Mast Cells, Histamine, and Perimenopause Explained: MCAS, Anxiety, Estrogen

unPAUSED with Dr. Mary Claire Haver

Mary Claire Media, LLC

Medicine, Health & Fitness, Society & Culture

4.8 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 9 May 2026

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this bonus episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Mary Claire Haver is joined by Dr. Zachary Rubin, double board certified allergist and immunologist and New York Times bestselling author of All About Allergies, to dig into the connection between histamine, mast cells, and women's hormonal health. Dr. Rubin breaks down what mast cells are, how histamine works across multiple organ systems, and why women are disproportionately affected by mast cell related conditions including mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). The two dig into the estrogen and histamine connection, why perimenopause can trigger or worsen symptoms like anxiety, brain fog, and histamine intolerance, and what MCAS actually is and how it is diagnosed. Dr. Rubin also addresses the viral H1 and H2 blocker combination that has been circulating online, explaining the real science behind why it may be helping some women with PMDD, endometriosis, and perimenopausal symptoms, while being honest about what we still do not know. They also cover quercetin, DAO supplements, low histamine diets, and how to think about self experimentation safely. If you have been wondering whether histamine could be a piece of your hormonal health puzzle, this conversation is a great place to start. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:32.3	Today on Unpaused, I would like to share something a little bit different with you.
0:37.0	I recently had the honor of
0:38.4	interviewing Dr. Zachary Rubin, a double board certified allergist and immunologist and pediatrician
0:44.9	and the New York Times bestselling author of All About Allergies. We spoke about something that had
0:51.3	completely taken over the internet while I was on book tour for
0:54.9	the new perimenopause, the connection between histamine, mass cells, and women's hormonal
1:01.6	health. What I did not fully appreciate until this interview is how much our immune system
1:07.8	is wrapped up in all of it. Here's my conversation with Dr. Rubin.
1:12.5	I'm Dr. Mary Claire Haver, a board certified obstetrician and gynecologist and certified menopause
1:18.7	practitioner. I'm also an adjunct professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University
1:24.7	of Texas Medical Branch. Welcome to Unpaused, the podcast where we cut through the silence and talk about what it really
1:33.0	takes for women to thrive in the second half of life.
1:52.0	Hi, everyone. And today I'm going to be interviewing Dr. Zachary Rubin, the New York Times bestselling author of All About Allergies. When I was on book tour in the last two to three weeks,
1:57.8	something really exploded on the internet. It was on my threads. It was all
2:02.3	over TikTok and Instagram. I was telling everyone that this kind of topic exploded while I was on
2:08.8	book tour. And as you know, having been a New York Times bestselling author yourself,
	...

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