Description
Course Description
Drawing on the latest 2025 research, robust clinical experience, and real-world case studies, this course provides a rigorous yet practical approach to understanding how mast cells and histamine interact with nearly every system of the body. You’ll leave equipped to recognize nuanced symptom presentations, interpret the confusing world of labs and biomarkers, apply evidence-informed treatment strategies, and better support patients who’ve been left undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.
Whether you’re new to this terrain or experienced but seeking updated frameworks, this course offers a complete re-education.
Participants will learn to:
- Differentiate MCAS from mastocytosis, histamine intolerance, and common allergic conditions
- Identify the wide-reaching symptom patterns tied to mast cell dysregulation across bodily systems
- Understand histamine metabolism, receptor pathways (H1–H4), and enzyme activity (DAO & HNMT)
- Interpret key diagnostic tests: serum tryptase, urinary methyl-histamine, prostaglandins, and beyond
- Apply international consensus criteria and diagnostic algorithms for MCAS
- Design layered treatment protocols using diet, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and lifestyle strategies
- Integrate insights from genetics, microbiome science, and hormone health into clinical care
- Manage challenging, refractory, or sensitive patients through advanced case mapping
Educate and advocate for patients navigating a misunderstood and under-recognized syndrome
MCAS is under-diagnosed, misunderstood, and often debilitating. Many of your most complex patients — with diagnoses like IBS, anxiety, chronic fatigue, dermatographism, interstitial cystitis, and migraine — may actually be living with an unrecognized mast cell disorder.
This course helps you see the full picture, empower your patients, and provide validation through clarity
Course Outline
1 Introduction to Histamine & MCAS
- The explosion of histamine awareness post-COVID
- Why mast cells matter now more than ever
- Our clinical evolution: from anecdote to algorithm
2 The Mast Cell Spectrum
- Definitions: MCAS, mastocytosis, HαT, and related syndromes
- Primary, secondary, and idiopathic MCAS — and why it matters
- Real-world cases that don’t follow textbook rules
3 Histamine Pathways & Physiology
- Histamine’s roles: immune, neurological, GI, reproductive, cardiovascular
- H1–H4 receptor distribution and activity
- DAO vs. HNMT: where and how histamine is broken down
- Mast cells: responders vs. overreactors
4 Clinical Symptom Mapping
- Why patients present with “everything and nothing”
- Explosive vs. leaky mast cell degranulation
- Why symptoms shift day-to-day (and what to do about it)
- Urticaria, angioedema, migraines, GERD, anxiety, flushing, hypotension — and more
5 Diagnostic Frameworks & Consensus Criteria
- WHO and international diagnostic criteria: strengths and pitfalls
- The “20% + 2” tryptase rule and when to use it
- New MCAS algorithm walkthrough
- Secondary and idiopathic presentations in non-anaphylactic patients
6 Testing – What Works, What Doesn’t
- Serum tryptase: gold standard…with caveats
- Urinary methyl-histamine, PGD2, heparin, chromogranin A
- DAO blood testing: why it fails clinically
- Prick testing, histamine-50 test, and food challenge controversies
- Interpreting false negatives, low IgE, and the role of adsorption
7 The Anti-Histamine Diet & Food Triggers
- SIGI list: strengths, limitations, and clinical utility
- Histamine-rich vs. histamine-liberating vs. DAO-blocking foods
- Why one strawberry can ruin a day (or not)
- Microbiome influences: histamine-producing bacteria
- Longitudinal improvement with dietary intervention — case-supported
8 Clinical Management & Treatment Protocols
- H1/H2 blockers: strategic timing and duration
- Mast cell stabilizers: quercetin, luteolin, cromolyn, ketotifen
- NSAIDs, leukotriene inhibitors, steroids, antihistamines
- DAO supplementation: when (and when not) to use it
- Gradual reintroduction strategies and tolerance-building
- Non-pharma approaches: environmental, nervous system, and trauma-based care
9 Genetics & Epigenetics in MCAS
- KIT mutations, HαT, DAO polymorphisms, and receptor SNPs
- Why genetic predisposition ≠ symptom guarantee
- Using genetic data to guide individualized treatment
10 Case Studies, Clinical Reasoning & Practice Integration
- Structured walkthroughs of diverse patient scenarios
- Tryptase-negative MCAS: how to confidently diagnose without labs
- How to build standing orders, navigate life labs, and communicate with specialists
- Collaborative care, EpiPen decisions, and writing advocacy letters