Blog | drtaniadempsey

Jan 16, 2020

Mast cell activation syndrome and vaping

Is vaping better than smoking? How harmful is vaping? VAPING VS. SMOKING Are e-cigs/vapes “better" than regular cigarettes? If not, why were people so eager to think so? E-cigarettes or Vapes are, unfortunately, no better than cigarettes, and in fact could be a lot worse. Early on when electronic cigarettes were introduced to the market, they were touted as a safer alternative to smoking as well as a means to quit smoking. The thought was that this was a purer way to get nic

Successful mast-cell-targeted treatment of select gynecological conditions

Dr. Lawrence Afrin, Dr. Tania Dempsey

Sep 10, 2019

Successful mast-cell-targeted treatment of select gynecological conditions

Dr. Lawrence Afrin and I are pleased to announce the publishing of our paper with Dr. Lila Rosenthal and Dr. Shanda Dorff. We spent over two years and 200+ hours working in this article. We are hopeful that these novel treatment options will help women who suffer from these issues and the doctors who treat them. This article will be helpful to a large number of women who suffer the problems described, as these problems often have gone on for long times with no identifiable

Lyme Disease and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome

Dr. Tania Dempsey

Sep 9, 2019

Lyme Disease and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome

POTS Syndrome: A comprehensive Patient Guide The connection between POTS and Lyme Disease I was recently featured on RawlsMD.com in a comprehensive article about The Lyme Disease & Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) Connection. If you haven’t yet had a chance to check it out, I recommend reading it here. LYME DISEASE TREATMENT How long have you been treating Lyme disease patients? September 2019 will be exactly 20 years since I started practicing medicine in a

Dr. Tania Dempsey

May 23, 2019

Chronic Lyme Disease: Part Two

I was recently interviewed about chronic lyme disease. As a follow up to my first blog post “Chronic Lyme Disease FAQ’s,” I have written this post titled “Chronic Lyme Disease Part Two” to answer more questions for those struggling with chronic lyme disease. 1. Why do so many doctors seem to disbelieve that people have symptoms of Lyme disease long after they have been treated? There is a common misconception that Lyme disease is easily treated with a few weeks of antibiotics

Testing for Mast Cell Activation Syndrome: Measuring Tryptase

Dr. Tania Dempsey

Apr 10, 2019

Testing for Mast Cell Activation Syndrome: Measuring Tryptase

What is tryptase? Tryptase is a protein manufactured by mast cells. In the human body, tryptase is made only by mast cells, and mast cells seem to make more tryptase than any other protein. Roughly a quarter of all the protein content in a mast cell is copies of the tryptase molecule. Strange, then, that we don't yet know what tryptase's principal function in the human body is, but that really is the case. There is research demonstrating that tryptase has a key role in dri

Ask The Westchester NY Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) Specialists: Dr. Tania Dempsey & Dr.

Dr. Lawrence Afrin, Dr. Tania Dempsey

Mar 29, 2019

Ask The Westchester NY Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) Specialists: Dr. Tania Dempsey & Dr.

I am a 24-year-old MCAS patient and my health is declining. I am having difficulty finding a local physician. The last doctor I contacted told me that he doesn’t have the resources to take on a difficult case like mine. What should I do? As a direct consequence of the great many mediators naturally produced by the mast cell and the great many effects each mediator exerts in different tissues throughout the body, MCAS is a very complex illness – so complex its very existenc

Clinical Manifestations of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome By Organ Systems

Dr. Lawrence Afrin, Dr. Tania Dempsey

Feb 4, 2019

Clinical Manifestations of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome By Organ Systems

Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) is a chronic multisystem illness of general themes of inflammation ± allergic-type phenomena ± abnormalities in growth/development in potentially any tissue. Mast cells produce and release, under a variety of circumstances, a very large number of potent molecular signals generically called mediators, and each mast cell mediator can bring about a wide variety of effects in a very wide variety of tissues, organs, and systems throughout the

10 Ways To Present Your MCAS Case to Doctors to Get Them to Listen

Dr. Tania Dempsey

Aug 6, 2018

10 Ways To Present Your MCAS Case to Doctors to Get Them to Listen

Seeking a MCAS diagnosis can be particularly challenging, especially when many Doctors are still in the dark about what Mast Cell Activation Syndrome is. One of the questions we often get asked is, “How can we best present our MCAS case in the best way to get a doctor to listen and understand what mast cell activation syndrome is?” We have compiled our thoughts on this topic to help you prepare to make sure you make the most out of your doctor’s appointment when you are being

Ask The NY Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) Specialists: Dr. Tania Dempsey & Dr. Lawrence Af

Dr. Lawrence Afrin, Dr. Tania Dempsey

Jul 31, 2018

Ask The NY Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) Specialists: Dr. Tania Dempsey & Dr. Lawrence Af

I had melanoma that sat on my back (misdiagnosed as benign initially) for three years. I feel my Mast Cell disease was likely triggered by this and low vitamin D when I started avoiding the sun and using sunblock due to fear of melanoma reoccurrence. Is there any research showing a relationship with melanoma and vitamin D3 deficiency? Although mast cell disease sometimes develops in reaction to (i.e., secondary to) other problems (including cancers of a wide variety of sorts)

Dr. Tania Dempsey

Jul 24, 2018

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) Questions Answered: Dr. Tania Dempsey & Dr. Lawrence Afrin

What is the likelihood of inheriting Mast Cell Activation Disorder (MCAD)? As best as we presently understand, the likelihood of inheriting mastocytosis is extremely slim. As for inheriting MCAS, all that can be said at present, based on very limited available peer-reviewed, published data, is that that likelihood appears to be 50%, but when it happens, the affected child usually begins demonstrating symptoms at an earlier age than was seen in the affected parent, plus the a

Ask The Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Doctors: MCAS Questions Answered by NYC MCAD Physicians Dr. Ta

Dr. Lawrence Afrin, Dr. Tania Dempsey

Jul 17, 2018

Ask The Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Doctors: MCAS Questions Answered by NYC MCAD Physicians Dr. Ta

Hi. I have MCAD. I have recently been also dx with chronic non-alcoholic pancreatitis. My GI doc questions whether mast cell disease and its subsequent inflammatory state is the culprit. Any thoughts? Due to the fact that the broad themes of the effects of the more than 200 mediators produced by the mast cell are inflammatory, allergic, and tissue growth/development effects, and given that mast cells are present in every organ/tissue/system in the body, it’s not surprising t

Ask The Mast Cell Activation Doctors: MCAS Questions Answered by NY MCAS Specialists Dr. Tania Demps

Dr. Lawrence Afrin, Dr. Tania Dempsey

Jul 10, 2018

Ask The Mast Cell Activation Doctors: MCAS Questions Answered by NY MCAS Specialists Dr. Tania Demps

My 24-year-old son has cutaneous mastocytosis. He is self-conscious. He has had spots since he was a little boy and continues to get more. Can he slow down additional skin "spots." Is it triggers that add more? Or will he always get more for the rest of his life just because he has the disorder? I’m sorry to hear of your son’s difficulties. In general, when the skin lesions of cutaneous mastocytosis become sufficiently bothersome (whether from a cosmetic or any other perspec

Ask The Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Doctors: Dr. Tania Dempsey & Dr. Lawrence Afrin

Dr. Lawrence Afrin, Dr. Tania Dempsey

Jul 3, 2018

Ask The Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Doctors: Dr. Tania Dempsey & Dr. Lawrence Afrin

Can you explain why seizures during Anaphylaxis happen? Does our Nervous System shutdown? Not enough oxygen to the brain? Preferably non-Epileptic as there is already enough information about those. When you have Autonomic or unknown seizures you're looked at like you're a mental patient. I only have seizures during Anaphylaxis and I've always been curious to know what happens during the reactions that they happen. The specific mechanism by which anaphylaxis in a given patien

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) Questions Answered: Ask the NY MCAS Expert

Dr. Lawrence Afrin, Dr. Tania Dempsey

Jun 21, 2018

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) Questions Answered: Ask the NY MCAS Expert

I am currently on methotrexate, ketotifen, fexofenadine, and sodium crom but STILL reacting to food - what else is left to do? Fortunately, there is a great assortment of interventions which have been found helpful in various MCAS patients, but unfortunately, we cannot yet predict which interventions are most likely to benefit which MCAS patients. Therefore, patient, persistent, methodical “trial and error” is the only presently viable approach toward ultimately identifying

Ask the Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Doctors: MCAS Questions Answered

Dr. Lawrence Afrin, Dr. Tania Dempsey

Apr 12, 2018

Ask the Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Doctors: MCAS Questions Answered

Do you have any low salicylate suggestions? Salicylates are a (sub)class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and NSAIDs, though helpful in some MCAS patients, actually trigger activation of dysfunctional mast cells in other MCAS patients. Salicylates are available not only as drugs and supplements but also are commonly incorporated into foods and household products. Just as with “low-histamine diets,” there are a number of suggestions freely available from di

Ask the NYC MCAS Expert: Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Questions Answered

Dr. Lawrence Afrin, Dr. Tania Dempsey

Jan 16, 2018

Ask the NYC MCAS Expert: Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Questions Answered

Is there any correlation between MCAS and seizures or seizure like activity? If an EEG is done, should there be anything specific looked at in MCAS patient? I know of no studies identifying any findings on EEGs which are specific to patients with mast cell disease of any type. Also, though I don't know of any "correlation" between MCAS and seizure or seizure-like activity, both seizures and activities which are seizure-like but shown by EEG not to be true seizures (i.e., so

Ask The New York Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Expert: Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Questions Answe

Dr. Lawrence Afrin, Dr. Tania Dempsey

Jan 2, 2018

Ask The New York Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Expert: Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Questions Answe

Ask The New York MCAS Expert: Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Questions Answered

Dr. Lawrence Afrin, Dr. Tania Dempsey

Dec 21, 2017

Ask The New York MCAS Expert: Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Questions Answered

Do mast cells make you gain weight and have a huge stomach when you are eating almost nothing? I have seen MCAS drive weight gain in some patients, weight loss in other patients, and alternating weight gain and weight loss in yet other patients. Except for weight changes due to gain or loss of edema (swelling), we do not yet understand the molecular mechanisms underlying any of these frustrating phenomena. It should be noted, too, that many MCAS patients also suffer problem

Non-Toxic Cleaning Products for MCAS

Mast cell activation syndrome and vaping

Successful mast-cell-targeted treatment of select gynecological conditions

Lyme Disease and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome

Chronic Lyme Disease: Part Two

Testing for Mast Cell Activation Syndrome: Measuring Tryptase

Ask The Westchester NY Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) Specialists: Dr. Tania Dempsey & Dr.

Clinical Manifestations of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome By Organ Systems

10 Ways To Present Your MCAS Case to Doctors to Get Them to Listen

Ask The NY Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) Specialists: Dr. Tania Dempsey & Dr. Lawrence Af

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) Questions Answered: Dr. Tania Dempsey & Dr. Lawrence Afrin

Ask The Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Doctors: MCAS Questions Answered by NYC MCAD Physicians Dr. Ta

Ask The Mast Cell Activation Doctors: MCAS Questions Answered by NY MCAS Specialists Dr. Tania Demps

Ask The Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Doctors: Dr. Tania Dempsey & Dr. Lawrence Afrin

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) Questions Answered: Ask the NY MCAS Expert

Ask the Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Doctors: MCAS Questions Answered

Ask the NYC MCAS Expert: Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Questions Answered

The Difference Between MCAD and MCAS

Ask The New York Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Expert: Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Questions Answe

Ask The New York MCAS Expert: Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Questions Answered

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