Allergy Care
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS)
By Dr. Anthony J. Gordon, Doctor of Acupuncture | Last reviewed September 2026
Flushing that comes out of nowhere. A stomach that reacts to a food that was fine last week. Episodes that hit your skin, gut and breathing at the same time, after a long road to a diagnosis. Dr. Gordon offers Soliman Auricular Allergy Treatment (SAAT) for MCAS patients with identified triggers, at his North New Hyde Park clinic, as an addition to the care your physician leads.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (516) 597-5400.
SAAT at a Glance
Certified provider
Fully certified in the SAAT protocol and on Dr. Soliman's practitioner list
Focus
SAAT for alpha-gal syndrome and MCAS only
Implants
Tiny 3 mm intradermal implants stay in for three weeks
Clinic
North New Hyde Park, on Union Turnpike
Understanding the Condition
Understanding MCAS
Mast cells are immune cells that release histamine and other chemicals when they sense a threat. In mast cell activation syndrome, they release those chemicals too easily. The result is repeated episodes of symptoms in two or more parts of the body.
MCAS is not the same as systemic mastocytosis, which is a separate blood disorder. Cleveland Clinic describes MCAS as rare, with specific criteria for diagnosis, and notes there is not yet enough reliable data to know whether it can go away over time.
At a Glance
What happens
Mast cells release chemicals too easily, causing repeated episodes
Body systems involved
Skin, gut, breathing, heart and blood pressure, two or more at a time
How it is diagnosed
By a physician: symptoms in two or more systems, lab evidence such as a raised blood marker (tryptase) during a flare, and improvement with mast cell medications
Usual medical treatment
Prescribed by your physician, such as antihistamines, mast cell stabilizers and epinephrine for severe reactions
How It Happens
What happens in mast cell activation
In MCAS, mast cells release their chemicals too easily, causing repeated episodes.
Resting mast cell
Histamine and other chemicals are stored inside.
Activated mast cell
The chemicals are released into the body.
Symptoms show up in two or more of these at once
Skin
Flushing, hives, swelling
Gut
Cramping, diarrhea, vomiting
Breathing
Wheezing, cough, stuffy nose
Heart and blood pressure
Low blood pressure, lightheadedness, fainting
Signs and Symptoms
Does This Sound Like You?
Flushing, hives or swelling
Of the eyes, lips, tongue or throat.
Abdominal cramping, diarrhea or vomiting
Wheezing, cough or shortness of breath
Or a stuffy nose.
Lightheadedness, low blood pressure or fainting
Episodes that involve two or more of these at once
A severe reaction or anaphylaxis is an emergency. Use your epinephrine as your physician directed and call 911.
Treatment
How SAAT Is Used for MCAS
SAAT is aimed at specific triggers, so it fits best when you and your physician have identified some, such as certain foods or environmental allergens. Dr. Gordon first does a polarity reset to calm your nervous system out of fight-or-flight mode, which in his experience makes the treatment more effective and the right ear points much easier to find. Then you hold a vial of the trigger while he scans your outer ear several times with a high-precision point finder and grades each active point to choose the most effective ones. These points are different for everyone.
Depending on your case, 1 to 6 intradermal needle implants, each only 3 mm long, are placed almost flat in the skin of the ear and covered with a small, skin-colored round bandage held with surgical adhesive. When six active points can be found, he uses all six for the most benefit. They stay for three weeks. Dr. Gordon is fully certified in the SAAT protocol and focuses his SAAT practice on MCAS and alpha-gal syndrome.
More than one trigger can be treated, and you decide together with him which ones come first, starting with those that affect your daily life most. If you also have alpha-gal syndrome, Dr. Gordon treats both in the same visit.
See each step on the SAAT pageWhat We Know and What We Do Not
The published research on SAAT is a 2021 case series of 137 patients with alpha-gal syndrome, described on the Alpha-Gal Syndrome page. SAAT has not yet been studied in MCAS.
Dr. Gordon offers it to MCAS patients as an addition to their medical care, with clear expectations, and he never asks anyone to change their medications. In Dr. Gordon's practice, MCAS patients treated with SAAT have reported a reduction in inflammatory symptoms. That is his clinical experience, not a study result.
Read about the alpha-gal researchYour First Visit
Your First SAAT Visit
Review your history
Your episodes, known triggers, test results and current medications.
Choose where to start
You and Dr. Gordon pick the triggers to treat first.
Treatment
After a polarity reset to calm your nervous system, you hold the trigger vial while Dr. Gordon finds and grades your active points with a high-precision point finder, then places the implants.
Aftercare
While the implants are in: no swimming, hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms or heavy daily sweating. For showers the clinic gives you an ear shower cap, and they are also inexpensive on Amazon. The covered implants are very water resistant, so a little water is fine; they are just not waterproof.
Follow-up
After 2.5 to 3 weeks the implants come out, at the clinic at no charge or at home, and Dr. Gordon plans any next steps.
See a physician first if
- You have not been evaluated for MCAS. A physician, often an allergist or immunologist, makes the diagnosis.
Before Your Visit
Before you book
Pick a time when you will not be swimming, using a hot tub, sauna or steam room, or sweating heavily every day for the next 3 weeks. If you are allergic to adhesive bandages, let the clinic know ahead of time so Dr. Gordon can adjust the covering.
Bring to your first visit
Your diagnosis and lab results, a list of your known triggers, your medication list, and your epinephrine.
SAAT and Your Physician
SAAT does not replace your physician's care. Keep carrying your epinephrine, keep taking your medications as prescribed, and talk with your physician before reintroducing any trigger food or changing a medication.
Common Questions
Answers About MCAS and SAAT
Still have a question about MCAS or SAAT? Send it to the clinic and Dr. Gordon will get back to you.
Contact the ClinicNo. Systemic mastocytosis is a separate blood disorder.
Not yet. The published case series covers alpha-gal syndrome. In Dr. Gordon's practice, patients have reported a reduction in inflammatory symptoms, but that has not been measured in a study.
Yes. Keep taking every medication as prescribed. Any change is a decision for your physician.
With the specific triggers you can identify that affect your daily life most.
It depends on how many triggers Dr. Gordon treats. Each implant stays in for three weeks, and he maps out a plan at your first visit. If you have alpha-gal too, both are treated in the same visit.
Dr. Gordon recommends an evaluation by an allergist or immunologist before starting SAAT.
No. The fee is listed on the SAAT page.
About Dr. Anthony J. Gordon
Dr. Anthony J. Gordon is a Doctor of Acupuncture licensed in New York and board certified. He holds ASE certification in intrapelvic and extrapelvic dry needling, along with advanced certifications in Functional Dry Needling and Neuro-Functional Acupuncture. With more than 18 years of clinical experience and over 3,000 complex cases treated, he focuses on pelvic, spinal and orthopedic conditions that have not responded to standard care, and works closely with each patient's physicians and physical therapists.
Read Dr. Gordon's full bioFurther Reading
Living With MCAS: Where SAAT Fits and What We Do Not Know Yet
From the blog: SAAT has no published research in MCAS. Where it may fit beside the care your physician leads, what is still unknown, and how to keep your safety plan in place.
Ready to Talk About MCAS?
Book a SAAT visit with Dr. Gordon at the North New Hyde Park clinic, or call with your questions first.
1508 Union Turnpike, Suite 133, North New Hyde Park, NY 11040