Bully on the Block: Mast Cell Activation Syndrome & Nutritional Considerations for GI Health
September 11 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am PDT
| This webinar introduces clinicians to Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), a systemic immune condition that is becoming more recognized globally for its impacts on all organ systems, and particularly for the ways in which it interferes with patients’ ability to nourish themselves in the face of gastrointestinal complications and other impactful immune reactions.
‘Bully on the Block’ separates facts from fiction and offers evidence-based feeding approaches to working with patients who suffer from this and common co-occurring disorders like Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and POTS. Attendees will walk away understanding the biochemical underpinnings of MCAS and how to intervene so that clients maintain the most optimal nutrition and gastrointestinal health possible. Attendees will also understand how many of these patients have been on the receiving end of medical gaslighting and how to prevent such responses from interfering with real care. |
Learning Objectives:
Following this presentation, participants will be able to:
- List 3 symptoms of a patient’s presentation that could indicate MCAS.
- Describe 3 recommended nutrition interventions to be taken in the presence of MCAS.
- Discuss 3 potentially damaging clinician responses to such a presentation rooted in our countertransference
Amy Isabella Chalker, RDN, CEDS Bio:
Born and raised on Cape Cod, MA, Amy studied at Barnard College of Columbia University in NYC and Simmons College in Boston, earning a B.S. in Nutrition & Dietetics. She completed her Dietetic Internship at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, earning her Registered Dietitian license in 2006. She resides in California, where she runs her virtual nutrition therapy private practice, focusing on the intersection of clinical eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors with gastrointestinal conditions and complex chronic illnesses. She practices through a psychodynamic/psychoanalytic lens, complementing her work with continuing education through the Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies and the Academy of Clinical and Applied Psychoanalysis, as well as ongoing supervision.
Amy has mentored clinicians in a variety of settings, including Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Canyon Ranch Health Resort & Spa in Tucson, and in other treatment facilities nationwide. She has given numerous talks, including presenting at the Massachusetts Eating Disorders Association conference, and has developed nutrition curricula for the peer education program at Simmons. Amy is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals, as well as a board member of the Valley Federation of Eating Disorder Professionals, and a member of the International Federation of Eating Disorder Dietitians.
