Mast Cell Activation Syndrome: What You Need to Know with Dr. Afrin

In this insightful Made for Health interview, Dr. Lawrence Afrin MD, a leading expert in mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), dives into the complexities of this often misunderstood condition. Discussing the underlying mechanisms of mast cells, their role in chronic illnesses, and the importance of personalized treatment approaches, Dr. Afrin offers valuable insight into the emerging and newly recognized field of mast cell disorders.


Dr. Afrin earned a B.S. in Computer Science at Clemson University in 1984 and then an M.D. at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in 1988, where he also pursued internal medicine residency and hematology/oncology clinical and research fellowships. While on faculty at MUSC 1995-2014, he was active in undergraduate and graduate medical education, information technology and educational administration (including hematology/oncology fellowship program director for 13 years), and practice and research in hematology/oncology and medical informatics. Since the mid-’00s, his clinical work has increasingly focused in hematology, especially mast cell disease; he also directed MUSC’s myeloproliferative neoplasms clinical trials program. While at the University of Minnesota 2014-17 furthering his interests in mast cell disease, he also served as assistant hematology/oncology fellowship program director, hematology/oncology medical student education director, and IRB reviewer. In 2017 he left UMN to develop an independent institute (located in the greater New York City area) for advancing care, research, and education in mast cell disease, and he is also working to develop a global investigative network in this area. He has served on national panels on oncology education and quality care and has spoken widely in his areas of focus. He has an extensive record of peer-reviewed publications, including some of the most highly accessed articles about mast cell activation syndrome and a popular book in the field, and he serves on the editorial boards for several journals. He also has served on the medical advisory boards for various organizations in the field including The Mastocytosis Society.



W H A T N E X T ?

If you want to watch more interviews from the Made for Health series, check out our playlist below!

Made for Health Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1zKitZ5uAhpWPHaYoqo3obr8uBQFS7da



A B O U T D R . H A R T M A N & R I F M

Dr. Hartman’s interest in integrative & functional medicine first began after he and his wife Rebekah adopted their first daughter Anna in 2007. The medical system didn’t offer much hope for Anna’s medical condition and they were forced to explore alternative treatments. Over time, Aaron began to apply the new concepts and treatment modalities he was learning to his clinic patients as well as his own family. In 2012 he formalized his commitment to exploring new and advanced treatment opportunities through his membership with the American Board of Integrative and Holistic Medicine and then the Institute for Functional Medicine. In 2015 he received his second board certification in Integrative and Holistic Medicine through the American Board of Physician Specialties and in 2016 earned the recognition as a Certified Practitioner in Functional Medicine from the Institute for Functional Medicine.

In 2012, Aaron and Rebekah’s commitment to their family’s health led them to move to a little farm outside of Richmond Virginia. While researching how to care for their land, animals, and livestock, Aaron and Rebekah learned about the intricate connections between their health, that of the land they cultivate, the animals they care for, and the food they eat. This led to Dr. Hartman’s intense interest in nutritional medicine as well as ecological medicine and toxicology.

Dr. Hartman opened Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine in 2017. His mission at RIFM is to apply the sum total of his scientific research, medical knowledge, clinical experience and continuing studies to his patients in an individualized manner. This new field of medicine has been called Functional Medicine, Integrative Medicine, Systems Biology Medicine and Root Cause Medicine.



R I F M W E B S I T E: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/

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– Dr. Aaron Hartman, MD