In my pursuit to determine why I still cannot add any new foods to my extremely limited diet (I’m currently only eating four organic foods), I’ve come across a cellular issue called Cell Danger Response (CDR) that is beginning to make sense as a cause of my very narrow diet. I first read about this concept in Dr. Neil Nathan’s book, “Toxic: Heal Your Body from Mold Toxicity, Lyme Disease, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and Chronic Environmental Illness.” (The 2nd edition is coming out in April 2025.)
From what I know, I don’t suffer from Lyme Disease or any other condition mentioned in the title of the book, however MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome) certainly appears to me, a non-scientist, as qualifying as a cell danger response.
What is CDR? I like Neil Nathan’s explanation at the beginning of the 8th chapter of the book: “This chapter is central to the understanding of how cells get “stuck” in a reaction that was intended to heal the body, but when prolonged, backfires and becomes part of the problem instead.” According to Dr. Nathan, it was in 2013 that Dr. Robert Naviaux, a professor of genetics looked at the complicated biochemical abnormalities that are seen in inflammatory conditions and called it Cell Danger Response. These inflammatory conditions can be Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, and the list goes on and on.
A cell is supposed to respond to threats to the body, such as a virus, by the mitochondria reacting. This process is the beginning of a deeply ingrained defense mechanism that has been evolving in human cells from the beginning of time. Dr. Nathan goes into a very involved discussion of all of the steps that occur within CDR after the mitochondria begin their reaction and the process of chemical being released while the body is trying to heal itself. There is great potential for the body to get out of balance when the CDR alarm is turned on to combat this virus. It’s worth the read, especially if you are scientifically inclined.
Need another definition of Cell Danger Response?
According to an article in Science Direct, “The cell danger response (CDR) is an evolutionarily conserved cellular metabolic response that is activated when a cell encounters a chemical, physical, or microbial threat that could injure or kill the cell. Common microbial threats are viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites…Psychological trauma, particularly during childhood, can also activate the cell danger response, produce chronic inflammation, and increase the risk of many disorders.”
I find it VERY interesting that psychological trauma can also be the source of the cell danger response mechanism. And it makes sense. Our body is just trying to protect us from harm, but somehow gets stuck in that protection mechanism and cannot tell friend from foe. That’s what I believe is going on with my body not accepting any new foods. Food should be a nutritious treat and not an enemy!
Almost every MCAS patient I have spoken to has told me about a traumatic event in their life that was kind of a turning point in their symptoms becoming much worse. I didn’t start having mast cell activation issues until after I was stung by a wasp. I’d been stung many times before by wasps and bees and never had much of a reaction. I didn’t go into anaphylaxis with the last wasp sting, but I had a skin reaction of hives for weeks post-sting, and I quickly began to not be able to eat foods that had previously been tolerated well. I’ve had food allergies and pollen allergies since I was a child, but Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a beast unlike those conditions. I could feel my nervous system get amped up as I tried to continue to eat foods, and my gastrointestinal system went on tilt. It took years for me to get a diagnosis, and H1 (antihistamines) and H2 (antacid) medications did help to calm down the histamine reactions. However, they haven’t helped to rewire the Cell Danger Response (CDR)
I feel like my body is stuck in this CDR, and no Western medicine doctor that I’ve seen over the last almost 20 years has ever mentioned this to me. While I have been able to decrease my need for medications (Zyrtec, Ketotifen, Pepcid), my body still goes into reaction when I try to add even a small amount of a new food.
These reactions aren’t at the level they used to be, which was almost anaphylaxis. I have calmed down my nervous system and my cell responses enough for that to not occur. However, when I eat a small amount of a new food for several days, I begin to get the mast cell reaction of feeling heat in my body, getting mouth sores, and also becoming extremely hungry. The extreme hunger is a sure sign that my mast cells are activating, and inevitably if I cease trying to add the new food, this extreme hunger goes away as does the heat and mouth sores.
It has been very discouraging through the years to continue to have this response while trying to add something as innocuous as an organic carrot or sweet potato. And it doesn’t matter how small of an amount that I eat, or how long I try to trick my body into accepting something new. Just the fact that it’s new is enough for my body to move into protection mode.
In my next few blog posts, I’ll be writing about what I’ve discovered to help calm down my nervous system and to decrease the reactions that I was having, and what might help you to also get better. Please let me know if you’ve found the magic formula to being able to add foods into your diet by emailing me at [email protected]
In the meantime, I found Dr. Neil Nathan’s book available in our local library. Hopefully you can find it also and enjoy learning more about this fascinating scientific explanation of what could be going on for many of us!