that enables a person to improve their brain waves. It is an understanding technique that can be looked at as workout for the brain. Information (feedback) about a person's head wave features is made open to the person via a computer. The person controls numerous computer activities by understanding how to control their brainwaves. They enjoy a gaming without using their hands!
What's Neurofeedback employed for? Neurofeedback may assistance with many situations in that your brain is not working in addition to it might. These generally include Interest Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities, depression, anxiety, sleep problems, chronic suffering, headaches, memory, behavioral problems, addictions, traumatic and acquired head damage, seizures, autism, PTSD, and much more.
How is Neurofeedback done? A preliminary evaluation is completed to gather the maximum amount of information regarding how the brain is regulating itself as possible. This includes a preliminary interview to acquire an explanation of signs, wellness history, and family history. A Quantitative Electroencephalograph (QEEG) is frequently recorded. A QEEG is just a common EEG, analyzed by way of a Neurologist, and then in comparison to sources of usual brainwaves. A statistical evaluation reveals where the brain is and isn't working typically electrically. Also, the Test of Variables of Interest (TOVA) is frequently administered to get more info about how exactly mental performance is regulating itself. Once the QEEG and TOVA are done again at the end of therapy the improvements in the brainwave styles and working may be seen.
micro current neurofeedback
The Neurofeedback training is just a simple, non-invasive procedure. One or more receptors are placed on the scalp and one on each ear. The mind dunes are then exhibited on some type of computer in an EEG movie exhibit in addition to by means of a video game. The person runs the gaming along with his brain. As desirable brainwave task raises anyone is rewarded (given feedback) by seeing the game going faster, by scoring factors, and reading beeps. Slowly, the mind reacts to the feedback that it's provided and a "learning" of new brain wave patterns requires place. The new structure is one which is closer to what is generally seen in individuals without such problems or disabilities.
The first research was done at UCLA in the late 1960's. Receptors were attached with the scalps of cats. When the cats improved how big a specific brainwave these were honored with dairy and chicken broth. Very shortly these were producing tons of that brainwave!
What results do we get? 3In the case of ADHD, impulsivity, distractibility, and hyperactivity might all be paid down by training. Cognitive working may improve as well. In two clinical studies, a typical IQ increase of 10 to 23 points was demonstrated. An individual might raise their power to regulate their behavior. For despair, there can be quite a progressive development in mood, and a reduced amount of energy fatigue. For panic and stress attacks, there is a slow reduction in frequency and seriousness of panic periods until the situation normalizes. For migraines, a lessening of volume and power occurs. For addictions, one study described a 50% relapse reduction. For TBI a continuous reduction in impairment is observed (memory, limb movement, seizures, etc).
How long does working out normally get? Neurofeedback teaching is an understanding process, and therefore results are observed gradually over time. For some conditions, preliminary development can be seen within about twenty sessions. Preliminary training objectives may be met by twenty sessions. For some problems, education is anticipated to get about forty sessions or higher in significant cases. Originally, periods are performed at the least twice per week to strengthen the educational that is occurring in the brain. Though results could be received with once weekly sessions, more complete sessions are usually required than when done at least twice per week.
Is Neurofeedback successful? Neurofeedback matches the scientific recommendations of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Centers of North America for therapy of ADHD, seizure disorders, anxiety (including obsessive-compulsive condition, generalized panic condition, posttraumatic stress condition, and phobias), depression, examining disabilities, and addictive disorders. The Record of Neurotherapy (June 17, 2010) announced the distribution of "A Position Paper on Neurofeedback for the Treatment of ADHD," in that the experts show that Neurofeedback is really a safe and efficacious therapy treatment for AD/HD, meeting a standing amount of 5: Efficacious and Specific. It does not get much better than that.
4A study of my very own customers suggested that 93% of my customers who had performed at least five Neurofeedback periods described development in their symptoms whatever their indicators were. My customers have described improvements in: concentration, storage, hyperactivity, impulsivity, distractibility, sleep, moody bowel problem, fibromyalgia, pain, company and preparing, anxiety, stress attacks, agitation, irritability, despair, bipolar condition, levels, cultural abilities, stress, examining, publishing, limb motion, muscle spasms, cooperation, rebellious conduct, golf games, soccer games, addictions, and more. Neurofeedback operates for all of these issues because it teaches the brain to regulate it self more effectively. Lots of my clients have been ready in order to avoid, lower, or eliminate medications.
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We as a society have to look at people with disabilities the same way we would as any other person. When the critical disabilities study mentions that the world disables the body, the body does not become disabled. This highlights the fact that disabled people on feel disabled when we treat them differently than regular people. Media misrepresents people with disabilities causing people to act differently towards them. People might start to feel bad for them and feel the need to act differently, when in reality, people with disabilities do not live in a negative light so that we should feel bad for them, that could only make it worse. Invisible disabilities refer to any physical, mental, or emotional impairment that goes largely unnoticed. An invisible disability can include, but is not limited to: cognitive impairment and brain injury; the autism spectrum; chronic illnesses like multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and fibromyalgia; d/Deaf and/or hard of hearing; blindness and/or low vision; anxiety, depression, PTSD, and many more. I think some of the specific challenges living with an invisible disability is that people do not realise that you have the disability, therefore they do not use a good sense of awareness if it is brought up. For instance, there could a kid with ADHD and no one would know, he could be around a group of kids making fun of ADHD and they would never know how he feels. Kafer pushes the idea that people with disabilities are thought to have no life and no future and she wants to break this narrative because it is simply not true. Kafer has gone on to inspire a ton of people with disabilities.
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Are Vaccines Linked to Increase in Mast Cell Disease and Allergies?
Mast Cell Disease and Vaccination: Is There Increased Risk?
by Barbara Loe Fisher and Carolyn Hendler
The Vaccine Reaction
Do you or does someone you know have severe symptoms of itching, rashes, flushing, stomach or other body pain, frequent diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, brain fog, headache and severe allergies to certain foods, medications or insect stings that may include fainting episodes or anaphylaxis?
Although it has been classified as a rare immune system disorder, there are indications that Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) may be more prevalent than previously thought and people can suffer for years without being correctly diagnosed.1
With severe allergies and chronic inflammatory diseases increasing in populations around the world, scientists are investigating the association between mast cell dysregulation and various brain and immune system disorders ranging from asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and chronic fatigue syndrome to ADHD, depression, autism and cancer.2 3 4 5
What are Mast Cells?
Mast cells are often described as the body's sentinels because they modulate and orchestrate the immune response and play a critical role in innate and adaptive immunity, as well as maintaining homeostasis in the body.6 7
Mast cells and basophils are types of white blood cells (granulocytes) that are made in the bone marrow. While basophils circulate in the blood, mast cells reside in tissues, primarily connective and mucosal tissues near blood vessels and nerves of the skin, gastrointestinal, respiratory and genitourinary tracts, and the brain.8 9
Mast cells and basophils are part of the body's first line of defense when responding to injury or foreign antigens, such as pathogenic bacteria, viruses, parasites, protozoa, fungi and toxins.10
During the immune system's normal protective response to a perceived threat, mast cells can release over 200 potent pro-inflammatory mediators within seconds of activation, including histamine (amino acid product), heparin (anti-coagulant), tryptase (enzyme) and cytokines (cell signaling protein molecules).11 12
The activation of this normal protective inflammatory response to internal or external stress increases blood flow to the site of the infection or wound to aid in healing. Acute inflammatory responses are often accompanied by the four classic signs of redness, heat, swelling and pain, which eventually disappear as cells regenerate and inflammation resolves during the healing process.13
However, allergic inflammatory responses are also provoked by mast cell activation.14
What is Mast Cell Disease and MCAS?
Mast cell activation is common and helps combat threats to our health. However, when a dysregulated immune system overproduces mast cells or when mast cell activation is out of proportion to the perceived internal or external threat, it can compromise our health.
The most serious of mast cell activation diseases (MCAD) is systemic mastocytosis, which can develop when genetically altered mast cells infiltrate and accumulate in large numbers in major organ systems, such as the skin, liver and intestines.15 16
A rare form of MCAD is aggressive systemic mastocytosis, usually caused by somatic mutations in the KIT gene, which progresses rapidly and causes organ damage and failure.17
An even rarer form of mast cell disease is mast cell leukemia and mast cell sarcoma.18
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a common variation of mast cell disease and can be more or less severe depending upon epigenetic, environmental, lifestyle and other host factors. MCAS occurs when a normal amount of mast cells inappropriately and chronically release histamine and other pro-inflammatory mediators that can lead to persistent inflammation in one or more parts of the body.
Over time, chronic inflammation can damage cells if inflammation cannot be resolved and every organ in the body can be affected.19
Systemic mastocytosis is estimated to affect 1 in 10,000 people. However, the prevalence of MCAS is not known and some researchers estimate the less serious forms of mast cell dysregulation could affect between 10 and 30 percent of populations.20 21
Symptoms of MCAS
Symptoms of MCAS can wax and wane and often various symptoms start in early childhood, although people generally do not get diagnosed for decades after symptoms appear. The effects of mast cell dysregulation can cause a plethora of diverse symptoms, depending on where the mast cells are activated in the body.
Common symptoms of MCAS can include fatigue; pruritus (severe itching); migraine; frequent nausea and diarrhea; allergic reactions to certain foods, medications, chemicals, insect bites and environmental antigens; chronic sinus congestion or dry cough; gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD); urinary tract infections; muscle cramping; feeling cold; sweating, especially at night; hair loss; dry eyes; conjunctivitis (pink eye); mouth ulcers (canker sores); dental decay; heart palpitations; inability to concentrate and brain fog; anxiety, depression and insomnia.22 23
When mast cells overeact to a benign substance as if it were a foreign antigen posing a serious threat, symptoms can be life threatening like when a person has an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts.24
Mast cell over-activation and release of large amounts of histamine in the body can be unpredictable, so people with MCAS are at risk of reacting to different foods, alcohol or medications at any time, leaving them uncertain as to when they might have another reaction to something they previously were not aware was a trigger for mast cell activation.25
Many people with MCAS carry an epi-pen with them in case of anaphylaxis.
Diagnosing mast cell disease is difficult and involves blood and urine testing and, less frequently, skin or bone marrow biopsy.26
Most medical doctors in general practice are not well informed about MCAS, while doctors specializing in functional medicine tend to be more familiar with symptoms.
Functional medicine focuses on a personalized, integrative approach to investigating root causes of health problems by analyzing the unique genetic, epigenetic, biochemical, environmental and lifestyle factors that affect an individual's immune function and influence the development of complex chronic diseases.
Because MCAS can present differently in different people, the goal is to identify individual triggers for mast cell activation, including food (such as gluten, dairy, baker's yeast, shellfish, nuts, wheat, corn); or chemicals (alcohol, certain prescription medications, MSG, aspartame, artificial dyes, cleaning products); mold and spores; extreme heat or cold; vigorous exercise; stress or other potential triggers and avoid them.27
There are many unanswered questions about mast cell disease and few prescription drug treatments.28
There is evidence that certain flavonoids (such as Quercetin and Rutin) inhibit histamine release and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in mast cells. 29
MCAS and Chronic Disease
Because overactive mast cells release pro-inflammatory mediators causing widespread inflammation in the body, MCAS has been implicated in a number of diseases that involve chronic inflammation and immune dysfunction. There is evidence that MCAS is related to allergic/inflammatory diseases, autoimmune disorders, and autism spectrum disorder.30 31
Health problems that have been associated with MCAS include eczema, psoriasis, and other skin disorders; irritable bowel syndrome; small intestine bowel overgrowth (SIBO); interstitial cystitis (bladder pain syndrome); asthma; migraines; depression; anxiety; ADHD; Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD); autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and Hashimoto's; cancer; peripheral neuropathy, multiple sclerosis; diabetes; obesity; endometriosis; infertility; fibromyalgia and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), among others.32 33 34
Symptoms of Histamine Intolerance
Histamine is a neurotransmitter that facilitates communications between neurons throughout the nervous system. Histamine levels in the body help control the sleep and wake cycle and influence metabolism, thyroid function, reproduction and management of stress, as well as regulate body temperature, maintain fluid balance in the body and other important functions. Histamine can also increase permeability of the blood brain barrier.35
People with histamine intolerance lack sufficient levels of Diame oxidase (DAO), a gut enxyme, and histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT), a liver enzyme, which break down and detoxify histamine in foods, medications or alcohol. When these enzymes fail to do their job, high levels of histamine circulate in the blood and cause histamine intoxication.36
Eating histamine-rich foods, drinking alcohol or taking prescription drugs that release histamine and or inhibit DAO or HNMT enzyme activity can cause high histamine levels and symptoms like diarrhea, headache, sinus congestion, heart palpitations, itching and flushing, low blood pressure and many other symptoms.
The symptoms of histamine intolerance and MCAS are similar and a person can have either histamine intolerance of MCAS or both. The main difference between the two is that histamine intolerance involves the triggering of high levels of histamine in the blood that cannot be efficiently detoxified, while MCAS involves dysregulated mast cells releasing not only histamine but multiple inflammatory and other types of mediators in tissues of the body.37
There is some evidence for genetic predisposition to histamine intolerance. Like MCAS, histamine intolerance can be hard to diagnose even with blood and urine tests. Treatment for histamine intolerance focuses on avoiding histamine rich foods and alcohol or medications that block DAO or HNMT enzyme activity.
Some people with histamine intolerance take DAO supplements to help the body break down histamine or take anti-histamines to control levels of histamine in the blood.38
MCAS and Autism Spectrum Disorder
Over the past decade, a number of reports and studies have linked Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with immune dysregulation and chronic inflammation in the body, including in the brain.39 40 41
There is evidence that mast cell dysregulation is associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).42 43
Some researchers have suggested that the relationship between immune response and brain function may be negatively affected when toxins cross the blood brain barrier during a critical point in neural development, causing neurotoxicity and immune dysregulation that disrupts the natural neuron pruning process and contributes to the development of autism spectrum disorders. 44
If the immune system is dysregulated, it can affect the formation and necessary removal of physical connections between neurons that is critical to maintaining healthy brain cell function.45
ASD children have a higher rate of allergies (30%) compared to neurotypical children (2.5%).
Tufts University Professor Theodore Theoharides, PhD, MD, who has conducted extensive research into mast cell disorders, has published a series of studies on the association between MCAS and autism. The evidence he has provided suggests that overactive mast cells in the brain and gut triggered by non-allergic stimulus can lead to brain inflammation and chronic brain dysfunction with symptoms diagnosed as autism.
Evidence that mast cells play a role in ASD is also supported by the fact that the hypothalamus, which regulates behavior and language, houses the majority of mast cells in the brain and people with ASD often have problems associated with language and behavior.46
What Are Co-Factors for Developing MCAS?
Currently, MCAS is not considered to be a genetically inherited disease but there is evidence for epigenetic predisposition to development of MCAS as it tends to run in families, albeit with varying degrees of severity and presentations in individuals within the same family.47
Perinatal stress, environmental exposures, DNA methylation, somatic genetic mutations and interactions between microbiota and mast cells have been proposed as contributing co-factors.48 49 50
According to University of Minnesota Professor Lawrence Afrin, MD, an oncologist and leading mast cell authority, mast cell disease can present with different manifestations and outcomes for each person because every person is unique:
“Conveying a new understanding that all mast cell disease features inappropriate mast cell activation, the new top level mast cell activation disease (MCAD) encompasses various types of rare mastocytosis and likely prevalent mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS).
The apparent uniqueness in each patient with MCAD of constitutively activating mutational patterns in KIT and other mast cell regulatory elements likely is the principal driver of not only the specific clinical presentation, and therapeutic response profile, in each patient but also the great heterogeneity across this population.”51
Inflammation and Vaccination
When the immune system repeatedly mounts an inappropriate acute inflammatory response to antigens or non-allergic substances, it can lead to unwanted chronic inflammation in the body that is common to a number of immune and neuroimmune system disorders.52 53
Vaccination stimulates an inflammatory immune response that promotes production of antibodies and the acquisition of artificial active immunity.54
However, unlike naturally acquired immunity that involves a normal inflammatory response producing both innate (cellular) and humoral (adaptive) immunity, most vaccines manipulate the immune system in way that only stimulates production of vaccine strain antibodies and humoral immunity.55
Because vaccine acquired artificial immunity is temporary, many vaccines contain adjuvants, such as aluminum or squalene, to stimulate a strong inflammatory response in the body, which involves mast cell activation.56
There is mounting scientific evidence that when individuals cannot tolerate hyper-stimulation of the immune system, the atypical inflammatory response to vaccination can remain unresolved, become chronic, and lead to allergy and autoimmunity.57
Vaccines contain many ingredients, including chemicals, virus like protein particles and heavy metals, such as aluminum adjuvants and mercury (Thimerosal) preservatives, as well as other substances that can cause inflammation.58 59
Mercury can activate and destabilize mast cells,60 61 which disrupts the blood brain barrier and makes it easier for mercury to enter the brain where it can remain for long periods of time.62
Even a low concentration of mercury has been shown to activate mast cell mediators in the brain. Scientists have demonstrated that Thimerosal-derived ethylmercury is a mitochondrial toxin and may damage mitochondrial DNA.63
Polysorbate 80 is a chemical emulsifier added to some vaccines. Polysorbate 80 has the ability to help deliver substances across the protective blood brain barrier and into the brain.64
When toxins enter the brain, mast cells are activated and cause inflammation.65
Polysorbate 80 has also been shown to increase histamine levels in animal studies.66
The first vaccine found to cause acute and chronic brain inflammation (acute and chronic encephalopathy) and permanent brain dysfunction was smallpox vaccine created by Edward Jenner in 1796.67
The first vaccine found to cause acute and chronic encephalopathy with permanent brain dysfunction that ranged from learning disabilities and behavior disorders to profound mental retardation was whole cell pertussis vaccine licensed in 1915 and combined in 1949 with diphtheria and tetanus vaccine to create DPT vaccine.68 69
Whole cell pertussis vaccine ingredients include pertussis toxin, endotoxin, aluminum and mercury.70
Cases of pertussis vaccine-related autism were first described in the book DPT: A Shot in the Dark published in 1985.71 72
Is Mast Cell Disease a Risk Factor for Vaccine Reactions?
Mast cells play an important part in keeping the body healthy, but when they malfunction, can cause system wide chronic inflammation in the body that interferes with quality of life or can even cause death.
Dr. Afrin recently related the story of a patient, “who in the first year of his life had been perfectly normal and then, within hours of his first DTP vaccine at age one, developed into just a terrible multi-system inflammatory mess, including essentially acute onset autism.” When he was 20 years old, biopsies tested positive for mast cells. He was subsequently treated for MCAS with remarkable improvement.73
Most babies in the U.S. are being given 25 doses of nine different vaccines (or more) by their first birthday and can receive eight or more vaccines simultaneously.74
As mentioned previously, there are ingredients in vaccines that provoke inflammatory responses in the body that involve mast cell activation.75
Although for the past several decades, most pediatricians and public health officials have rejected the possibility of a relationship between vaccination and the development of allergic and autoimmune disorders,76 the apparent increase in mast cell dysregulation in highly vaccinated populations deserves more in-depth investigation.
The two outstanding questions are:
Does repeated atypical manipulation of the immune system with multiple vaccines in early life trigger MCAS or development of histamine intolerance in genetically or epigenetically predisposed individuals?
Are individuals with undiagnosed MCAS or histamine intolerance at greater risk for suffering vaccine reactions, particularly if they have a personal or family history of allergy or autoimmunity?
There is urgent need for more basic science research into how and why MCAS and histamine intolerance occurs and whether vaccination is a co-factor in increasing individual risks for mast cell dysregulation.
Read the full article at TheVaccineReaction.org.
Comment on this article at VaccineImpact.com.
References:
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2 Afrin LB. Mast cell activation and the modern epidemic of chronic inflammatory disease.Translational Research 2016; 174: 33-59.
3 Galli Sj, Tsai M, Piliponsky AM. The development of allergic inflammation. Nature 2008; 454(7203): 445-454.
4 Theoharides TC. Autism Spectrum Disorders and Mastocytosis. Int J Immunopath Pharmacol2009; 22(4): 859-865.
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20 Akin C. Mast cell activation syndromes. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2017; 140(2): 349-355.
21 Molderings, GJ, Zienkiewicz T, Risk of solid cancer in patients with mast cell activation syndrome: results from Germany and USA. F1000 Res 2017; 6: 1889.
22 Afrin L. Presentation, Diagnosis and Management of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Nova Science Publishers 2013.
23 Hoffman B. Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and Histamine: When Your Immune System Runs Rampant. Hoffman Centre for Integrative and Functional Medicine Nov. 8, 2017.
24 Santos AF, Couto-Francisco N et al. A novel human mast cell activation test for peanut allergy.J Allergy Clin Immunol May 3, 2018.
25 Maintz L, Novak N. Histamine and histamine intolerance. Am J Clin Nutr 2007; 85(5): 1185-1196.
26 National Institutes of Health. Systemic Mastocytosis. Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center 2018.
27 MastCellDisease. Mast Cell Triggers: What Are the Most Common Triggers? Dec. 12, 2017.
28 Molderings GJ, Haenisch B et al. Pharmacologic treatment options for mast cell activation disease. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archive of Pharmacology 2016; 389(7): 671-694.
29 Hyo-Hyuan P, Lee S et al. Flavanoids inhibit histamine release and expression of proinflammatory cytokines in mast cells. Arch Pharmacol Res 2008; 31:1303.
30 Zayas E, deSilva M et al. Mast Cell Function: A New Vision of an Old Cell. J Histochem Cytochem 2014; 62(1): 698-738.
31 Theoharides TC, Tsilioni I et al. Atopic Diseases and Inflammation of the Brain in the Pathogenesis of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Trans Psychiatry 2016; 6(6).
32 Theoharides TC, Konstantinos-Dionysios A et al. Mast Cells and Inflammation. Biochimica Biophysica Acta 2012; 1822(1): 21-33.
33 Conti P, Caraffa AL. Mast cell, pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory: Jekyll and Hyde, the story continues. Journal of Biological Regulators and Homeostatic Agents 2017; 31(2): 263-267.
34 Weinstock LB, Brook JB et al. Successful treatment of postural orthostatic tachycardia and mast cell activation syndromes using naltrexone, immunoglobulin and antibiotic treatment. BMJ Case Reports Jan. 11, 2018.
35 Pizano J. The many effects of histamine. Integrative Therapeutics Mar. 1, 2016.
36 Kovacova-Hanuskova E, Buday T et al. Histamine, histamine intoxication and intolerance.Allergologia et Immunopathologia 2015; 43: 498-506.
37 Hoffman B. Is Your Histamine Intolerance Actually Mast Cell Activation Syndrome? Hoffman Centre for Integrative and Functional Medicine Dec. 5, 2017.
38 Manzotti G, Breda D et al. Serum diamine oxidase activity in patients with histamine intolerance. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol 2016; 29(1): 105-111.
39 Tonhajzerova I, Ondrejka I et al. (2015) Inflammatory Activity in Autism Spectrum Disorder. In: Pokorski M. (eds) Respiratory Health. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology2015.
40 Rossignol DA, Frye RE. A review of research trends in physiologic abnormalities in autism spectrum disorders: immune dysregulation, inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and environmental toxicant exposures. Mol Psychiatry 2012; 17(4): 389-401.
41 Theoharides TC, Asadi S, Patel AB. Focal brain inflammation and autism. J Neuroinflamm2013; 10: 46.
42 Theoharides TC, Doyle BS. Autism, Gut-Blood-Brain Barriers and Mast Cells. J Clin Psychopharmacol 2008; 28(5): 479-483.
43 Theoharides TC, Stewart JM et al. Mast cells, brain inflammation and autism. Eur J Pharmacol 2016; 778: 96-102.
44 Jacome MCI, Chacon LMM et al. Peripheral Inflammatory Markers Contributing to Comorbidities in Autism. Behav Sci (Basel) 2016; 6(4).
45 University of Rochester Medical Center. The Brain's Gardeners: Immune Cells “Prune” Connections Between Neurons. Mar. 7, 2016.
46 Theoharides TC. Is a Subtype of Autism an Allergy of the Brain? Clin Thera 2013; 35(5): 584-591.
47 Molderings GJ, Haenisch B et al. Familial Occurrence of Systemic Mast Cell Activation Disease. PLOS One Sept. 13, 2013
48 Monticelli S, Leoni C. Epigenetic and transcriptional control of mast cell responses. F1000 Research Nov. 29, 2017.
49 U.S. National Library of Medicine. What Is A Gene Mutations and How Do Mutations Occur?July 3, 2018.
50 Afrin LB, Khouruts A. Mast Cell Activation Disease and Microbiotic Interactions. Clin Thera2015; 37(5)): 941-953.
51 Ibid.
52 Walker ME, Hatfield JK, Brown MA. New insights into the role of mast cells in autoimmunity: Evidence for a common mechanism of action? Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 2012; 1822(1): 57-65.
53 Gibney SM, Drexhage HA. Evidence for a Dysregulated Immune System in the Etiology of Psychiatric Disorders. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 2013; 8(4): 900-920.
54 Ghaffar A. Immunization. University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Nov. 8, 2017.
55 Rydyznski CE, Waggoner SN. Boosting vaccine efficacy the natural (killer) way. Trends Immunol 2015; 36(9): 536-548.
56 deVeer M. New Development in Vaccine Research – Unveiling the Secret of Vaccine Adjuvants. Discovery Medicine Sept. 15, 2011.
57 Vera-Lastra, Medina G et al. Autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (Shoenfeld's syndrome): clinical and immunological spectrum. Expert Review Clinical Immunology 2013; 9(4): 361-373.
58 Fisher BL. Are Vaccine Ingredients Safe? NVIC Jan. 26, 2018.
59 Singh B. Vaccine Ingredient Toxicity – Unraveling the Intiation of Oxidative Damage to Myelin and Role of Mast Cells, Microglia and Schwan Cells in Neurogenic Inflammation and Inhibition of Remyelination. Research Gate Feb. 10, 2017.
60 Kempuraj D, Asadi S et al. Mercury induces inflammatory mediator release from mast cells.Journal of Neuroinflammation 2010; 7:20.
61 Bent S, Gottsch C et al. The effects of heavy metal ions (CD2+, Hg2+, Pb2+, Bi3+) on histamine release from human adenoidal and cutaneous mast cells. Agents and Actions 1992; 36 (Suppl 2).
62 Cariccio VL, Sama A et al. Mercury Involvement in Neuronal Damage and Neurodegenerative Diseases. Biol Trace Element Res May 18, 2018.
63 Sharpe AM, Livingston AD et al. Thimerosal-Derived Ethylmercury is a Mitochondrial Toxin in Human Astrocytes: Possible Role in Fenton Chemistry in the Oxidation and Breakage of mtDNA. J Toxicol June 16, 2012.
64 Koffie RM, Farrar CT et al. Nanoparticles enhance brain delivery of blood-brain barrier-impermeable probes for in vivo optical and magnetic resonance imaging. Proc Natl Acad Sci2011; 108 (46): 18837-18842.
65 Parpia R. Polysorbate 80: A Risky Vaccine Ingredient. The Vaccine Reaction Jan. 7, 2016.
66 Masini E, Planchenault J et al. Histamine releasing properties of Polysorbate 80 in vitro and in vivo: correlation with its hypotensive action in the dog. Agents Action 1985; 16(6): 470-477.
67 Miravelle A, Roos KL. Encephalitis Complicating Smallpox Vaccination. JAMA Neurology2003; 60(7): 925-928.
68 Institute of Medicine Vaccine Safety Committee. Adverse Effects of Pertussis and Rubella Vaccines. Chapter 4: Encephalopathy (pp. 86-88). Washington, DC. The National Academies Press 1991.
69 Institute of Medicine Committee to Study New Research on Vaccines. DPT Vaccine and Chronic Nervous System Dysfunction: A New Analysis. Executive Summary (pp.1-2) Washington, D.C. The National Academies Press 1994.
70 WHO. Recommendations for whole cell pertussis vaccine. WHO Technical Report Series No. 941 2007.
71 Coulter HL, Fisher BL. DPT: A Shot in the Dark. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1985.
72 Fisher BL. Vaccines, Autism and Chronic Inflammation: The New Epidemic. The Autism File2009.
73 Ruscio M. Mast Cell Activation Part 2 with Dr. Lawrence Afrin. April 2018.
74 CDC. Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents Aged 18 Years or Younger, United States, 2018. Feb. 6, 2017.
75 CDC. Vaccine Excipient & Media Summary. March 2018.
76 Offit PA, Hackett CJ. Addressing Parents' Concerns: Do Vaccines Cause Allergy or Autoimmune Diseases? Pediatrics 2003; 111(3).
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Are Vaccines Linked to Increase in Mast Cell Disease and Allergies?
Mast Cell Disease and Vaccination: Is There Increased Risk?
by Barbara Loe Fisher and Carolyn Hendler
The Vaccine Reaction
Do you or does someone you know have severe symptoms of itching, rashes, flushing, stomach or other body pain, frequent diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, brain fog, headache and severe allergies to certain foods, medications or insect stings that may include fainting episodes or anaphylaxis?
Although it has been classified as a rare immune system disorder, there are indications that Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) may be more prevalent than previously thought and people can suffer for years without being correctly diagnosed.1
With severe allergies and chronic inflammatory diseases increasing in populations around the world, scientists are investigating the association between mast cell dysregulation and various brain and immune system disorders ranging from asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and chronic fatigue syndrome to ADHD, depression, autism and cancer.2 3 4 5
What are Mast Cells?
Mast cells are often described as the body's sentinels because they modulate and orchestrate the immune response and play a critical role in innate and adaptive immunity, as well as maintaining homeostasis in the body.6 7
Mast cells and basophils are types of white blood cells (granulocytes) that are made in the bone marrow. While basophils circulate in the blood, mast cells reside in tissues, primarily connective and mucosal tissues near blood vessels and nerves of the skin, gastrointestinal, respiratory and genitourinary tracts, and the brain.8 9
Mast cells and basophils are part of the body's first line of defense when responding to injury or foreign antigens, such as pathogenic bacteria, viruses, parasites, protozoa, fungi and toxins.10
During the immune system's normal protective response to a perceived threat, mast cells can release over 200 potent pro-inflammatory mediators within seconds of activation, including histamine (amino acid product), heparin (anti-coagulant), tryptase (enzyme) and cytokines (cell signaling protein molecules).11 12
The activation of this normal protective inflammatory response to internal or external stress increases blood flow to the site of the infection or wound to aid in healing. Acute inflammatory responses are often accompanied by the four classic signs of redness, heat, swelling and pain, which eventually disappear as cells regenerate and inflammation resolves during the healing process.13
However, allergic inflammatory responses are also provoked by mast cell activation.14
What is Mast Cell Disease and MCAS?
Mast cell activation is common and helps combat threats to our health. However, when a dysregulated immune system overproduces mast cells or when mast cell activation is out of proportion to the perceived internal or external threat, it can compromise our health.
The most serious of mast cell activation diseases (MCAD) is systemic mastocytosis, which can develop when genetically altered mast cells infiltrate and accumulate in large numbers in major organ systems, such as the skin, liver and intestines.15 16
A rare form of MCAD is aggressive systemic mastocytosis, usually caused by somatic mutations in the KIT gene, which progresses rapidly and causes organ damage and failure.17
An even rarer form of mast cell disease is mast cell leukemia and mast cell sarcoma.18
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a common variation of mast cell disease and can be more or less severe depending upon epigenetic, environmental, lifestyle and other host factors. MCAS occurs when a normal amount of mast cells inappropriately and chronically release histamine and other pro-inflammatory mediators that can lead to persistent inflammation in one or more parts of the body.
Over time, chronic inflammation can damage cells if inflammation cannot be resolved and every organ in the body can be affected.19
Systemic mastocytosis is estimated to affect 1 in 10,000 people. However, the prevalence of MCAS is not known and some researchers estimate the less serious forms of mast cell dysregulation could affect between 10 and 30 percent of populations.20 21
Symptoms of MCAS
Symptoms of MCAS can wax and wane and often various symptoms start in early childhood, although people generally do not get diagnosed for decades after symptoms appear. The effects of mast cell dysregulation can cause a plethora of diverse symptoms, depending on where the mast cells are activated in the body.
Common symptoms of MCAS can include fatigue; pruritus (severe itching); migraine; frequent nausea and diarrhea; allergic reactions to certain foods, medications, chemicals, insect bites and environmental antigens; chronic sinus congestion or dry cough; gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD); urinary tract infections; muscle cramping; feeling cold; sweating, especially at night; hair loss; dry eyes; conjunctivitis (pink eye); mouth ulcers (canker sores); dental decay; heart palpitations; inability to concentrate and brain fog; anxiety, depression and insomnia.22 23
When mast cells overeact to a benign substance as if it were a foreign antigen posing a serious threat, symptoms can be life threatening like when a person has an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts.24
Mast cell over-activation and release of large amounts of histamine in the body can be unpredictable, so people with MCAS are at risk of reacting to different foods, alcohol or medications at any time, leaving them uncertain as to when they might have another reaction to something they previously were not aware was a trigger for mast cell activation.25
Many people with MCAS carry an epi-pen with them in case of anaphylaxis.
Diagnosing mast cell disease is difficult and involves blood and urine testing and, less frequently, skin or bone marrow biopsy.26
Most medical doctors in general practice are not well informed about MCAS, while doctors specializing in functional medicine tend to be more familiar with symptoms.
Functional medicine focuses on a personalized, integrative approach to investigating root causes of health problems by analyzing the unique genetic, epigenetic, biochemical, environmental and lifestyle factors that affect an individual's immune function and influence the development of complex chronic diseases.
Because MCAS can present differently in different people, the goal is to identify individual triggers for mast cell activation, including food (such as gluten, dairy, baker's yeast, shellfish, nuts, wheat, corn); or chemicals (alcohol, certain prescription medications, MSG, aspartame, artificial dyes, cleaning products); mold and spores; extreme heat or cold; vigorous exercise; stress or other potential triggers and avoid them.27
There are many unanswered questions about mast cell disease and few prescription drug treatments.28
There is evidence that certain flavonoids (such as Quercetin and Rutin) inhibit histamine release and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in mast cells. 29
MCAS and Chronic Disease
Because overactive mast cells release pro-inflammatory mediators causing widespread inflammation in the body, MCAS has been implicated in a number of diseases that involve chronic inflammation and immune dysfunction. There is evidence that MCAS is related to allergic/inflammatory diseases, autoimmune disorders, and autism spectrum disorder.30 31
Health problems that have been associated with MCAS include eczema, psoriasis, and other skin disorders; irritable bowel syndrome; small intestine bowel overgrowth (SIBO); interstitial cystitis (bladder pain syndrome); asthma; migraines; depression; anxiety; ADHD; Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD); autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and Hashimoto's; cancer; peripheral neuropathy, multiple sclerosis; diabetes; obesity; endometriosis; infertility; fibromyalgia and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), among others.32 33 34
Symptoms of Histamine Intolerance
Histamine is a neurotransmitter that facilitates communications between neurons throughout the nervous system. Histamine levels in the body help control the sleep and wake cycle and influence metabolism, thyroid function, reproduction and management of stress, as well as regulate body temperature, maintain fluid balance in the body and other important functions. Histamine can also increase permeability of the blood brain barrier.35
People with histamine intolerance lack sufficient levels of Diame oxidase (DAO), a gut enxyme, and histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT), a liver enzyme, which break down and detoxify histamine in foods, medications or alcohol. When these enzymes fail to do their job, high levels of histamine circulate in the blood and cause histamine intoxication.36
Eating histamine-rich foods, drinking alcohol or taking prescription drugs that release histamine and or inhibit DAO or HNMT enzyme activity can cause high histamine levels and symptoms like diarrhea, headache, sinus congestion, heart palpitations, itching and flushing, low blood pressure and many other symptoms.
The symptoms of histamine intolerance and MCAS are similar and a person can have either histamine intolerance of MCAS or both. The main difference between the two is that histamine intolerance involves the triggering of high levels of histamine in the blood that cannot be efficiently detoxified, while MCAS involves dysregulated mast cells releasing not only histamine but multiple inflammatory and other types of mediators in tissues of the body.37
There is some evidence for genetic predisposition to histamine intolerance. Like MCAS, histamine intolerance can be hard to diagnose even with blood and urine tests. Treatment for histamine intolerance focuses on avoiding histamine rich foods and alcohol or medications that block DAO or HNMT enzyme activity.
Some people with histamine intolerance take DAO supplements to help the body break down histamine or take anti-histamines to control levels of histamine in the blood.38
MCAS and Autism Spectrum Disorder
Over the past decade, a number of reports and studies have linked Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with immune dysregulation and chronic inflammation in the body, including in the brain.39 40 41
There is evidence that mast cell dysregulation is associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).42 43
Some researchers have suggested that the relationship between immune response and brain function may be negatively affected when toxins cross the blood brain barrier during a critical point in neural development, causing neurotoxicity and immune dysregulation that disrupts the natural neuron pruning process and contributes to the development of autism spectrum disorders. 44
If the immune system is dysregulated, it can affect the formation and necessary removal of physical connections between neurons that is critical to maintaining healthy brain cell function.45
ASD children have a higher rate of allergies (30%) compared to neurotypical children (2.5%).
Tufts University Professor Theodore Theoharides, PhD, MD, who has conducted extensive research into mast cell disorders, has published a series of studies on the association between MCAS and autism. The evidence he has provided suggests that overactive mast cells in the brain and gut triggered by non-allergic stimulus can lead to brain inflammation and chronic brain dysfunction with symptoms diagnosed as autism.
Evidence that mast cells play a role in ASD is also supported by the fact that the hypothalamus, which regulates behavior and language, houses the majority of mast cells in the brain and people with ASD often have problems associated with language and behavior.46
What Are Co-Factors for Developing MCAS?
Currently, MCAS is not considered to be a genetically inherited disease but there is evidence for epigenetic predisposition to development of MCAS as it tends to run in families, albeit with varying degrees of severity and presentations in individuals within the same family.47
Perinatal stress, environmental exposures, DNA methylation, somatic genetic mutations and interactions between microbiota and mast cells have been proposed as contributing co-factors.48 49 50
According to University of Minnesota Professor Lawrence Afrin, MD, an oncologist and leading mast cell authority, mast cell disease can present with different manifestations and outcomes for each person because every person is unique:
“Conveying a new understanding that all mast cell disease features inappropriate mast cell activation, the new top level mast cell activation disease (MCAD) encompasses various types of rare mastocytosis and likely prevalent mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS).
The apparent uniqueness in each patient with MCAD of constitutively activating mutational patterns in KIT and other mast cell regulatory elements likely is the principal driver of not only the specific clinical presentation, and therapeutic response profile, in each patient but also the great heterogeneity across this population.”51
Inflammation and Vaccination
When the immune system repeatedly mounts an inappropriate acute inflammatory response to antigens or non-allergic substances, it can lead to unwanted chronic inflammation in the body that is common to a number of immune and neuroimmune system disorders.52 53
Vaccination stimulates an inflammatory immune response that promotes production of antibodies and the acquisition of artificial active immunity.54
However, unlike naturally acquired immunity that involves a normal inflammatory response producing both innate (cellular) and humoral (adaptive) immunity, most vaccines manipulate the immune system in way that only stimulates production of vaccine strain antibodies and humoral immunity.55
Because vaccine acquired artificial immunity is temporary, many vaccines contain adjuvants, such as aluminum or squalene, to stimulate a strong inflammatory response in the body, which involves mast cell activation.56
There is mounting scientific evidence that when individuals cannot tolerate hyper-stimulation of the immune system, the atypical inflammatory response to vaccination can remain unresolved, become chronic, and lead to allergy and autoimmunity.57
Vaccines contain many ingredients, including chemicals, virus like protein particles and heavy metals, such as aluminum adjuvants and mercury (Thimerosal) preservatives, as well as other substances that can cause inflammation.58 59
Mercury can activate and destabilize mast cells,60 61 which disrupts the blood brain barrier and makes it easier for mercury to enter the brain where it can remain for long periods of time.62
Even a low concentration of mercury has been shown to activate mast cell mediators in the brain. Scientists have demonstrated that Thimerosal-derived ethylmercury is a mitochondrial toxin and may damage mitochondrial DNA.63
Polysorbate 80 is a chemical emulsifier added to some vaccines. Polysorbate 80 has the ability to help deliver substances across the protective blood brain barrier and into the brain.64
When toxins enter the brain, mast cells are activated and cause inflammation.65
Polysorbate 80 has also been shown to increase histamine levels in animal studies.66
The first vaccine found to cause acute and chronic brain inflammation (acute and chronic encephalopathy) and permanent brain dysfunction was smallpox vaccine created by Edward Jenner in 1796.67
The first vaccine found to cause acute and chronic encephalopathy with permanent brain dysfunction that ranged from learning disabilities and behavior disorders to profound mental retardation was whole cell pertussis vaccine licensed in 1915 and combined in 1949 with diphtheria and tetanus vaccine to create DPT vaccine.68 69
Whole cell pertussis vaccine ingredients include pertussis toxin, endotoxin, aluminum and mercury.70
Cases of pertussis vaccine-related autism were first described in the book DPT: A Shot in the Dark published in 1985.71 72
Is Mast Cell Disease a Risk Factor for Vaccine Reactions?
Mast cells play an important part in keeping the body healthy, but when they malfunction, can cause system wide chronic inflammation in the body that interferes with quality of life or can even cause death.
Dr. Afrin recently related the story of a patient, “who in the first year of his life had been perfectly normal and then, within hours of his first DTP vaccine at age one, developed into just a terrible multi-system inflammatory mess, including essentially acute onset autism.” When he was 20 years old, biopsies tested positive for mast cells. He was subsequently treated for MCAS with remarkable improvement.73
Most babies in the U.S. are being given 25 doses of nine different vaccines (or more) by their first birthday and can receive eight or more vaccines simultaneously.74
As mentioned previously, there are ingredients in vaccines that provoke inflammatory responses in the body that involve mast cell activation.75
Although for the past several decades, most pediatricians and public health officials have rejected the possibility of a relationship between vaccination and the development of allergic and autoimmune disorders,76 the apparent increase in mast cell dysregulation in highly vaccinated populations deserves more in-depth investigation.
The two outstanding questions are:
Does repeated atypical manipulation of the immune system with multiple vaccines in early life trigger MCAS or development of histamine intolerance in genetically or epigenetically predisposed individuals?
Are individuals with undiagnosed MCAS or histamine intolerance at greater risk for suffering vaccine reactions, particularly if they have a personal or family history of allergy or autoimmunity?
There is urgent need for more basic science research into how and why MCAS and histamine intolerance occurs and whether vaccination is a co-factor in increasing individual risks for mast cell dysregulation.
Read the full article at TheVaccineReaction.org.
Comment on this article at VaccineImpact.com.
References:
1 Jennings S, Russell N et al. The Mastocytosis Society Survey on Mast Cell Disorders: Patient Experiences and Perceptions. J Allergy Immunol Pract 2014; 1(1): 70-76.
2 Afrin LB. Mast cell activation and the modern epidemic of chronic inflammatory disease.Translational Research 2016; 174: 33-59.
3 Galli Sj, Tsai M, Piliponsky AM. The development of allergic inflammation. Nature 2008; 454(7203): 445-454.
4 Theoharides TC. Autism Spectrum Disorders and Mastocytosis. Int J Immunopath Pharmacol2009; 22(4): 859-865.
5 Theoharides T, Conti P. Mast cells: the Jekyl and Hyde of tumor growth. Trends in Immunology 2004; 25(5).
6 Zayas E, deSilva M et al. Mast Cell Function: A New Vision of an Old Cell. J Histochem Cytochem 2014; 62(1).
7 Whittemore M, Dileepan K, Wood J. Mast Cell: A Multi-Functional Master Cell. Front Immunol2016; 6:620.
8 University of Rochester Medical Center. White Blood Cells. Health Encyclopedia.
9 Nautiyal KM, Riberio AC et al. Brain mast cells link the immune system to anxiety-like behaviors. Proc Nat Acad Sci 2008; 105(46).
10 Urb M, Sheppard D. The Role of Mast Cells in the Defense Against Pathogens. PLoS Pathog Apr. 26, 2012.
11 Gilfillan S, Austin SJ, Metcalfe DD. Mast Cell Biology: Introduction and Overview. Adv Exp Med Biol 2011; 716: 2-12.
12 Amin K. The Role of Mast Cells in Allergic Inflammation. Respiratory Medicine 2012; 106: 9-14.
13 Encyclopedia Britannica. Inflammation (Pathology). Feb. 28, 2019.
14 Amin K. The Role of Mast Cells in Allergic Inflammation. Respiratory Medicine 2012; 106: 9-14.
15 Metcalfe DD. Mast cells and mastocytosis. Blood 2008; 112(4): 946-956.
16 The Mastocytosis Society. Mast Cell Diseases: Overview, Diagnosis, Definition and Classification. 2018.
17 Molderings GJ, Brettner S et al. Mast Cell Activation Disease: A Concise Practical Guide for Diagnostic Workup and Therapeutic Options. J Hematol Oncol 2011; 4(10).
18 National Institutes of Health. Systemic Mastocytosis. Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center 2018.
19 Hamilton MJ, Hornick JL et al. Mast cell activation syndrome: A newly recognized disorder with systemic clinical manifestations. J Clin Allergy Immunol 2011; 128(1).
20 Akin C. Mast cell activation syndromes. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2017; 140(2): 349-355.
21 Molderings, GJ, Zienkiewicz T, Risk of solid cancer in patients with mast cell activation syndrome: results from Germany and USA. F1000 Res 2017; 6: 1889.
22 Afrin L. Presentation, Diagnosis and Management of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Nova Science Publishers 2013.
23 Hoffman B. Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and Histamine: When Your Immune System Runs Rampant. Hoffman Centre for Integrative and Functional Medicine Nov. 8, 2017.
24 Santos AF, Couto-Francisco N et al. A novel human mast cell activation test for peanut allergy.J Allergy Clin Immunol May 3, 2018.
25 Maintz L, Novak N. Histamine and histamine intolerance. Am J Clin Nutr 2007; 85(5): 1185-1196.
26 National Institutes of Health. Systemic Mastocytosis. Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center 2018.
27 MastCellDisease. Mast Cell Triggers: What Are the Most Common Triggers? Dec. 12, 2017.
28 Molderings GJ, Haenisch B et al. Pharmacologic treatment options for mast cell activation disease. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archive of Pharmacology 2016; 389(7): 671-694.
29 Hyo-Hyuan P, Lee S et al. Flavanoids inhibit histamine release and expression of proinflammatory cytokines in mast cells. Arch Pharmacol Res 2008; 31:1303.
30 Zayas E, deSilva M et al. Mast Cell Function: A New Vision of an Old Cell. J Histochem Cytochem 2014; 62(1): 698-738.
31 Theoharides TC, Tsilioni I et al. Atopic Diseases and Inflammation of the Brain in the Pathogenesis of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Trans Psychiatry 2016; 6(6).
32 Theoharides TC, Konstantinos-Dionysios A et al. Mast Cells and Inflammation. Biochimica Biophysica Acta 2012; 1822(1): 21-33.
33 Conti P, Caraffa AL. Mast cell, pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory: Jekyll and Hyde, the story continues. Journal of Biological Regulators and Homeostatic Agents 2017; 31(2): 263-267.
34 Weinstock LB, Brook JB et al. Successful treatment of postural orthostatic tachycardia and mast cell activation syndromes using naltrexone, immunoglobulin and antibiotic treatment. BMJ Case Reports Jan. 11, 2018.
35 Pizano J. The many effects of histamine. Integrative Therapeutics Mar. 1, 2016.
36 Kovacova-Hanuskova E, Buday T et al. Histamine, histamine intoxication and intolerance.Allergologia et Immunopathologia 2015; 43: 498-506.
37 Hoffman B. Is Your Histamine Intolerance Actually Mast Cell Activation Syndrome? Hoffman Centre for Integrative and Functional Medicine Dec. 5, 2017.
38 Manzotti G, Breda D et al. Serum diamine oxidase activity in patients with histamine intolerance. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol 2016; 29(1): 105-111.
39 Tonhajzerova I, Ondrejka I et al. (2015) Inflammatory Activity in Autism Spectrum Disorder. In: Pokorski M. (eds) Respiratory Health. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology2015.
40 Rossignol DA, Frye RE. A review of research trends in physiologic abnormalities in autism spectrum disorders: immune dysregulation, inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and environmental toxicant exposures. Mol Psychiatry 2012; 17(4): 389-401.
41 Theoharides TC, Asadi S, Patel AB. Focal brain inflammation and autism. J Neuroinflamm2013; 10: 46.
42 Theoharides TC, Doyle BS. Autism, Gut-Blood-Brain Barriers and Mast Cells. J Clin Psychopharmacol 2008; 28(5): 479-483.
43 Theoharides TC, Stewart JM et al. Mast cells, brain inflammation and autism. Eur J Pharmacol 2016; 778: 96-102.
44 Jacome MCI, Chacon LMM et al. Peripheral Inflammatory Markers Contributing to Comorbidities in Autism. Behav Sci (Basel) 2016; 6(4).
45 University of Rochester Medical Center. The Brain's Gardeners: Immune Cells “Prune” Connections Between Neurons. Mar. 7, 2016.
46 Theoharides TC. Is a Subtype of Autism an Allergy of the Brain? Clin Thera 2013; 35(5): 584-591.
47 Molderings GJ, Haenisch B et al. Familial Occurrence of Systemic Mast Cell Activation Disease. PLOS One Sept. 13, 2013
48 Monticelli S, Leoni C. Epigenetic and transcriptional control of mast cell responses. F1000 Research Nov. 29, 2017.
49 U.S. National Library of Medicine. What Is A Gene Mutations and How Do Mutations Occur?July 3, 2018.
50 Afrin LB, Khouruts A. Mast Cell Activation Disease and Microbiotic Interactions. Clin Thera2015; 37(5)): 941-953.
51 Ibid.
52 Walker ME, Hatfield JK, Brown MA. New insights into the role of mast cells in autoimmunity: Evidence for a common mechanism of action? Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 2012; 1822(1): 57-65.
53 Gibney SM, Drexhage HA. Evidence for a Dysregulated Immune System in the Etiology of Psychiatric Disorders. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 2013; 8(4): 900-920.
54 Ghaffar A. Immunization. University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Nov. 8, 2017.
55 Rydyznski CE, Waggoner SN. Boosting vaccine efficacy the natural (killer) way. Trends Immunol 2015; 36(9): 536-548.
56 deVeer M. New Development in Vaccine Research – Unveiling the Secret of Vaccine Adjuvants. Discovery Medicine Sept. 15, 2011.
57 Vera-Lastra, Medina G et al. Autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (Shoenfeld's syndrome): clinical and immunological spectrum. Expert Review Clinical Immunology 2013; 9(4): 361-373.
58 Fisher BL. Are Vaccine Ingredients Safe? NVIC Jan. 26, 2018.
59 Singh B. Vaccine Ingredient Toxicity – Unraveling the Intiation of Oxidative Damage to Myelin and Role of Mast Cells, Microglia and Schwan Cells in Neurogenic Inflammation and Inhibition of Remyelination. Research Gate Feb. 10, 2017.
60 Kempuraj D, Asadi S et al. Mercury induces inflammatory mediator release from mast cells.Journal of Neuroinflammation 2010; 7:20.
61 Bent S, Gottsch C et al. The effects of heavy metal ions (CD2+, Hg2+, Pb2+, Bi3+) on histamine release from human adenoidal and cutaneous mast cells. Agents and Actions 1992; 36 (Suppl 2).
62 Cariccio VL, Sama A et al. Mercury Involvement in Neuronal Damage and Neurodegenerative Diseases. Biol Trace Element Res May 18, 2018.
63 Sharpe AM, Livingston AD et al. Thimerosal-Derived Ethylmercury is a Mitochondrial Toxin in Human Astrocytes: Possible Role in Fenton Chemistry in the Oxidation and Breakage of mtDNA. J Toxicol June 16, 2012.
64 Koffie RM, Farrar CT et al. Nanoparticles enhance brain delivery of blood-brain barrier-impermeable probes for in vivo optical and magnetic resonance imaging. Proc Natl Acad Sci2011; 108 (46): 18837-18842.
65 Parpia R. Polysorbate 80: A Risky Vaccine Ingredient. The Vaccine Reaction Jan. 7, 2016.
66 Masini E, Planchenault J et al. Histamine releasing properties of Polysorbate 80 in vitro and in vivo: correlation with its hypotensive action in the dog. Agents Action 1985; 16(6): 470-477.
67 Miravelle A, Roos KL. Encephalitis Complicating Smallpox Vaccination. JAMA Neurology2003; 60(7): 925-928.
68 Institute of Medicine Vaccine Safety Committee. Adverse Effects of Pertussis and Rubella Vaccines. Chapter 4: Encephalopathy (pp. 86-88). Washington, DC. The National Academies Press 1991.
69 Institute of Medicine Committee to Study New Research on Vaccines. DPT Vaccine and Chronic Nervous System Dysfunction: A New Analysis. Executive Summary (pp.1-2) Washington, D.C. The National Academies Press 1994.
70 WHO. Recommendations for whole cell pertussis vaccine. WHO Technical Report Series No. 941 2007.
71 Coulter HL, Fisher BL. DPT: A Shot in the Dark. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1985.
72 Fisher BL. Vaccines, Autism and Chronic Inflammation: The New Epidemic. The Autism File2009.
73 Ruscio M. Mast Cell Activation Part 2 with Dr. Lawrence Afrin. April 2018.
74 CDC. Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents Aged 18 Years or Younger, United States, 2018. Feb. 6, 2017.
75 CDC. Vaccine Excipient & Media Summary. March 2018.
76 Offit PA, Hackett CJ. Addressing Parents' Concerns: Do Vaccines Cause Allergy or Autoimmune Diseases? Pediatrics 2003; 111(3).
Leaving a lucrative career as a nephrologist (kidney doctor), Dr. Suzanne Humphries is now free to actually help cure people. In this autobiography she explains why good doctors are constrained within the current corrupt medical system from practicing real, ethical medicine. FREE Shipping Available! Order here.
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Medical Doctors Opposed to Forced Vaccinations – Should Their Views be Silenced?
eBook – Available for immediate download.
One of the biggest myths being propagated in the compliant mainstream media today is that doctors are either pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine, and that the anti-vaccine doctors are all “quacks.”
However, nothing could be further from the truth in the vaccine debate. Doctors are not unified at all on their positions regarding “the science” of vaccines, nor are they unified in the position of removing informed consent to a medical procedure like vaccines.
The two most extreme positions are those doctors who are 100% against vaccines and do not administer them at all, and those doctors that believe that ALL vaccines are safe and effective for ALL people, ALL the time, by force if necessary.
Very few doctors fall into either of these two extremist positions, and yet it is the extreme pro-vaccine position that is presented by the U.S. Government and mainstream media as being the dominant position of the medical field.
In between these two extreme views, however, is where the vast majority of doctors practicing today would probably categorize their position. Many doctors who consider themselves “pro-vaccine,” for example, do not believe that every single vaccine is appropriate for every single individual.
Many doctors recommend a “delayed” vaccine schedule for some patients, and not always the recommended one-size-fits-all CDC childhood schedule. Other doctors choose to recommend vaccines based on the actual science and merit of each vaccine, recommending some, while determining that others are not worth the risk for children, such as the suspect seasonal flu shot.
These doctors who do not hold extreme positions would be opposed to government-mandated vaccinations and the removal of all parental exemptions.
In this eBook, I am going to summarize the many doctors today who do not take the most extremist pro-vaccine position, which is probably not held by very many doctors at all, in spite of what the pharmaceutical industry, the federal government, and the mainstream media would like the public to believe.
Read:
Medical Doctors Opposed to Forced Vaccinations – Should Their Views be Silenced?
on your mobile device!
$0.99
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Dr. Andrew Moulden: Every Vaccine Produces Harm
eBook – Available for immediate download.
Canadian physician Dr. Andrew Moulden provided clear scientific evidence to prove that every dose of vaccine given to a child or an adult produces harm. The truth that he uncovered was rejected by the conventional medical system and the pharmaceutical industry. Nevertheless, his warning and his message to America remains as a solid legacy of the man who stood up against big pharma and their program to vaccinate every person on the Earth.
Dr. Moulden died unexpectedly in November of 2013 at age 49.
Because of the strong opposition from big pharma concerning Dr. Moulden's research, we became concerned that the name of this brilliant researcher and his life's work had nearly been deleted from the internet. His reputation was being disparaged, and his message of warning and hope was being distorted and buried without a tombstone. This book summarizes his teaching and is a must-read for everyone who wants to learn the “other-side” of the vaccine debate that the mainstream media routinely censors.
Read:
Read Dr. Andrew Moulden: Every Vaccine Produces Harm on your mobile device!
on your mobile device!
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I’ll Never Forget the Day My Brain Broke
About 20 years ago, at the start of my medical career, I went from being a healthy, thriving physician to becoming a disoriented and terrified version of myself. I woke up feeling like I didn’t even know who I was anymore.
I was depressed, anxious, forgetful. It got so bad that I had a hard time following what my patients were saying during their appointments. I tried to take careful notes and keep track, but I couldn’t focus on our conversations. I couldn’t even remember anyone’s name.
Some doctors, including my colleagues, said that I was depressed and recommended taking anti-depressants. I saw a few psychiatrists who suggested anti-anxiety medication. My family doctor prescribed me sleeping medication, and a neurologist told me that I had ADD and needed stimulants. Other doctors told me that I had chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. At that point, I was exhausted and I needed answers. All that I knew for sure was that my brain was broken. I was depressed, my memory was failing me, and my body just wasn’t working the way it used to.
These doctors had good intentions, but all of the recommendations for another pill did not sit well with me. So, I decided to go on my own journey to heal my broken brain.
It was at this time that I discovered the power of Functional Medicine and the idea that every system in our body is connected — everything we eat, do, say, think, and how we live can influence all aspects of our health, including that of our brain.
That was a revolutionary moment for me. It was the moment that I realized my brain disorder was not localized in my brain; maybe the root cause was in the rest of my body.
Treating my own brain disorder led to me to the world of Functional Medicine. Although suffering from anxiety, depression, ADHD, and brain fog was difficult to say the least, I truly believe that I went through this experience to discover a revolutionary approach to treating chronic disease.
Functional Medicine has helped thousands of my patients and the patients of other practitioners recover from a broken brain.
Now, I want to help you identify some of the root causes for brain disorders and how we can recover from them. This is why for the past year, my team and I have been working on an 8-part docuseries about brain health called the Broken Brain Docuseries.
Our broken brains cause many problems such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disease, personality disorders, addictions, obsessive compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder, autism, Asperger’s, learning difficulties, and dyslexia.
A broken brain also includes psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia or mania and all the neurodegenerative diseases of aging, especially Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.
There are also brain problems that fall on the lighter side of the broken brain continuum. These are challenges that many psychiatrists and neurologists might brush aside, but they are the most common complaints that I hear about in my office. These problems include chronic stress, lack of focus, poor concentration, brain fog, anger, mood swings, sleep problems, or just feeling a bit anxious or depressed most of the time. These are all treatable.
Look around, maybe you know someone with a broken brain. Maybe it’s even you.
Did you know…
Psychiatric disorders affect 26 percent of our adult population or over 60 million Americans?
Over 40 million people have anxiety?
Over 20 million people have depression?
One in ten Americans takes an anti-depressant?
The use of antidepressants has tripled in the last decade?
Alzheimer’s disease will affect 30 percent (and some experts say 50 percent) of people over 85 years old?
These statistics are grim.
What leads to a broken brain?
You might not know that too much sugar and refined carbs, not enough good fats, inadequate intake of the right nutrients, and exposure to toxins can create a brain disorder. So can inadequate sleep, stress, lack of exercise, and overuse of drugs and alcohol.
My own brain challenges started with mercury toxicity. I became toxic because I polluted myself by growing up on tuna fish sandwiches and eating sushi. I also lived in Beijing, which heats all its homes with coal – the major source of environmental mercury – plus I had a mouthful of amalgam fillings.
All of these exposures, combined with genes that prevent me from effectively detoxifying metals in my body, led to a slow and significant poisoning of my cells and mitochondria. Because of this I felt weak, tired, and couldn’t think. I had muscle pain and twitches, insomnia, digestive problems, food allergies, depression, and anxiety, and it was only by discovering high levels of mercury in my hair and urine and slowly detoxifying myself that I was able to get better.
Now this was just my experience. A broken brain could be the result of nutritional deficiencies, a leaky gut, a chronic infection, and much, much more. It could be just one of these things or a combination of them, and the truth is that though medications can help, they just cover up the symptoms and sometimes only temporarily. Until you get to the root cause of your broken brain, you will not be able to truly heal.
Our brains are our most prized organ, and having optimal brain health is absolutely critical in order to live and thrive in our modern society. Unfortunately, most of us are living with semi to low functioning brains.
This is why I brought together over 50 experts to talk about this epidemic and how we can take steps toward a better brain.
In this docuseries, you’ll learn the seven steps to creating what I call an ultramind. We’ll talk about how our guts, stress levels, toxins, relationships, diets, and much more influence the health of our brains, and we’ll present a six week plan to start taking back your brain health today.
I promise you, that if you watch this free series you’ll walk away with a much better and deeper understanding of our most precious and dynamic organ – the brain!
Throughout this month and next month, you’ll receive more information about this free docuseries, so be sure to stay tuned.
You don’t have to suffer with a broken brain anymore. Let’s fix this problem together. Join our movement by signing up for this free series and spread the word to your friends so we can all take back control of our brain health together.
If you have questions about the brain, tweet me and use the hashtag #housecallwithdrhyman. Maybe next week I’ll make a house call to you.
Wishing you health and happiness,
Mark Hyman, MD
[Read More ...]
http://drhyman.com/blog/2017/09/22/ill-never-forget-day-brain-broke/
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I’ll Never Forget the Day My Brain Broke
http://drhyman.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Screen-Shot-2017-09-22-at-8.45.42-AM.png?v=1.1
About 20 years ago, at the start of my medical career, I went from being a healthy, thriving physician to becoming a disoriented and terrified version of myself. I woke up feeling like I didn’t even know who I was anymore.
I was depressed, anxious, forgetful. It got so bad that I had a hard time following what my patients were saying during their appointments. I tried to take careful notes and keep track, but I couldn’t focus on our conversations. I couldn’t even remember anyone’s name.
Some doctors, including my colleagues, said that I was depressed and recommended taking anti-depressants. I saw a few psychiatrists who suggested anti-anxiety medication. My family doctor prescribed me sleeping medication, and a neurologist told me that I had ADD and needed stimulants. Other doctors told me that I had chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. At that point, I was exhausted and I needed answers. All that I knew for sure was that my brain was broken. I was depressed, my memory was failing me, and my body just wasn’t working the way it used to.
These doctors had good intentions, but all of the recommendations for another pill did not sit well with me. So, I decided to go on my own journey to heal my broken brain.
It was at this time that I discovered the power of Functional Medicine and the idea that every system in our body is connected — everything we eat, do, say, think, and how we live can influence all aspects of our health, including that of our brain.
That was a revolutionary moment for me. It was the moment that I realized my brain disorder was not localized in my brain; maybe the root cause was in the rest of my body.
Treating my own brain disorder led to me to the world of Functional Medicine. Although suffering from anxiety, depression, ADHD, and brain fog was difficult to say the least, I truly believe that I went through this experience to discover a revolutionary approach to treating chronic disease.
Functional Medicine has helped thousands of my patients and the patients of other practitioners recover from a broken brain.
Now, I want to help you identify some of the root causes for brain disorders and how we can recover from them. This is why for the past year, my team and I have been working on an 8-part docuseries about brain health called the Broken Brain Docuseries.
Our broken brains cause many problems such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disease, personality disorders, addictions, obsessive compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder, autism, Asperger’s, learning difficulties, and dyslexia.
A broken brain also includes psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia or mania and all the neurodegenerative diseases of aging, especially Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.
There are also brain problems that fall on the lighter side of the broken brain continuum. These are challenges that many psychiatrists and neurologists might brush aside, but they are the most common complaints that I hear about in my office. These problems include chronic stress, lack of focus, poor concentration, brain fog, anger, mood swings, sleep problems, or just feeling a bit anxious or depressed most of the time. These are all treatable.
Look around, maybe you know someone with a broken brain. Maybe it’s even you.
Did you know…
Psychiatric disorders affect 26 percent of our adult population or over 60 million Americans?
Over 40 million people have anxiety?
Over 20 million people have depression?
One in ten Americans takes an anti-depressant?
The use of antidepressants has tripled in the last decade?
Alzheimer’s disease will affect 30 percent (and some experts say 50 percent) of people over 85 years old?
These statistics are grim.
What leads to a broken brain?
You might not know that too much sugar and refined carbs, not enough good fats, inadequate intake of the right nutrients, and exposure to toxins can create a brain disorder. So can inadequate sleep, stress, lack of exercise, and overuse of drugs and alcohol.
My own brain challenges started with mercury toxicity. I became toxic because I polluted myself by growing up on tuna fish sandwiches and eating sushi. I also lived in Beijing, which heats all its homes with coal – the major source of environmental mercury – plus I had a mouthful of amalgam fillings.
All of these exposures, combined with genes that prevent me from effectively detoxifying metals in my body, led to a slow and significant poisoning of my cells and mitochondria. Because of this I felt weak, tired, and couldn’t think. I had muscle pain and twitches, insomnia, digestive problems, food allergies, depression, and anxiety, and it was only by discovering high levels of mercury in my hair and urine and slowly detoxifying myself that I was able to get better.
Now this was just my experience. A broken brain could be the result of nutritional deficiencies, a leaky gut, a chronic infection, and much, much more. It could be just one of these things or a combination of them, and the truth is that though medications can help, they just cover up the symptoms and sometimes only temporarily. Until you get to the root cause of your broken brain, you will not be able to truly heal.
Our brains are our most prized organ, and having optimal brain health is absolutely critical in order to live and thrive in our modern society. Unfortunately, most of us are living with semi to low functioning brains.
This is why I brought together over 50 experts to talk about this epidemic and how we can take steps toward a better brain.
In this docuseries, you’ll learn the seven steps to creating what I call an ultramind. We’ll talk about how our guts, stress levels, toxins, relationships, diets, and much more influence the health of our brains, and we’ll present a six week plan to start taking back your brain health today.
I promise you, that if you watch this free series you’ll walk away with a much better and deeper understanding of our most precious and dynamic organ – the brain!
Throughout this month and next month, you’ll receive more information about this free docuseries, so be sure to stay tuned.
You don’t have to suffer with a broken brain anymore. Let’s fix this problem together. Join our movement by signing up for this free series and spread the word to your friends so we can all take back control of our brain health together.
If you have questions about the brain, tweet me and use the hashtag #housecallwithdrhyman. Maybe next week I’ll make a house call to you.
Wishing you health and happiness,
Mark Hyman, MD
[Read More ...]
http://drhyman.com/blog/2017/09/22/ill-never-forget-day-brain-broke/
0 notes
Text
I’ll Never Forget the Day My Brain Broke
About 20 years ago, at the start of my medical career, I went from being a healthy, thriving physician to becoming a disoriented and terrified version of myself. I woke up feeling like I didn’t even know who I was anymore.
I was depressed, anxious, forgetful. It got so bad that I had a hard time following what my patients were saying during their appointments. I tried to take careful notes and keep track, but I couldn’t focus on our conversations. I couldn’t even remember anyone’s name.
Some doctors, including my colleagues, said that I was depressed and recommended taking anti-depressants. I saw a few psychiatrists who suggested anti-anxiety medication. My family doctor prescribed me sleeping medication, and a neurologist told me that I had ADD and needed stimulants. Other doctors told me that I had chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. At that point, I was exhausted and I needed answers. All that I knew for sure was that my brain was broken. I was depressed, my memory was failing me, and my body just wasn’t working the way it used to.
These doctors had good intentions, but all of the recommendations for another pill did not sit well with me. So, I decided to go on my own journey to heal my broken brain.
It was at this time that I discovered the power of Functional Medicine and the idea that every system in our body is connected — everything we eat, do, say, think, and how we live can influence all aspects of our health, including that of our brain.
That was a revolutionary moment for me. It was the moment that I realized my brain disorder was not localized in my brain; maybe the root cause was in the rest of my body.
Treating my own brain disorder led to me to the world of Functional Medicine. Although suffering from anxiety, depression, ADHD, and brain fog was difficult to say the least, I truly believe that I went through this experience to discover a revolutionary approach to treating chronic disease.
Functional Medicine has helped thousands of my patients and the patients of other practitioners recover from a broken brain.
Now, I want to help you identify some of the root causes for brain disorders and how we can recover from them. This is why for the past year, my team and I have been working on an 8-part docuseries about brain health called the Broken Brain Docuseries.
Our broken brains cause many problems such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disease, personality disorders, addictions, obsessive compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder, autism, Asperger’s, learning difficulties, and dyslexia.
A broken brain also includes psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia or mania and all the neurodegenerative diseases of aging, especially Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.
There are also brain problems that fall on the lighter side of the broken brain continuum. These are challenges that many psychiatrists and neurologists might brush aside, but they are the most common complaints that I hear about in my office. These problems include chronic stress, lack of focus, poor concentration, brain fog, anger, mood swings, sleep problems, or just feeling a bit anxious or depressed most of the time. These are all treatable.
Look around, maybe you know someone with a broken brain. Maybe it’s even you.
Did you know…
Psychiatric disorders affect 26 percent of our adult population or over 60 million Americans?
Over 40 million people have anxiety?
Over 20 million people have depression?
One in ten Americans takes an anti-depressant?
The use of antidepressants has tripled in the last decade?
Alzheimer’s disease will affect 30 percent (and some experts say 50 percent) of people over 85 years old?
These statistics are grim.
What leads to a broken brain?
You might not know that too much sugar and refined carbs, not enough good fats, inadequate intake of the right nutrients, and exposure to toxins can create a brain disorder. So can inadequate sleep, stress, lack of exercise, and overuse of drugs and alcohol.
My own brain challenges started with mercury toxicity. I became toxic because I polluted myself by growing up on tuna fish sandwiches and eating sushi. I also lived in Beijing, which heats all its homes with coal – the major source of environmental mercury – plus I had a mouthful of amalgam fillings.
All of these exposures, combined with genes that prevent me from effectively detoxifying metals in my body, led to a slow and significant poisoning of my cells and mitochondria. Because of this I felt weak, tired, and couldn’t think. I had muscle pain and twitches, insomnia, digestive problems, food allergies, depression, and anxiety, and it was only by discovering high levels of mercury in my hair and urine and slowly detoxifying myself that I was able to get better.
Now this was just my experience. A broken brain could be the result of nutritional deficiencies, a leaky gut, a chronic infection, and much, much more. It could be just one of these things or a combination of them, and the truth is that though medications can help, they just cover up the symptoms and sometimes only temporarily. Until you get to the root cause of your broken brain, you will not be able to truly heal.
Our brains are our most prized organ, and having optimal brain health is absolutely critical in order to live and thrive in our modern society. Unfortunately, most of us are living with semi to low functioning brains.
This is why I brought together over 50 experts to talk about this epidemic and how we can take steps toward a better brain.
In this docuseries, you’ll learn the seven steps to creating what I call an ultramind. We’ll talk about how our guts, stress levels, toxins, relationships, diets, and much more influence the health of our brains, and we’ll present a six week plan to start taking back your brain health today.
I promise you, that if you watch this free series you’ll walk away with a much better and deeper understanding of our most precious and dynamic organ – the brain!
Throughout this month and next month, you’ll receive more information about this free docuseries, so be sure to stay tuned.
You don’t have to suffer with a broken brain anymore. Let’s fix this problem together. Join our movement by signing up for this free series and spread the word to your friends so we can all take back control of our brain health together.
If you have questions about the brain, tweet me and use the hashtag #housecallwithdrhyman. Maybe next week I’ll make a house call to you.
Wishing you health and happiness,
Mark Hyman, MD
[Read More ...]
http://drhyman.com/blog/2017/09/22/ill-never-forget-day-brain-broke/
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I’ll Never Forget the Day My Brain Broke
http://drhyman.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Screen-Shot-2017-09-22-at-8.45.42-AM.png?v=1.1
About 20 years ago, at the start of my medical career, I went from being a healthy, thriving physician to becoming a disoriented and terrified version of myself. I woke up feeling like I didn’t even know who I was anymore.
I was depressed, anxious, forgetful. It got so bad that I had a hard time following what my patients were saying during their appointments. I tried to take careful notes and keep track, but I couldn’t focus on our conversations. I couldn’t even remember anyone’s name.
Some doctors, including my colleagues, said that I was depressed and recommended taking anti-depressants. I saw a few psychiatrists who suggested anti-anxiety medication. My family doctor prescribed me sleeping medication, and a neurologist told me that I had ADD and needed stimulants. Other doctors told me that I had chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. At that point, I was exhausted and I needed answers. All that I knew for sure was that my brain was broken. I was depressed, my memory was failing me, and my body just wasn’t working the way it used to.
These doctors had good intentions, but all of the recommendations for another pill did not sit well with me. So, I decided to go on my own journey to heal my broken brain.
It was at this time that I discovered the power of Functional Medicine and the idea that every system in our body is connected — everything we eat, do, say, think, and how we live can influence all aspects of our health, including that of our brain.
That was a revolutionary moment for me. It was the moment that I realized my brain disorder was not localized in my brain; maybe the root cause was in the rest of my body.
Treating my own brain disorder led to me to the world of Functional Medicine. Although suffering from anxiety, depression, ADHD, and brain fog was difficult to say the least, I truly believe that I went through this experience to discover a revolutionary approach to treating chronic disease.
Functional Medicine has helped thousands of my patients and the patients of other practitioners recover from a broken brain.
Now, I want to help you identify some of the root causes for brain disorders and how we can recover from them. This is why for the past year, my team and I have been working on an 8-part docuseries about brain health called the Broken Brain Docuseries.
Our broken brains cause many problems such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disease, personality disorders, addictions, obsessive compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder, autism, Asperger’s, learning difficulties, and dyslexia.
A broken brain also includes psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia or mania and all the neurodegenerative diseases of aging, especially Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.
There are also brain problems that fall on the lighter side of the broken brain continuum. These are challenges that many psychiatrists and neurologists might brush aside, but they are the most common complaints that I hear about in my office. These problems include chronic stress, lack of focus, poor concentration, brain fog, anger, mood swings, sleep problems, or just feeling a bit anxious or depressed most of the time. These are all treatable.
Look around, maybe you know someone with a broken brain. Maybe it’s even you.
Did you know…
Psychiatric disorders affect 26 percent of our adult population or over 60 million Americans?
Over 40 million people have anxiety?
Over 20 million people have depression?
One in ten Americans takes an anti-depressant?
The use of antidepressants has tripled in the last decade?
Alzheimer’s disease will affect 30 percent (and some experts say 50 percent) of people over 85 years old?
These statistics are grim.
What leads to a broken brain?
You might not know that too much sugar and refined carbs, not enough good fats, inadequate intake of the right nutrients, and exposure to toxins can create a brain disorder. So can inadequate sleep, stress, lack of exercise, and overuse of drugs and alcohol.
My own brain challenges started with mercury toxicity. I became toxic because I polluted myself by growing up on tuna fish sandwiches and eating sushi. I also lived in Beijing, which heats all its homes with coal – the major source of environmental mercury – plus I had a mouthful of amalgam fillings.
All of these exposures, combined with genes that prevent me from effectively detoxifying metals in my body, led to a slow and significant poisoning of my cells and mitochondria. Because of this I felt weak, tired, and couldn’t think. I had muscle pain and twitches, insomnia, digestive problems, food allergies, depression, and anxiety, and it was only by discovering high levels of mercury in my hair and urine and slowly detoxifying myself that I was able to get better.
Now this was just my experience. A broken brain could be the result of nutritional deficiencies, a leaky gut, a chronic infection, and much, much more. It could be just one of these things or a combination of them, and the truth is that though medications can help, they just cover up the symptoms and sometimes only temporarily. Until you get to the root cause of your broken brain, you will not be able to truly heal.
Our brains are our most prized organ, and having optimal brain health is absolutely critical in order to live and thrive in our modern society. Unfortunately, most of us are living with semi to low functioning brains.
This is why I brought together over 50 experts to talk about this epidemic and how we can take steps toward a better brain.
In this docuseries, you’ll learn the seven steps to creating what I call an ultramind. We’ll talk about how our guts, stress levels, toxins, relationships, diets, and much more influence the health of our brains, and we’ll present a six week plan to start taking back your brain health today.
I promise you, that if you watch this free series you’ll walk away with a much better and deeper understanding of our most precious and dynamic organ – the brain!
Throughout this month and next month, you’ll receive more information about this free docuseries, so be sure to stay tuned.
You don’t have to suffer with a broken brain anymore. Let’s fix this problem together. Join our movement by signing up for this free series and spread the word to your friends so we can all take back control of our brain health together.
If you have questions about the brain, tweet me and use the hashtag #housecallwithdrhyman. Maybe next week I’ll make a house call to you.
Wishing you health and happiness,
Mark Hyman, MD
[Read More ...]
http://drhyman.com/blog/2017/09/22/ill-never-forget-day-brain-broke/
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I don’t normally do these, but...
First and foremost, a disclaimer: I do not mean to offend with what I’m about to rant about. I recognize that some people need to eat specific diets because of health and medical reasons. I also recognize people eat diets for moral reasons, such as those who a vegetarian or vegan. I commend those who do that and envy your restraint and moral fortitude for doing so. You keep doing you.
Additionally, I am neither a doctor, nutritionist, or in any way qualified to give advice on health or nutrition. I am merely voicing an opinion from the standpoint of someone trained in empiricism. My problem does not lie with what a person should and shouldn’t eat or why.
My problem is with those who put themselves on a specific diet which A) Makes no sense, B) Has no scientific backing for those who do not have specific medical concerns triggered by food, C) touts itself as a “cure” for anything, and D) makes itself out to be something attainable by all people and something you should do because (insert whatever conspiracy theory here about food)
My issue lies with the “Whole 30″ diet. The only reason I have the issue is because when I visited my family for the first time in two years last week, they were preparing to start after I left. Being trained in the scientific method and practicing skepticism, I began to do a little research. I was displeased with what I found. I was even more displeased with the fact that my family believed this would be the magic solution to their health problems and that they did not consult with any trained professionals or do any research looking at the effectiveness of what they were about to do or consider the fact that there could be unwanted ill effects, which seems irresponsible to me.
For those of you who may not know, “Whole 30″ is a strict, elimination diet that promises to “help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system” (https://whole30.com/step-one/) They say: “Think of it as a short-term nutritional reset”. Their language use is very careful; throwing “could”, “might” and “may” when they’re discussing what this diet treats, legally covering their asses so as to not be sued when it, ultimately, doesn’t work. They claim to treat things, such as seasonal allergies, fertility issues, digestive issues, low energy issues, and even mental issues (such as ADHD. Autism, thankfully, is not listed because their lawyers knew better).
Their page says “ So how do you know if (and how) these foods are affecting you? Strip them from your diet completely. Cut out all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days. Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing. Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making “ which, in and of itself, is not a bad statement. I’m sure that all of us could benefit from cutting out some of the food from our diet. That $.39 cup of instant ramen I have in my pantry is most likely a poor choice for me to eat and it would most likely be better for me to actually eat something like a salad for lunch. But, there are a few barriers to me doing so that I will get to later in this rant, so buckle up and just wait.
The basic rules of this diet are as follows (which can all be found at https://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/):
You must cut out all:
Sugar, natural or artificial (which means sugar, honey, stevia, maple syrup, sweet’n’low, etc.)
Dairy
Grains, either in whole or processed form (even oils such as corn)
Alcohol, even in cooking (which makes many flavor extracts out as well as they contain alcohol) and ideally tobacco products.
Legumes (i.e. peanuts, all beans, all soy products, tempeh, or soy-based additives in foods)
Carrageenan (a derivative from seaweed which turns gelatinous when mixed with water), MSG (or it’s other forms), or sulfites
Baked goods, junk foods, or treats with “approved” ingredients (meaning you can’t take a muffin and make it using avocado oil and coconut flour. “That’s what got you in trouble in the first place” the website says)
Also, you can’t weigh yourself for the 30 days
However, there are exceptions to these rules, which are as follows:
You may use Ghee or clarified butter, because the milk fats are no longer present
You may have fruit juices, either to drink or cook with
You may eat green beans, snow peas, and sugar snap peas, because they are “far more “pod” than “bean,” and green plant matter is generally good for you”(notice again the “generally” so as to cover their asses)
You may use all vinegar, except malt vinegar, which contains gluten
You may use Coconut aminos as a soy sauce substitute, even if it has “coconut nectar” in the ingredients
You may have salt even though table salt contains dextrose (which is sugar) because otherwise the Potassium iodide would oxidize away and leave you without an essential nutrient
People with suspected food allergies benefit from these type of diets, however, the major difference is that you usually cut out one or two at a time, document the results, and then move on based on your data on an allergen elimination diet. Ya know, like the actual entire scientific and empirical process dictates. Do you know why that’s the case? Because, by only messing with one or two variables at a time, you can easily make an association between food X and symptom A. You can more easily demonstrate a functional relationship, causal or correlational. When you mess with more than 2 variables (3 at the most) in one go, you don’t have enough control over what you’re doing to be able to say with any type of certainty that food X (Y, Z, so on) is systematically associated with an abatement of symptom A (and/or B, C, and so on). You have absolutely no way of knowing, using the Whole 30 diet program, if your issue was the grain, the legumes, the dairy, the sugar, or any of the other things you cut out from your diet at the same time. That’s the biggest emphasis I want to make in this section. Since it’s all being removed at the same time, it makes it impossible for you to make an empirically sound claim.
Now, again, do not get me wrong. Those with undiagnosed food-triggered conditions, such as sensitivities or allergies, will most likely see a benefit on this diet. You will also, most likely, lose some weight on this diet, which would most likely benefit many of us as we consume way too many calories and carry some “extra weight” (myself included. I gained 30 pounds in a year because I was in grad school, off and on medications, and had a major life change as far as my activity level went. It was my fault and I’m working on reshaping my life to lose it and go back to a healthy weight. I’m not perfect nor am I claiming to be). However, once the 30 days are over, you are free to go back to eating and drinking as you had before (which most people will because when you deprive yourself of things, you want it more and you will begin to do drastic things to get it. It is a well studied phenomenon and dietitians generally advise against cutting things out like that for weight-loss because of this very fact). So, that means that if you go back to your eating habits pre-30 days, you will 1. most likely not find what you may be allergic or sensitive to unless you reintroduce one food at a time and take data on symptom progression and 2. most likely gain the weight lost right back.
Additionally, I find it hard to see how cutting these specific food types from your diet will have any direct impact on non-food related illnesses and disorders. Perhaps in 10 years, I will eat my words. We only recently discovered that 90% of bodily serotonin is made in the gut by the microbiome, but we’re still not sure how that plays a role in our overall mental health. It’s only a thing we observed. We don’t yet know the role any manipulation of the microbiome might have on the outcome of mental health. Studies are being done as I type, but for now, no claims can be made because we have no evidence. However, Whole 30 claims that their diet can help treat illnesses that, as of now, have absolutely zero connection to food, such as Lupus. In fact, on their site (https://whole30.com/step-one/) they claim “More than 95% of participants lose weight and improve their body composition, without counting or restricting calories. Also commonly reported: consistently high energy levels, improved athletic performance, better sleep, improved focus and mental clarity, and a sunnier disposition. (Yes, more than a few Whole30 graduates said they felt “strangely happy” during and after their program)...Finally, testimonials from thousands of Whole30 participants document the improvement or “cure” of any number of lifestyle-related diseases and conditions.high blood pressure • high cholesterol • type 1 diabetes • type 2 diabetes • asthma • allergies • sinus infections • hives • skin conditions • endometriosis • PCOS • infertility • migraines • depression • bipolar disorder • heartburn • GERD • arthritis • joint pain • ADD • thyroid dysfunction • Lyme disease • fibromyalgia • chronic fatigue • lupus • leaky gut syndrome • Crohn’s • IBS • Celiac disease • diverticulitis • ulcerative colitis”. There are no citations for these claims, no data comparing this to control groups, and they even say that their evidence comes from testimonials. I would like to point out a little saying: The plural of anecdote is not data. You absolutely cannot rely on the stories of others as valid and reliable evidence because there was no control and such things are subject and biased.
Again, not to be misunderstood: Everyone has bias. In fact, I am exhibiting bias right now by typing this. I am biased against diets such as these. But, my bias does at least have some evidence behind it in the form of peer-reviewed, evidence based studies (which Whole 30 lacks, which knocks their credibility out). And, I’m not trying to discredit the stories of those for whom this diet led to an improvement in their health and wellbeing. What I am trying to discredit, though, are the claims that these results will happen for everyone. They are very careful with their language usage, as I pointed out earlier, but reading through still gives the impression that this diet is the magic cure, which it most certainly is not and can never be.
Now, before I end, I’d like to discuss my final point (D): That this diet is neither easy or attainable for everyone, unlike what the site claims.
The site claims that Whole 30 (https://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/):
The diet is not hard (they say fighting cancer is hard, losing a loved one is hard, but cutting out the foods is not hard)
The diet does not require planning
You don’t have to eat something you don’t want
You don’t have the option to have a “slip”, so don’t even think about it
It does not require effort.
These are lies. They are bold faced lies and they know it. Let me go ahead and break each of these claims down, show how they are lies, and point out how the statements may also be a toxic mindset.
1. The diet is not hard. That’s utter horseshit. Yes, beating cancer is hard. Yes, losing a loved one is hard. It’s also hard to go to the store, take the time to read the label of EVERYTHING you now have to buy, and it’s hard to actually get some of the ingredients “approved” on this diet, especially if you are A) low income and/or B) live in a food desert. Additionally, making some of the “approved” ingredients is difficult. Do you know how much time it takes to make clarified butter? I do and it’s a lot, especially if it’s your first time and you have literally zero idea what you’re doing. Also, the withdrawal symptoms your body is going to go through on this diet are going to be shit and not everyone has a day or two to feel like ass and then get back on our feet. You don’t want to be irritable, crabby, and shaky at work trying to get your things done. Not everyone can take those couple of days off and then come back right as rain. By saying your diet is not hard, you are making people who have very little options for their food feel like shit because they “should” be eating X, Y, and Z, but they have $50 for the week and 4 people to feed and they can’t justify a $10 bottle of avocado oil. Finally, cooking can be difficult for those who have not grown up in a situation where they were taught to prepare and cook foods or they work such hours that make cooking a daunting task (like those on 3rd shift, or those who work more than 30 hours per week)
2. The diet requires no planning. Again, horseshit. Unless you are able to hold a vast of information in your working and short-term memory such that you do not have to plan for your shopping and your meals each and every day, you must plan for this diet. I watched my sister spend hours researching foods, hours making a list for compliant foods, go to multiple grocery stores to get said foods, and spend a full day prepping for the weeks meals. I should also mention my sister is married, works 12 hours per week (max) and has very little responsibilities outside the house. Imagine how that would work if she held a full-time job outside of her house in addition to homschooling her two children (which she does, but it’s summer vacation where they are now, so she’s not actively doing it), and took more than one class at a time (again, she takes a course per semester at the community college for a degree she has no intention of using to get a job). So, that brings us to a total of about 2-ish days of planning for the following 7 for a family of 4 who has a stay-at-home parent. What about those who don’t have that? By saying this diet requires no planning, you make it seem as though all who are in any position in life can do this with no issues or barriers because it’s so easy.
3. You don’t have to eat something you don’t want. This is the only statement I’ll say is technically true.
4. You don’t have the option to “slip”, so don’t even think about it. This diet says should you eat something on the non-approved list, you’ve undone everything you’ve been working towards and your 30 days resets. For a diet that’s all about “food freedom”, this seems a bit restrictive to me. Additionally, having the mindest of “I can’t eat this because my diet says not to” or “I can’t eat that because I’ll have to start over” constitutes you punishing yourself for no other reason than someone said so. That’s not a freedom of choice. That’s someone dictating your choices for you.
So, there you go. There’s my rant. Again, I’m not an expert on food and health, but I do have 6 years of training in human and animal behavior, the scientific method, and skepticism. I’m not telling you how to eat, because I’m unqualified to do so and I have a lot of work to do on my diet, personally, so if I were to even give advice, I’d be a hypocrite (which I am unwilling to do). All I want to do is to point out the utter nonsensical nature of this thing and how it can actually be doing more harm than good. Please, if you’re thinking of starting a diet, consult with your doctor and do your research on the effectiveness, benefits, and risks involved. Go into something as serious as your health as informed as you can be so you don’t end up doing any damage or getting yourself sick. That’s all I really want is for people to be happy and healthy.
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