ADHD and Health Issues: Underlying connections and a new approach to try

My brain and bod are working 1000x better since putting this info into action, so I can’t help but want to share. So, grab a cuppa, find a comfy spot, and let’s get into the detail – including practical steps you can take today.

Like so many other people around me, my cognition has gotten worse and worse since my son was born nearly 11 years ago. Like many of you, I thought it was just peri(menopause) on top of stress and ADHD. 

But what so many of us are experiencing is much more than this.

Yes, our cognitive loads may be huge, yes all these things collide, but there’s a lot more to this that’s finally beginning to be much better understood. In a nutshell, it’s not just our brain wiring that’s different – we have a number of biological differences beyond the brain.

To be clear, this may not apply to 100% of people with ADHD, but it appears to be relevant to the vast majority. My guess, and other experts also believe, that it applies to all of us, but for some lucky ones, it may be milder and therefore less evident.

Research about the connection between physical health problems and ADHD and how these are interrelated is exploding. While it’s still early days, it’s becoming clear that they’re not just comorbidities – conditions that occur alongside one another – there are underlying biological processes that connect it all.

So, wtf is going on with ADHD and health issues?

Emerging research suggests that three key differences are driving our challenges:

‍ ‘Hyper-extensible’ or extra stretchy tissue – It’s not by chance that we often look young for our age and are super bendy. Unfortunately, though, stretchy tissue throughout the body is not all good news…

A dysregulated autonomic nervous system – Some examples of how this can show up are an overactive fight-flight system and issues with blood pressure, especially dizziness or even fainting when we stand or when we overheat.

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome – This is where mast cells – a type of immune cell that is most famous for releasing histamine – become over-reactive. Lots of us have had stuff we ‘react to’ since childhood, and for some, this gets so bad it can make us very sick in all manner of ways.

But this is where it gets really mind-blowing! 

According to one expert, this trio, which appears to be largely genetic, is likely driving ADHD and all the other neuro-psychiatric conditions in the diagram above, and this theory is catching on.

This model was developed by James Kustow, a UK-based psychiatrist with ADHD who has worked at the interface of physical health problems and psychiatry for decades.* 

Research has yet to prove this 100%, but the existing data is very compelling, and he’s not the only one to believe this is the case. 

I also did a brief video recently about an incredible resource that focuses on treatment of ADHD-related health issues that so many of us experience. It also recognises that these three issues are pivotal, and that settling mast cells down is too—more about this in a moment.

The environment factor

Though the data isn’t in yet, many experts agree—it’s just not in your head that many more of us are getting sick than in years gone by.

This theory proposes that, because we’re exposed to so many more pollutants and other compounds in our environment that humans haven’t evolved with – in food, household products, the list goes on—the degree to which our mast cells are becoming over reactive is increasing. 

THIS may be the factor that has changed and is likely driving the amount of illness and worsening cognition we’re experiencing.

For example, many people are bendy but not all of them are in pain. Once their mast cells go gangbusters, their already somewhat unstable joints are injured by the constant release of inflammatory substances that, for the most part, don’t show up when doctors test for the usual ‘inflammatory markers’. To them, it looks like it’s all in our heads!

(And if you’re not obviously hypermobile, don’t assume this isn’t relevant—stretchy tissue isn’t always obvious and look like classic hypermobility).

That’s just one example… Mast cells can cause havoc anywhere. But as this is not how medical conditions usually work—across multiple systems—this hurts most doctors’ brains, especially since MCAS was only recognised as a formal diagnosis in 2016. Many still haven’t heard of it…

Why this matters

I realise this is a lot… but don’t despair! This understanding is leading to new ways to ensure both our brains and bodies can function at their best!

It’s starting to be much better appreciated that addressing MCAS and autonomic nervous system dysregulation can significantly improve and sometimes even reverse crippling health conditions and cognitive dysfunction. 

I’m talking all of it. hypermobility spectrum disorder/Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), autoimmunity, gut problems, chronic pain, migraines, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, PMDD, endometriosis, cognitive impairment/brain fog, and even reduce the risk of many cancers and dementia, among many others. (Check out the chronic condition guide for the research that links these conditions and that supports that mast cell activation plays a key role in their development).

Just let that sink in for a moment…

Since taking this approach, after more than 10 years of being so crook, I am finally recovering. My brain is working so much better, I’m no longer frazzled, my pain in nearly all joints has reduced enormously, my gut has settled right down, I’m less exhausted, I’m getting less joint injuries, I’m having way less headaches, and they’re rarely blinding. No more swollen glands, weird rashes, goop coming out of my pierced ears, hoarse voice, less congestion.

There have been countless other improvements, but you get the drift. There are still some symptoms I’m managing (tachycardia, high blood pressure spikes, overheating, fatigue and more), but I’ll take these over all the others any day! 

It’s been a process getting better, that’s for sure, because my mast cells had gone completely nuts, especially after COVID in late 2023. If you are also seriously unwell, or maybe have much worse cognition, mental health issues, or an autoimmune condition that isn’t responding to treatment, the more I learn about all this, the more I’m certain it’s a way for so many to turn things around.

If you’re not so unwell, please don’t ignore this info. Read on so you can do what you can to prevent the likelihood of this happening, because it’s rife.

Practical steps forward

When taking this model into consideration, there are two ways we may be able to impact all of this:

a) Settle our nervous systems down and,

b) Settle our mast cells down

I’ll be honest. It’s not always easy to get mast cells to settle down once they’re seriously ramped up. That said, for many people, some relatively simple steps can make a world of difference.

Here are four steps you can take right now to start turning this around or prevent things from getting out of control: