The Coronavirus, a pandemic responsible for infecting hundreds of thousands of people in more than 130 countries has changed our world. The death toll is devastating. Covid-19 has caused a new norm of working from home, Zoom meetings, social distancing, sheltering in place and the expression “flattening the curve.” It refers to the projected number of people who could contract this horrific virus. Obviously, we want to flatten this number. However, the expression is not new at all. Joseph Pilates was revolutionary in the fitness world.

It is fair to say that most of us want to have control of our body and not allow our bodies to control our movements, our actions, our ability to live life in the way we choose. Can you imagine picking up a package from your front step and having the discs in your back give out? How about swiveling around in your office chair when a co-worker calls out your name, what if that simple action caused you to end up with a sprained ankle? For some these scenarios may seem crazy. If you have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome you understand exactly what I am talking about.

Even in the best of times, many people tend towards negative thinking. In fact, I would venture to guess that the number of individuals who tend to be negative is so large that this is more of a norm than an unusual circumstance. Right now, with the world feeling so dangerous with COVID-19 and social distancing decreasing the number of outlets we have for stress relief it is so easy to allow our brain to spin itself in a never-ending loop of negativity.

Whether you have been newly diagnosed with mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) or if you have been struggling for years, you likely have been provided the same basic treatment options. Most patients are first offered Histamine 1 blockers (H1 blocker) which are antihistamines including Claritin, Allegra, Zyrtec, Xyzal, Benadryl and Hydroxyzine. Typically, a histamine 2 blocker is then added which is usually Pepcid now that Zantac is off of the market. If these medications at appropriate doses are insufficient, mast cell stabilizers such as cromolyn sodium and ketotifen (really both a mast cell stabilizer and an H1 blocker) are used.

Question: My husband and I have a family event coming up and my 79-year-old father always makes snide, sarcastic comments about my food sensitivities. This triggers me to defend myself and often leads to an argument. It ends up being embarrassing and can really ruin the whole event for me. How can I get my dad to understand his comments are hurtful so he will stop?