The Case:  Robin is a 45 year old, super-busy, working mom dealing with aches and pains all over. She’s also experiencing stomach aches and unexplained bladder issues that include pain and burning during urination without a detectable UTI. She’s seen specialists, taken antibiotics, and tried eating healthier but her symptoms just got worse.    The Investigation When I hear that a healthy diet makes someone feel worse, I immediately suspect that the food they are choosing, while healthy on the surface, may not be right for them. This was my suspicion with Robin and I knew it could be one or more of a few things in her diet causing the issue.  I’ve been wanting to invite Dr. Beth O’Hara on the show for a while and I knew this case was right up her alley. Dr. O’Hara is a Functional Naturopath and the owner of Mast Cell 360, a Functional practice specializing in root cause approach to Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, Histamine Intolerance, and related conditions such as oxalates, mold toxicity, and chemical sensitivities. She is a Research Adviser for the Nutrigenetic Research Institute and also works in-depth with genetic analysis.   What are Oxalates? Plants are made up of compounds and oxalates are one of these compounds. Under a microscope, oxalates appear to look like tiny razor blades - they are very sharp molecules. Certain plants have a high number of these compounds which serve as a defense mechanism for the plant. Foods that we consider to be very healthy, could be high in oxalates like spinach, beets, rhubarb, sweet potatoes, and almonds. Oxalates can also be created by our bodies and some fungal species may create oxalates in the body. While many people are able to metabolize these compounds without any issue, there are also many that may not.   The Risk of Elevated Oxalates in the Body Some people struggle to process these oxalates and this can be due to many things  and the oxalates build up. The immune system wants to get rid of this excess which results in inflammation. Overtime, this can become chronic and cause other health issues including kidney stones. however  kidney stones are just the tip of the iceberg and oxalates have also been associated with thyroid issues, autism, endometriosis, bladder issues, vulvodynia, PCOS, diverticulosis/diverticulitis, breast cancer, osteopenia and osteoporosis.    Causes of Elevated Oxalates One of the causes of elevated oxalates is eating a diet rich in foods with high levels of oxalates. However, there are plenty of people who eat these foods and don’t have an issue. There are a few other factors that can cause elevated oxalates.    Genetics   There are four genetic predispositions that may make someone more susceptible to developing an issue with oxalates.    Vitamin Deficiency   A deficiency in B1 or B6 can cause an issue with oxalates   Leaky Gut   When there is a break in the intestinal lining, oxalates can move into the bloodstream and to muscles, joints and even bone, potentially causing many issues.   Mold Toxicity in the Body   Exposure to mold can result in that mold colonizing in the body, which demands a lot from the immune system and can make it difficult for the body to deal with oxalates. Additionally, its possible the dysbiotic bugs may produce even more oxalates to add to the load.   Symptoms of Elevated Oxalates Kidney stones are often noted as a key symptom but only 1% of people experience these. More often, it’s seemingly unassociated symptoms that are hard to nail down like fibromyalgia, joint pain, joint issues, visual problems (including cataracts), lung issues (including asthma), vertigo, urinary tract issues (pain and burning during urination as well as urgency that present like UTIs but no infection is present), and vulvodynia (stinging, burning, and irritation of the vulva).    Mast Cell Activation Syndrome Scientists have been studying Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or MCAS since the 90’s but it has only recently (2016) been given a diagnos