Tag: setback

Adopting a Holistic Approach to MCAS and Histamine Intolerance

One of the many things that people with chronic illness have to deal with is frustration with medical practitioners.  This can involve misdiagnosis and/or inappropriate treatment that sometimes aggravates the symptoms of the chronic illness.   Recently I experienced a number of frustrating dealings with medical practitioners – my GP said that allergies and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) were outside his area of expertise, my gastroenterologist said that MCAS was a “controversial area” (and did not take it into account in a colonoscopy examination) and my Allergy specialist adopted a simplistic, medical model of MCAS and prescribed two very strong drugs with known damaging side effects (without any warnings about their potency or dangers).

Diane Kane describes her incredibly challenging journey to health and her totally frustrating experience with multiple medical practitioners globally who failed to accurately diagnose her chronic illness. Being a professional medical researcher herself, she is now writing a book and providing a library of resources to help other people who are seeking support in their battle with MCAS and/or histamine intolerance.

Jennifer Crystal explains in her book that it took 8 years for her debilitating Lyme Disease to be diagnosed accurately and treated appropriately.   Part of the issue blocking accurate diagnosis was the belief system held by Australian doctors concerning the impact of a tick bite that she received while visiting America (ticks in Australia have a significantly different health impact than those in America).

Annie Brewster MD, assistant professor at Havard Medical School,  describes her frustration with medical practitioners when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and, in particular, their inability to listen to her story because of time pressures and debilitating medical workload.  She wrote her book, The Healing Power of Storytelling, to offer patients with chronic illness “a way through anxiety, confusion and trauma” – a way based on the research-based tenets of narrative therapy.

Annie has applied the principles of narrative therapy in the creation of her website, Health Story Collaborative, which provides a dedicated space for “storytelling for health”.  One of her programs is the monthly, online Creative Meetups, a facilitated group that enables participants “to reflect and connect with others in a supportive environment”.  Writing activities around stimulus material provide the mechanism for individual participants to identify and share their feelings and, in the process, “to reframe their story and reclaim their life”.

The increasing medical complexity of chronic illness

One of the factors working against the understanding and empathy of dedicated members of the medical profession is the increasing complexity of chronic illness.  Dr. Lawrence B. Afrin in his book, Never Bet Against Occam, writes about MCAS and the “modern epidemics of chronic illness and medical complexity”.   Lawrence was both a Research Fellow and a hematology/oncology specialist at the time.  He was acutely aware of the many people who suffered not only from chronic illness but also not being able to understand, or gain insight into, their complex medical problems.  Lawrence highlighted the fact that MCAS patients had a “large assortment” of symptoms and this symptom array varied “from one patient to the next”. 

Lawrence researched MCAS extensively to be able to treat his own patients and also to educate other medical professionals about the complexity of the condition.  He thought this increased understanding on the part of medical professionals would lead to “diagnosis and improvement sooner rather than later” for patients.  Lawrence was at pains to stress that MCAS was amongst the increasing number of medical conditions that involved “chronic multisystem inflammatory illnesses of unclear cause”.  

Beth O’Hara who specialised in emotional wellness, naturopathy and genetics explained in a video presentation that MCAS can result in systemic symptoms (such as sensitivity to foods, drugs, chemicals or the environment and related swelling and inflammation), musculoskeletal symptoms (such as degenerative disk issues or arthritis), skin symptoms (including itching, hives, easy bruising), cardiovascular symptoms (e.g. heart palpitations, dizziness  or low blood pressure), and/or digestive symptoms (such as cramping, diarrhea, reflux, IBS).

Beth’s lifetime research of MCAS and successful healing processes was driven not only by the complexity of patients’ symptoms in her medical practice but also by her own debilitating experience of MCAS from 7 years of age.  She was bedridden by the age of 20, suffered severe anxiety, joint pain and a hypersensitivity to smells and chemicals.  The medications she received from medical practitioners frequently made her symptoms worse.  She sought assistance from multiple health professionals but found none understood the complexity and multi-system nature of MCAS. 

A holistic approach to MCAS and histamine intolerance

Driven by her own health needs and those of her patients, Beth gradually developed a holistic approach to MCAS and incorporated the healing protocol in her medical practice and related website, Mast Cell 360.  Through this site, Beth offers a wide range of resources and access to practitioners especially trained in her MCAS healing protocol.  For example, she offers a verified list of low histamine foods and related recipes.  Her blog provides insights into the nature of MCAS, the Mast Cell 360 healing protocol, and a Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Symptoms Survey.

In her video presentation, Beth discussed her holistic approach to MCAS and identifies three core components: (1) addressing the root causes of your MCAS condition, (2) eating the right foods and taking the right supplements (her incorporated case studies illustrate that identifying the right supplements involves a trial and error approach, while identifying the right foods can involve an elimination diet and a desensitising process), and (3) “supporting the wiring of the body”).

Addressing Root Causes of MCAS

One of the things that are often overlooked by medical practitioners are the possible causes of MCAS for an individual.  Beth makes this consideration one of her three key aspects of healing.  She argues that you have to address the influence of these individual factors if you are to achieve  healing from MCAS.  Beth provides a Guide, 7 Common Root Causes  in Mass Cell Activation Syndrome, to help MCAS sufferers “discover their own unique triggers” so they can work with these.

Beth maintains that the majority of health care practitioners are “unaware of these underlying factors” differentially affecting individuals and, in consequence, they tend to resort to “one size fits all” solutions such as a low histamine diet and/or antihistamine medication.  Her Root Causes Guide offers insight into MCAS triggering factors and also ways to address them.  Beth maintains that “the majority of my clients with MCAS have at least 4 of these root causes”.

Consuming the Right Foods and Supplements

Eating the right foods is foundational to healing from MCAS.  In many cases, the initial action with MCAS is to avoid foods that result in a flare-up.  Specific food allergies can be determined via an elimination diet or, more objectively, by undertaking a “skin prick test” and/or blood tests. 

Beth strongly supports the use of supplements which form one of the cornerstones of her Mast Cell 360 healing protocol.  She provides examples of the trial and error use of supplements in the two case studies she discusses in her video presentation.   Beth urges patients to seek the guidance of a qualified health professional when considering supplements to address nutritional deficiencies because of the potential sensitivities that could be involved.

Beth provides additional online guidance in her Master Class, The Top 8 Mast Cell Supporting Supplements.  In this course she covers aspects such as:

  • the benefits of each supplement and how to determine what is right for you
  • how to correctly introduce supplements and how to troubleshoot sensitivity problems
  • what supplements to avoid.

Supporting the wiring of the body

The reference to supporting the body’s wiring relates to processes designed to activate the parasympathetic nervous system because of the negative impact of MCAS on the vagus nerves, reflected in the body’s over-active histamine release. With MCAS, the body will often treat healthy foods as invaders because of the hyper-activity of the immune system – an impact of damage to the vagus nerves.  The parasympathetic nervous system induces relaxation and improved digestion and is often described as the “rest and digest” system.

In her video presentation Beth was quite adamant that MCAS cannot be treated effectively without some work being done to activate the parasympathetic nervous system.  She stated that “discovering how the body is wired is 50% of the healing process”.   Beth provides an online Master Class to Reboot the Mast Cell Nervous System, incorporating parasympathetic re-balancing, vagal nerve signalling and re-regulation of the limbic system.  Tools offered as part of the package to achieve these goals include specialised yoga practices and breathing exercises.

Reflection

I have personally experienced the confusion and frustration that comes with chronic illness and interactions with medical practitioners.  According to the level1/level2 typology advocated by my Allergist, I do not have MCAS.  However, taking Beth’s holistic view of MCAS (and recognising that Mast Cells are everywhere in my body), I actually meet her criteria for MCAS.  I have “systemic symptoms” (environmental and food sensitivity, swelling and sweating), skin symptoms (rash, hives, itchiness and easy bruising) and musculoskeletal symptoms (multilevel disc degeneration and arthritis in my fingers).

The core issue with inadequate diagnosis of chronic illness is that proposed treatments will also be inadequate and potentially damaging.  With Beth’s holistic approach, I can identify a number of areas I need to work on that are not confined to medication

I have recognised, for example,  that I need to work with the  following root causes of MCAS which are relevant to my condition:

  • food triggers (beyond histamine)
  • infections and toxicity
  • nutritional deficiencies
  • early childhood trauma (adverse childhood experiences)

I have purchased Beth’s Master Class to Reboot the Mast Cell Nervous System to help me achieve a quietening of my nervous system and reduce my level of immune reactivity.   As I grow in mindfulness through breathing exercises, Tai Chi and meditation, I can activate my parasympathetic nervous system, stay focused on the present moment (not triggered by depression about the past or anxiety about the future), be more creative and proactive in exploring my healing options, and develop increased resilience in the face of constant setbacks.

______________________________________

This post is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to replace personal medical advice provided by a trained medical practitioner.  Please seek advice from a qualified professional before deciding on treatments for yourself or other members of your family.

______________________________________

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

By Ron Passfield – Copyright (Creative Commons license, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives)

Disclosure: If you purchase a product through this site, I may earn a commission which will help to pay for the site, the associated Meetup group and the resources to support the blog.

Healthy Confidence or Superior Conceit?

In a previous post I discussed how mindfulness can be an effective antidote to narcissism, both in curbing our own narcissistic tendencies and managing the aftermath of a relationship with a narcissistic boss or intimate partner.  I also highlighted the work of Rick Hanson who promotes healthy confidence to achieve an effective balance between needing to be seen as superior and developing a grounded but strong sense of self.  Rick pursues this dilemma in his podcast titled, Confidence or Narcissism?  One of our challenges in developing healthy confidence is to find effective role models  – many of our leaders in government, business and sport have failed to resolve this dilemma in their public lives.

Superior conceit displayed by sports stars – defective role models

In the earlier blog post, I shared Bonnie Duran’s perspective on narcissism where she relates it to the Buddhist concept of superior conceit – the need to be “better than” or “superior to”.  Bonnie explains superior conceit in one of her podcast talks titled, Conceit and Latent Torments.

There are many instances of elite sportsmen and sportswomen displaying superior conceit and related narcissistic behaviour.  For example, narcissistic behaviours have been exhibited by international tennis stars who:

  • Abuse chair umpires and line umpires
  • Throw their racquets in disgust or anger and/or throw tantrums on the tennis court if things don’t go their way
  • Demonstrate a total lack of empathy or concern for the feelings of others
  • Boast about how much they have earned from tennis and their total asset worth (as if their financial resources are a measure of their personal worth)
  • Show a lack of respect for their opponents and/or tennis fans
  • Seek to win at any cost, even if this means cheating or bullying others.

Ash Barty – an effective role model for healthy confidence

Ash Barty has achieved more in one year (2019) than most tennis players (male or female) achieve in a lifetime.  She reached World Number 1 ranking in June 2019 (and held it at the end of the year) and won the French Open, the Birmingham Classic, the Miami Open, and the WTA Women’s Finals – Shenzhen (after being runner-up at the China Open).  Ash was the winner of a tour-topping 52 matches. 

On top of these achievements, she has been awarded (in 2019) the Don Award (by Sport Australia Hall of Fame), the Women’s Health Sportswoman of the Year, and the ITP Fed Cup Heart Award (for outstanding courage and distinctive representation & commitment).   The individual Don Award is for an Australian athlete “who, by their achievements and example over the last 12 months, are considered to have the capacity to most inspire the nation”.   These awards recognise that in so many ways Ash is a role model, not only for sportspeople but all of us who aspire to achieve “healthy confidence” and its attendant rewards.  Her status as a role model for other Indigenous women had been recognised in 2018 when she was named Australia’s first National Indigenous Tennis Ambassador.

Ash demonstrates healthy confidence through the following traits:

  • Resilience in the face of adversity and setbacks
  • Recognition of the need to take time out to achieve a better balance in her life and master self-management (she spent 18 months playing state-level cricket)
  • Respect for tennis opponents, officials and fans (a trait that is widely acknowledged and appreciated)
  • Empathy and compassion for others
  • Authenticity and humility
  • Amazing capacity to focus and sustain her concentration
  • Valuing and publicly recognising her support team.

Ash readily acknowledges the profound contribution of her mentor and mindset coach, Ben Crowe, in shaping her outstanding success.  Ben observed that, in addition to the abovementioned traits, Ash demonstrates the following characteristics:

  • Acknowledges that there is strength in vulnerability, rather than needing to claim or pursue perfection
  • Recognises that she can “write her own story”, not accept habituated, negative self-stories
  • Has the ability to let go of the things she cannot control while maintaining focus on what is under her control
  • Does not let tennis define who she is, but pursues her true self and values depth of character
  • Is prepared to put in the hard work to achieve continuous self-improvement and excellence.

His insightful and revealing explanation of the underlying philosophy that he has been able to impart to Ash explains why she is an exemplar of healthy confidence. 

One of the problems for us in trying to develop our own healthy confidence is that bad behaviour has dominated the attention of mainstream media, whereas Ash’s exemplary behaviour has been buried under the controversy associated with narcissistic behaviour displayed by some international tennis players.  Kate O’Halloran, writing for the ABC, expressed the hope that Ash’s French Open win will turn the spotlight more on “an exemplary sportswoman whose respected demeanour and success” has failed to attract the media attention that it deserves.

Reflection

There are some very profound lessons for us in the philosophy and behaviour of Ash Barty and some ideas about how we might develop our own healthy confidence.  However, we should be careful of joining the chorus to criticise the narcissistic behaviour of individual international sports stars while indulging in narcissistic tendencies ourselves. 

We can ask ourselves when the last time was that we made a point of highlighting our qualifications or the nature and breadth of our experience when meeting someone for the first time? When did we attempt to outdo someone else’s story (about the drama we experienced, the places we have seen or the achievements we have realised)? How often do we interrupt others’ conversations to focus attention on ourselves? When have we thought that our car/house/dress attire is better than that of someone else’s?  Do we ever measure our personal worth in terms of the assets we have or the importance of our job?  As we grow in mindfulness, we can become progressively more aware of our own narcissistic tendencies and begin to develop a healthy confidence and deep sense of our real self.

____________________________________________

Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay

By Ron Passfield – Copyright (Creative Commons license, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives)

Disclosure: If you purchase a product through this site, I may earn a commission which will help to pay for the site, the associated Meetup group and the resources to support the blog.