If you have mast cell activation syndrome that presents as allergic reactions, anxiety, and tons of GI issues, you could have parasites. And guess what? These parasites could be one of the root causes of why your mast cells are overreacting in the first place, and can even act as one of your MCAS triggers, making your symptoms more severe and flare ups more frequent.

This is exactly what happened to me. We traveled to the Dominican Republic for our honeymoon eight years ago and I got really bad food poisoning there. I was sick for several weeks and honestly never felt like I fully recovered because I was already dealing with chronic fatigue syndrome and other health issues. Fast forward to 2020, when I was finally diagnosed with Chronic Neurological Lyme with co-infections. I attempted to treat it using herbs and biofilm busters, except the die off symptoms I was experiencing were beyond what I should have been. It was obvious I was pissing something else off too.

We tested for parasites and discovered that I had an infestation of parasitic worms. What I wasn’t expecting was the documented connections between parasites and mast cells, and that restoring balance to my microbiome would be a major key to putting mast cell activation syndrome into remission. That experience inspired me to become a parasite cleansing expert and help others learn this ancestral health practice so they too can regain good health.

Mast Cells Protect You From Threats - Including Parasites

Your mast cells play a key role in the immune system response, acting as the alarm bells to alert the rest of the immune system to potentially harmful threats. They release mediators, including histamine and other inflammatory agents, into your bloodstream to fight viruses and bacteria, and other stressors that are seen as a threat to the body. Parasites are no exception.

Since more concentrated areas of mast cells are located in tissues that are exposed to the outside world, like your sinuses, respiratory and GI tract, it means that your mast cells are the first line of defense against parasites. When they come into contact with them, they sound the alarm bells and mount a serious reaction.

Typically your mast cells play a healthy role in your immune response. But when we continue to trigger them, they began to respond inappropriately. That’s when issues occur.

Another thought is, what if your mast cells are behaving correctly, and they are alerting you to something you haven’t considered? What if they are not overreacting to every little stimuli and instead you simply have an overgrowth of parasites?

What are Parasites and How Can You Get Them?

Parasites are an organism that lives on or in a host organism and gets their food from or at the expense of their host. Many people assume parasites are only an issue in other countries, and you should only worry when you go off on vacations, but in reality, parasites are still very common in the United States. We live in a global food supply chain.

Anyone can get a parasite. But some people are at a higher risk of contracting them than others. Those with compromised immune systems or who are already sick with other illnesses are at higher risk of parasites becoming an issue if they come into contact with them. The parasites take advantage of an already preoccupied immune system.

You can contract parasites from contaminated drinking water, food, like undercooked meat, or through contact with contaminated feces (someone not washing their hands after they use the bathroom). Other sources of parasite contamination include consuming fresh produce, sushi, swimming in lakes and rivers, through insect bites, and by touching soil, fecal waste, and blood.

GI issues are extremely common with parasites but parasites can cause a whole slew of symptoms beyond gut dysfunction.

Different Types of Parasites:

Protozoan Parasites - These are known to cause more acute symptoms like diarrhea and dehydration. They are able to multiply in the body.

Helminths Parasites: These cause more long-term issues and fewer acute symptoms. They also can reproduce in the body.

Symptoms of Parasites

• Skin issues (rashes, eczema, hives, and itching)

• Muscle and joint pain

• Fatigue

• Never feeling full, even after eating a big meal

• Leaky Gut

• Increased allergic reactions

• Always hungry

• Iron and other mineral deficiencies

• Grinding your teeth during sleep

• Anxiety

• Recurrent yeast infections

Do Parasites Always Cause Issues?

Not all parasites are bad. In fact, we are coming to learn that a small amount of certain parasites can benefit your body. However, if you have gut imbalances (from a poor diet of eating processed foods, excess sugar, and consuming alcohol) and a weakened immune system (from things like mold toxicity or Lyme) these parasites can quickly multiply. As with many things, too much (or overgrowth) of something can cause imbalances and dysfunction. It is impossible to sterilize your body completely from every pathogen or germ, so a health-beneficial balance is the goal.

Helminths can hold up to six times their body weight in toxins and are attracted to bodies that have higher heavy metal burden, chemicals, and fungus. This is why people with high toxicity from Lyme, viruses, mold exposure, dysbiosis, candida, and chemical and radiation exposure usually have the most issues with parasites, and why an experienced practitioner will always start with cleansing parasites first.

The Issue with MCAS and Parasites

If you have lots of sensitivities and are prone to allergic reactions like we see with MCAS, your mast cells run rampant and become triggered by stressors that would normally not cause pro-inflammatory mediator release (Histamine, cytokines, TNF, etc.) in healthy individuals.  

If you have underlying parasites, you bet they could lead to mast cell activation syndrome or even be MCAS triggers.  Parasites can cause the gut lining to become more permeable, leading to leaky gut and more food particles and toxins entering the bloodstream and causing systemic reactions. What started as just GI symptoms related to the parasites, then becomes respiratory, skin, or neurological symptoms from your mast cells activating. Your parasitic infection could manifest as mast cell activation syndrome because the histamine response and the Th2 response go a bit haywire because it’s just so tired of being irritated all the time.

Helminths and MCAS

Helminths are a type of parasite that lives in the GI tract. These are less likely to cause acute parasite symptoms, so you may not even realize you have them once you first contract them. However, they can cause long-term issues if not addressed and you have a compromised immune system already.

New studies are showing that Helminth parasites may be potent stimulators of mast cell activation.  So if you don’t eliminate your underlying parasites, they could play a role as your main MCAS trigger, leading to continuous, increasingly severe, random flare-ups. This also means that in theory, you can reduce the severity of your mast cell activation by cleansing parasites. I was able to get off of mast cell stabilizer prescriptions that I previously used for three years by killing off helminths. Without the extreme mast cell reactions, treating Chronic Lyme naturally with herbs was much easier. 

What to Do If You Think You Have Parasites:

The Challenges of Accurate Testing for Parasites

If you suspect you have parasites, there are functional lab tests that can help identify which ones you have. This can help design specific protocols with herbs known to help eliminate the parasites.

Comprehensive stool tests and blood tests can be used. But keep in mind you could still have parasites, even if your labs come up negative. Parasites are smart buggers that know how to hide and adapt to stay safe in your body. So lab results and clinical investigation should both be considered when determining if you would benefit from cleansing parasites. There are so many people who have tested negative for parasites but then done a cleanse and sure enough they pass some.

Confirming Other Root Causes Matters

Before diving into parasites, it’s important to note that it’s vital to know if you are also dealing with mold toxicity or Lyme. If so, the order of how you address your root causes will matter. You want to make sure to support your body in addressing the effects of mold toxicity before bringing in any antiparasitic herbs to avoid driving mast cell dysfunction and making it worse. This is why you should work with a Mast Cell Specialist who is also an expert in natural parasite cleansing who knows every person with mast cell issues is going to have a protocol that is personalized and different.

Personalized Parasite Cleansing Support is Best if You’re Sensitive or Have MCAS

If you have MCAS and are highly sensitive to everything, it may take some time to complete a full parasite cleanse, depending on how your body reacts to the protocol. Mast cell stabilizers may be used to help during this process to counteract your mast cells from getting triggered. You will want someone on your side who has been through this themselves to support you through the die offs, giving you expert tips, not just for parasite cleansing but for mast cell flare up management.

When cleansing the body of parasites, binders are used to pull them out of your body. Before we begin, we need to ensure your bowels are working efficiently, (no constipation), so the binders can actually be excreted from your body as well. We also focus on improving the flow of your lymphatic system and support the liver and kidneys.

Overcome Your Chronic Symptoms & Heal Holistically

Are you looking to get to the root cause of your symptoms? We can help you.

We use holistic approaches and functional medicine lab testing to investigate what is triggering your chronic symptoms so you can address them at their source and start to feel better faster. Our health coaches are masters at guiding the healing of multiple root causes in a personalized order that gets you wellness results that last. We also help you maintain good health and minimize your disease risks.

by sarah southerton

Certified Integrative Health Practitioner (IHP2) & Functional Medicine Health Coach

I specialize in helping people heal chronic illnesses and achieve optimal health. After my own battle with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Lyme disease, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and Post Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), I was thrust into the world of alternative medicine, herbal healing, and low-tox/low-stress living. I have since restored my health and no longer suffer with debilitating symptoms and I’m passionate about help other people who are suffering, so they can feel better a lot faster than I did.

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