Have you ever experienced sensations of tingling, pricking, chilling, burning, numbness or weakness? What about unexplained stabbing pain?
Those symptoms are your nerves’ way of telling you that something is wrong. Sometimes people talk about a crawling feeling, an itch under their skin, or pins and needles. You can have symptoms occur in the same place, or they might move around to different parts of your body.
You’ve likely experienced numbness and tingling after sitting on the floor for too long or falling asleep with your arm in an unusual position, but these symptoms disappear quickly when you move the affected limbs and take pressure off the nerves. When symptoms come and go without pressure on your nerves, or are present on an ongoing basis, then it is important to identify underlying factors.
Collectively, these symptoms are referred to as paresthesia (1). Where MCAS is concerned, a diagnosis of idiopathic paresthesia may be present where doctors have been unable to find the cause.
What's behind it?
There are many factors that contribute to these symptoms, including restriction of a nerve for structural reasons, various autoimmune and neurological conditions, or damage to the central nervous system, so it is important to discuss any of these symptoms with your doctor or primary practitioner, so that factors other than histamine or other chemical mediators can be ruled out.
Why does someone experience these symptoms with Histamine Intolerance or Mast Cell Activation Syndrome? Nerves and mast cells are in close proximity to one another. The chemical mediators from degranulation of mast cells can contribute to inflammation and physical injury of neurons (2).
Have you struggled to figure out why your nerves are sending annoying signals?
Could it be these signals are happening because your mast cells are releasing inflammatory mediators that are impacting your nerves?
If you have been diagnosed with MCAS or think it might be at the root of your symptoms, this explanation could be what’s underlying your symptoms.
Have you tried a low histamine, low lectin eating approach? Check out our Shopping List for a comprehensive list of foods you can try.
Discuss other ways you can stabilize your mast cells with your practitioner.
Want to get a handle on what's going on, a deeper appreciation for those beacons your body is sending, asking for help? Join us for a live talk on March 18th on this very subject - where we'll touch on the role Mast Cells and histamine can play in the picture of chronic pain and nerve issues.
Got Pain? is happening on March 18th, 7pm Alberta time. Join us live in person in Calgary, or from the comfort of your home.
Tickets are set on a sliding scale so everyone can join in on the conversation. Link to the replay will be available for one week after the fact.
We give a bit more info on what to expect at this upcoming talk. Join us!
Need more than just a grocery list? Ready to start getting in to the work to help figure out this histamine and/or mast cell piece to your puzzle? Join our online community by clicking here. Loads of printable resources, a Master Class on the Histamine Connection. It's free to join!