Mast cells and autism. Is there an overlap? In this episode, I talk about the percentage of autistic people who have some kind of allergy or allergic condition, the difference between allergy and food intolerance, and what could potentially underlie some of the food issues and intolerances seen so often in autism. I also go into some detail about mast cell activation syndrome (or MCAS), the symptoms experienced by those who have MCAS, and why MCAS is so hard to diagnose.

I talk about my experience — symptoms in childhood that were probably related to mast cells, how my symptoms got worse over time, and what finally led to a diagnosis. I briefly cover my main triggers — salicylates and histamines, what type of doctor finally helped me, and the timeline of my autism and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome diagnoses (hEDS). The geneticist who diagnosed my hEDS said something very, very interesting about a potential new condition all its own! I talk about that, too!

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