Mast Cells in Stress, Pain, Neuroinflammation, and Alzheimer's Disease

Mast cells are really cool, and I have a whole podcast episode about them HERE. podcasts.apple... Mast cells can be "triggered" by environmental factors like allergens, toxins, foods, inflammation, and stress, and when they get triggered they can cause a broad spectrum of different types of inflammatory responses. I have a lot of metaphors about mast cells, so here is a new one. Mast cells are like the alarm system in a building - when something bad enters one door and "triggers" the alarm, the whole building's alarm system could go off - so even though the intruder came in the back door there may be lights flashing and an alarm sounding in a completely separate area of the building - so mast cells could be "triggered" in the gut, but the "alarm" may go off in the brain or in the joints. That "alarm" is inflammation, and if you don't shut the alarm off, it can keep honking and flashing and being REALLY problematic. This video is specifically about mast cells in the BRAIN, and their association with neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, the perception of pain - and how psychological stress makes it all worse.

[@lisalynndempsey]

This really resonated with me - I’m on medical leave because I am experiencing a lot of these symptoms and think it is long Covid. I travel for work globally and often so whether it is long Covid or an imbalance in these mast cells - this completely tracks. Thank you for reviewing this article 🙏🏻