830 Alpha-Gal Allergy

After reading the Thomas Platts-Mills article and checking maps, it was most interesting to me because this may be related to my problem hives. Something to keep in mind on the rare occasion that I eat red meat. Thanks for bringing so much information to the people.

Look forward to your program every Saturday...this week...it was
something I have experienced...about 4 years ago...I had this
alergy..after eating a frozen boxed pizza...and went to the
emergency room to get a shot...scared me to death...I am
very careful about what I eat...deli meat, red meat, etc.
causes a reaction sometimes....thanks for your informative
program...and yes I had a tick on my back a few years ago also.
I have pictures of my hands and legs if you care to see them.
South Carolina listener..

I have a friend who says that she developed allergies to soy and other foods due to a history of tick bites/lyme disease. She was a vegetarian for many years (10-15, I think), but now has had to start eating meat again. You have been talking only about meat, but do you know of other cases in which the allergies developed are to other foods?

I was diagnosed with a meat and pork allegy in 2008. I would have very servere reactions: hives, heart racing, and they would occur during 1-2 oclock in the morning. Oh well, there is no way around it except avoidance. Very sad, I would give anything to have half a hamburger.

I'm am so grateful to hear the show this morning. I have been in the emergency room several times with these symptoms and have been tested and treated for various things including angio edema, heart attack, taken off ace inhibitors for my hypertension, and treated for hives with prednisone which I now also have a horrible reaction to (I'm sorry to say this hasn't been taken very seriously either)!

I have been experiencing these reactions since 2005. I've been convinced I was allergic to beef since 2008 but my Dr.'s basically haven't believed me. I was told by a friend about six months ago it was caused by a tick bite. I could hardly believe it myself so I looked up the studies from VA.

THANK YOU so much for doing this program. I hope this information gets into Dr.'s hands as soon as possible. It's very exciting to hear there is a test for the alpha-gal. I think my allergist will be happy to know about this.

WE TRY TO LISTEN EVERY SATURDAY MORNING. WE ENJOY YOUR PROGRAM
... IT IS SO EDUCATIONAL /INFORMATIVE .

THX THE FISHERS

I've suffered from this allergy for 10 years, hence by delight in hearing this show.

THANK HEAVENS there is now tangible proof that I'm not a picky eater who has invented this allergy to specific meats to be irritating.

I have one one friend who suffers from the same specialized problem. We tried and tried to figure out what we had in common, nothing came to mind except that we had once been married to men from Scotland. Hmmm. All those lambs' tongues and shepards' pies????

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I'm wildly keen to send the radio show's transcript to each and every doctor who think we are all nuts-which I'm not allergic to. Really, some of the allergists have been quite rude and very dim.

A million thanks. Best P

Jim, I'm not sure where your practice is located, but in central Virginia alone we have hundreds of alpha-gal allergic patients, many of whom have been to the ER with anaphylactic reactions to mammalian meat. I would agree that in many areas of the US, alpha-gal allergy should not be a major consideration, but in the southeast, it is absolutely an issue.

As to your concerns about financial gains, I can assure you that Dr. Platts-Mills and the University of Virginia do not profit from any of the commercial assays available.

I had a allergic reaction from eating heavenly ham at a hospital Christmas party. Thank goodness the emergency room was just down the hall, where I spent the afternoon recovering. It turns out I am allergic to carmine food coloring, and apparently it was used to color the ham. It's too bad it is being used to color food nowdays. Its considered a natural coloring,made from cochineal bug. I am highly allergic to it and must carry an epi-pen. It isn't always listed. thanks.

I, too, have this allergy, but was lucky enough to be living in Central VA, getting all of my medical care within the UVA system. So when I asked my family practice doctor to send me to an allergist, I was sent straight into Dr. Platts-Mill's office. They told me immediately what was wrong with me. Yes, avoidance is the only way of life, but it gives those of us infected a very healthy diet. I also can't consume by-products (ie: dairy).

I have to say I'm mystified (and a bit offended) by Dr. Jim's comments (above) that "clinically significant cases are so uncommon that it is appropriately below the radar of most physicians and should be kept low on a differential diagnosis." Surely those of us who have been rushed to the emergency room with no blood pressure and windpipes closing down don't deserve to have our allergy ignored, even if we are a small number! We can't go out to eat easily, or visit friends without great warnings of food needs. There's little to eat in the average grocery store that isn't laden with dairy products or dairy additives for preserving. But all of the trouble feeding ourselves is worth it to avoid losing yet another miserable day to hives, in an antihistamine haze.

I understand that the allergy was originally viewed as mostly isolated to the deer tick's region, but cases are being reported more and more outside of our Mid-Atlantic area. Any research Dr. Mills-Platt and his team of doctors can do to help find a cure and to normalize the lives of those with the Alpha-Gal allergy will be lauded by enough people to make UVA's work invaluable! I for one give them a standing ovation!

I struggled with this problem for 13 years. It started out with beef but after a year extended to all kinds of meat except chicken, turkey, and fish. At first I thought it had something to do with hormones and antibiotics but eating hormone/antibiotic free versions produced the same results. I have even broken out in hives if I spit out a mouthful after realizing there was beef or pork in the food. (I did this once with what I thought was bean dip.)

Doctors have raised their eyebrows and mostly dismissed my description of this occurrence; only the corroboration of my husband has kept friends from disbelief. I started having this issue when living in Piedmont NC where there are a lot of ticks.

About two years ago, I started making and drinking my own kombucha tea. About a year in to this regimen, I accidentally ate a sausage ball (that I thought was a cheeseball) at a reception. Nothing happened. I experimented with small amounts of other meats and was able to eat it with no reaction.

On a trip out west last winter, I wasn't able to continue my kombucha regimen (3x/week), and when I ate beef, I broke out in hives four or five hours later. Back home after resuming the kombucha, I was able to eat meat again.

I realize that this is anecdotal evidence, but I wonder if there's a way that kombucha could acidify my system in a way that would allow easier digestion or affect the tick bite antibodies???

I'm very grateful for the program as is my husband. It's the first time we've ever gotten any validation that this is a documented health issue. I still don't understand the tick bite connection and how the antibodies to a tick bite trigger the reaction, but I plan to listen again when the podcast is available.

I have Alpha-Gal allergy and heard that over time, it will diminish and/or "go away." is this true?

In May-June of 2011, I had three tick bites (three different days) during a work project in Greensboro, NC. This was despite long pants, socks, boots, long sleeved shirt and hat (needless to say, my activity was early in the morning). As a NC native, these were certainly not my first tick bites, but they are the first three that have itched regularly since then. One bite on my back, one on my side and one on my ankle.

Is there any method of determining my level of risk? By the way, I still have two of the ticks in a little bottle. No symptoms so far, but I am naturally a big fan of barbeque and country ham.

P.S. I also have a serious allergy to fire ants for which I carry an epi-pen even though I am seven years into anti-venom injections.

I have had this allergy since 2007 and I generally avoid mammal meat (with a hamburger here and there due to my weakness for them). Why do certain cuts of beef cause a worse reaction, like a filet mignon, but a fatty cut, high fat ground beef, seems to not cause a reaction or far less? Also, do grain fed cows have a different make-up vs. grass fed?

Alpha-Gal, I guess I've had what you describe for some 10-15 yrs. Live in SC, just thought it was me, don't eat mammals, kind of like "kissin yur sister," haha? Oh well. Had all the symptoms described... managed to suffer through them, I didn't think I'd make it one night, still here...hehehe.

Really, it's kind of a blessing in the sense I eat healthier as a result. Very interesting....... Did I hear them comment, people with this condition are more resistant to Lyme Disease??

PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE:

Thanks for sharing your experience. As for Lyme, we're not sure you heard that correctly. You may have to listen to the show again, though, to verify. It posts on Monday.

My allergist detected mild beef and pork reactions probably 6 years ago and ended up diagnosing "anaphylactic shock, cause unknown." Since I live in rural Arkansas, have had many tick bites, and have had severe reactions several hours after eating pork, it looks like I now have a name for why I carry benadryl and an Epi-pen everywhere I go.

I have a question. My 35-year-old daughter (who has been a vegetarian since the age of 19 and has had tick bites in Arkansas) has never had hives or anaphylactic shock -- but, of course, she hasn't eaten meat for 16 years. Her breastfed, non-vegetarian 19-month-old has had two episodes of hives now, and the last one was several hours after eating some ham. Can a child who has never had a tick bite and lives in Europe develop Alpha-gal allergy prenatally or from breast milk??

We live in the Triad area of N.C. A few years ago our daughter had a tick bite and became very ill about 6 days later. She was diagnosed with Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever. She has since moved to Upstate NY and has again had a run in with ticks as well as Lyme's Disease. A few months ago she had a violent reaction after eating a steak. She went to the emergency room but no one had a clue as to what the cause or diagnosis could be. This certainly sheds some light on the subject. Thank you for such a great program.

When I heard this I was so excited. My son began having these exact episodes 7 or 8 years ago and although we have discussed it with a few physicians no one has been able to explain it. He wakes up in the middle of the night with horrible stomach cramps, breaks out in hives and has itching, sometimes wheezing and most times explosive diarrhea. We figured it must be associated with some type of food allergy but had not been able to pinpoint anything specific. Meat didn't even occur to us. Thank you so much.

I have an itching & hives condition for the past 4 months. I have seen an allergy, immunology dr (dr "D") who ordered some labs, later indicating I have "increased thyroid antibodies". My primary dr (dr "C" ) increased my thyroid from 100 to 112 and will ck levels in 3 mos. My allergist. (dr D). she rx'd Allegra am & Zyrtec pm along with a zantac pill with the both. Additional benadryl during the day as needed.

I am not as functional, as I had been earlier prior to the meds, but the itching is in control. However there are a few evenings a week I wake up with welts on my neck & trunk area in geometric formed patches and blotches... perhaps it may have been the meat consumed earlier? (We do a lot of outdoor activities, so I could be a candidate of a tick bite).

I was amazed that I could break out like this, while on all these antihistamines. I believe I need to request this "alpha-gal" lab test. That is what it is called, right? what's your opinion? "uncomfortable in tampa"

Dr. Jim T... you are way off base Doc... Alpha Gal allergy is a real problem and has nearly taken my life on a number of occasions. I've suffered for nearly 20 years. Those UVA boys saved my life.

I currently live in East Tennessee and received a number of tick bites this summer. I grew up in Kentucky so ticks bites are common. What was unusual is that at least one of the ticks was a Lone Star tick which I did not recall being bitten by previously. I recall this summer's tick bites, in general, itching more than usual and the sores lasting longer before healing. I am a vegetarian, and so did not develop the hives that you've discussed from red meat.

However, some weeks following the tick bites, I developed hives and a somewhat elevated heart rate immediately after eating chocolate (not 4 hrs later) on 2 separate occasions but the same week. This was unusual since I haven't developed hives from a food allergy for more than 30 years. Is there any medical evidence to alpha-gal reacting in the body with other foods besides red meat?

I have had three serious incidents including an ambulance to the ER for anaphylaxis 6 hours after eating meat. One incident in Italy after eating rabbit. The other two times were out of state. My allergist advised me to carry an epipen and stop using aspirin. All three times I took two benadryl and that eventually quieted down the swelling (the ambulance trip was when I didn't get the benadryl down until just before I fainted in the drug store cause I was so swollen up and shaky I couldn't get the package open!).

I have been afraid to travel out of my home area not knowing why this was happening and the only time I did I took a daily antihistamine as a precaution. This may be the answer, and I so appreciate this show, now I can follow up with information in hand to check it out.

Hi Sarah, our current research at UVA indicates that if you avoid tick bites and meat, over time your antibody titer to alpha-gal should go down. We are optimistic that this will correlate with a reduction in clinical symptoms, but until we've had more time to study it, we can only really recommend avoidance. You can check out our mammalian meat allergy blog at http://allergytomeat.wordpress.com/ for more information about this allergy. I hope that helps!

Some meat allergies that are more immediate might be caused by mold, especially if the meat is more than 24 hours old. In terms of weird allergies I wish someone would research more about semen allergies. It is estimated to effect between 2-10 percent of females and I am one of them. It's not a huge issue in my life since I am not trying to get pregnant but it will be down the line. I am sick of doctors looking at me like I am insane or just telling me to use condoms, they do not understand it is as scary as any allergy and emotionally painful to know I will never have a "normal" marriage and baby makin' life.

My wife and I both had this type of reaction to beef several years ago. My wife's reaction was much more severe than mine. We had been eating only chicken (that we raised ourself) and fish. When we bought some all grass fed beef we both had this type of reaction.

We currently raise chickens and ducks for meat, and were considering starting to raise rabbits also. Does anyone have any idea if rabbit meat would elicit the same type of reaction as beef?

Thanks,

Bill

PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE:

Better avoid rabbit Bill. Our guest warned about this. Take a moment and download the MP3 file and listen to the show from beginning to end.

During the past year my husband also started breaking out in severe hives during the night and trouble breathing. It took us quite a while to figure out it was the beef that he was reacting too since he is 47 and never had a problem in the past. His doctor basically stated that some people become allergic to beef as they get older. He was in denial for quite a while.

However just came across an article last week regarding the tick bite allergy which now makes sense since he was bitten last summer & this summer. Thank you for this article as we truly believe that is the reason for his allergic reactions. We are located in the Raleigh NC area.

My 16 yr old daughter was diagnosed with Alpha-gal allergy several months ago after several trips to the ER. Thanks to Dr for research! She has all the symptoms- late night reactions, tick bites that itch, swell very large and remain a large hard knot for weeks, and hives. We live on a farm and raise our own beef and lamb. They do not receive hormones and are processed without preservatives, etc.

Rachael handles the sheep and cows daily, shears and pulls lambs. She has plans to become a large animal vet and has worked with university vet in various procedures without any problems. Avoiding mammal meat is just a way of life for her now. We do well at home, but have found that when out with groups (4-H, etc) she often has to do without (hamburger cook out for example). But her friends are understanding as they have seen her have a reaction and don't want to see that again.

I like hamburgers too, but I don't eat beef. You can make a good veggie burger out of a blend of brown rice, wild rice, and pinto or black beans. Experiment until you get the ingredients just the way you like them. Recipes are online.

Blend well, add a little rice wine vinegar and spices you like, top with lettuce, tomato and onions and you will have a satisfying burger.

Or you can find an organic farmer who processes at the farm chickens or turkey and you can make a burger out of ground chicken or turkey.

Organic chicken feed is expensive and raises the price of poultry but worth it to avoid chemicals and brutal treatment of the chickens in slaughterhouses.

Also remember that gelatin is made from hoofs, and that this allergy includes ALL land mammals. Gelatin is hidden in medicines (not just gel tabs), yogurt, dips, marshmallows... I have alpha-gal allergy and must avoid all of the above, unfortunately!

I had my first reaction in 1995. My indicators start with itchy palms, then full blown hives, swelling face/throat and extreme stomach pains. At worst, it's all those symptoms plus diarrhea and throwing up, all simultaneously. I've been in the ER four times. In 1996, Dr. Peter Bressler in Durham NC noticed that the common thread was red meat and the blood test that he ran came back highly positive. Even for awhile after that I'd eat a piece or two of bacon and be okay, but eventually that was causing hives which was a milder reaction than eating a burger. No red meat for me. The upside is I've been more creative in my cooking and can simulate red meat flavors.

I'd be very interested in participating in future studies.
Thanks for your show. I know it's terrible of me to be excited but I was when I heard your promo of red meat allergies.
OH, I do remember several tick bites that gave me more grief than usual. They itched forEVER. I could totally relate to the guy who had them removed.

I have had 3 reactions to pork or beef over the past 2 years with symptoms exactly as described on your show. However, after the stomach cramps the itching and hives usually start within 30 minutes. Consequently I knew I was allergic to pork and beef but just didn't know what the cause was. Ticks are a problem where I live (Oxford, NC) and I receive numerous tick bites every year.

Nice to finally understand this allergy. Thanks for a great show.

Amazing coincidence, this show.

Me: 60 y/o WM, no health problems or previous history of troublesome allergies.

One week before the show, I was doing yard work on the woodsy border of my property where I've received tick bites over the years. I have prolonged itchiness and lingering bite reactions to our Carolina ticks and chiggers.

That evening, I enjoyed a burger at one of our Ninth St pubs, around 7:30PM.

Watched a movie with S.O. then retired, around 12:30 PM

After lights out, became aware of acute itching around belt-line area of body, which rapidly became generalized over legs, arms, flanks.

Became aware of hive-like bumps on body and got up to investigate in the bathroom.

Was horrified to discover hives (flesh colored, not red) growing to a size of 2-3cm, coalescing over shoulders, waist and groin.

I have never itched so much in my life. Don't remember trouble breathing.

From start of symptoms to peak was about an hour. After that, signs and symptoms subsided. I took no meds for this.

After the show, the presumptive Dx is alpha-gal? I think so.

I'll avoid mammal meat after a day in the field, for sure.

Thank you very much for bringing this to light. I hope the doc who writes those health articles in The New Yorker writes about this.

I called my family doc to asked her to order the blood text. Even told her the name of the lab that does it. (The fact that I have this allergy is in my records.) Her nurse called me back to say that "Dr. L has never heard of this and suggests you go to an allergist."

So instead of Dr. L. using this opportunity to actually LEARN something she doesn't know, I have to spend $50 to go to a specialist who will probably want to do all the skin tests that aren't sensitive enough to pick it up?

Still going crazy after all these years!

I've had this allergy since 1993. Before that I had been a vegan for five or six years, then ate hamburger pizza in July 1993 and a Burger King hamburger in August 1993 and had horrible reactions both times, several hours later--big hives, racing heart, anxiety and jitters.

Still, I left vegetarianism behind and started eating meats again, rapidly learning by subsequent hives reactions that I could not eat beef, pork and lamb but could eat chicken, fish, turkey. I could eat yogurt and cheeses, but I once got hives eating very fresh farmer's feta cheese. Most hives reactions occur when I'm away from home eating foods others have prepared. Beef broth hidden in vegetable soup, that sort of thing.

So far I've managed all the hives episodes over the years with Benadryl. I have carried Benadryl in my purse for the last 18 years. I had moved to a wilderness in central North Carolina in 1987, where I have lived ever since. The tick problem has always been horrendous and I have had hundreds, if not thousands, of tick bites these past 24 years, many of them quite itchy. I've had "pods" of 2000 seed ticks hop on me at once and have learned how to get them off of me before they attach (packaging tape).

A couple of years ago a doctor talked to me about the importance of eating red meat (the Weston Price diet) and suggested I could try to de-sensitize myself to red meat by eating a very small amounts of it and gradually increasing the portion size. I did this and, to my amazement, I did not have an allergic reaction and in short order was eating normal-sized portions of grass-fed, natural beef and buffalo a couple of times a week. That honeymoon last for six months. Then, WHAM-O, after eating buffalo meat one night I had the worst hives reaction in recent memory.

Tried again, this time with beef, and WHAM-O again. So I'm back to chicken and fish. I'm glad to know of the tick connection to my meat allergy. I've gotten good over the years at nabbing ticks off of me with packaging tape before they attach and navigating my land to avoid ticks. However, a few days ago I stopped my car along a roadside a few miles from home and stepped out and got seed ticks all over me. Two dozen or so were attached to me by the time I could get home and get them off. Now I've got lots of little itchies.

Should I be concerned about tick bites ever causing me to have an anaphylactic reaction?

In 2009 a doctor finally helped me figure out I was allergic to red meat; basically she had me stop eating certain foods to see if my symptoms stopped. The reaction happened so long after I ate the meat that it took me a while to put the 2 together. I thought the doctor was crazy and didn't believe it until I actually stopped eating red meat.

I feel fortunate to have caught this broadcast. I traveled to Tennessee back in 2005 and was bitten by a tick; I can't remember if it was a lonestar or not but it had been attached for a while before I found it in a dimple on the back of my knee. I didn't have these allergic reactions until late 2005 or early 2006.

Long story short, I've made an appointment with my allergy doctor to see if I have an actual Alpha-Gal allergy, it'd be nice to put a name on it if this is what it is.

Thank you for the very informative show! I have had this problem for 6 years.
It's such a relief to find the cause.

Over the years, I've developed a few strategies for avoiding anaphylaxis. Of
course, I don't knowingly eat meat at restaurants, but if I suspect that the
chicken is cooked on the same grill as the burgers, I take a Claritin
antihistamine with my meal. It doesn't knock me out like Benadryl does. Other
sources of hidden beef or pork are soups and gravy.

When I really want a burger, I make a turkey burger with Pam Anderson's recipe from
her CookSmart cookbook. It uses ricotta cheese for moisture and Worcestershire sauce and dijon mustard for flavor. Comes really close to a beef burger!

I learned to take 4 benadryl when my palms and/or ears began to itch like crazy (usually that is the first sign for me). If the reaction still progressed to widespread hives, I learned to go to an emergency room and just sit in the parking lot or the waiting room without checking in to see if facial swelling and breathing difficulty would begin.

Usually the benadryl kicked in, and I could just go back home. If breathing did become involved, I went to the desk and they whisked me back and started an IV. Claritin doesn't work as well for me.

My first few reactions were just hives (began 9 years ago), but I have had anaphylaxis quite a few times. It took me a long time to figure out the cause, but, I haven't had a serious reaction in 4 years because I figured out the connection and learned to avoid even traces of red meat. Once just smelling bacon cooking up close set it off, but Benadryl quickly solved the problem.

Yes, I first experienced this about 22 years ago and connected the dots over several years by monitoring my own food consumption. I was pooh-poohed by the allergists for the first decade or more until this reseach came to light (physicians: stop ignoring the obvious evidence in favor of the "lack of peer-reviewed research").

More recently, the testing has been developed and I'm positive for beef, lamb and pork, though have also reacted after eating grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic-free bison, as well as venison.

I'm lucky and can occasionally "chip" on these meats, and sometimes end up chasing it successfully with Benadryl if I start to react. It's a game of Russian roulette, I admit, and I can't recommend it to anyone else.

Thanks for the program segment; S O O glad I heard it that day. With your attention to the allergy, perhaps folks won't look so doubtful ... you have what?? meat allergy??

Ditto to all symptoms (many 3:00 AM) mentioned above, except nausea. First occurrence in 1997... 4 ER trips (one a 911 call) plus numerous others Benadryl treated ... kept a "diary" and thought it was meat related (preservative?) until diagnosed by Duke allergist in April 2011... about equally allergic to beef, pork, & lamb.

I live in a wooded area in Henderson, NC and have had numerous tick bites; have A pos blood type.

Two questions - (1) Is well-done meat less likely to cause allergy? (2) Does the amount make a difference (1 bite vs. whole burger)?

I have tolerated Brunswick stew which has beef, pork, and chicken along with many vegetables.

People's Pharmacy response: According to the experts on our show, the reactions may vary from one exposure to the next. But because anaphylaxis is always a potential risk, it doesn't make sense to take the chance.

Finally got this diagnosis in August with the UNC Allergy Clinic. Thanks Dr. Jerath and Dr. Cherazi!!! I had been a puzzle for the last 9 years to my former allergist.

I'm willing to give up the mammal meat but finding the "hidden" meat connections have been very difficult and I don't trust any restaurant although my daughter is a waitress at a restaurant in Durham and she said that if they know of an allergy, they will check everything they have for the customer.

I have 3 questions: 1) what ingredients could be listed on a food label that I might not recognize as meat related, 2) if I give blood, will I pass along this antibody and 3) is there anything in the flu shot that's going to send me back to UNC Hosp?

On my last trip there in August the attending in the ER had never heard of this and kept wanting to treat me for a panic attack. I need a stamp for my forehead! Next time I'll tell him to Google it just like I did - if I haven't passed out!

I have a question about anaphylaxis. When I eat beef or pork lately (the last 5 years or so) within about 2-3 hours usually, I get really intense unrelenting cramping abdominal pain for a number of hours. No hives or itching, or the other listed symptoms, just the belly pain. Does this count as an anaphylactic reaction?

It started with beef, which I've not had any trouble whatsoever giving up, but now has extended to pork, which I do like. Obviously I will be giving that up also, but is this something which I need to discuss with my doctor, or will just not eating those meats do? Should I see about getting an epi-pen? Thanks for the info, and, yes, I live in SW Va, and have been bitten by ticks, including the "itchy" variety. Sally

People's Pharmacy response: Please do discuss this with your doctor. You haven't needed an Epi-Pen yet, but we can't say you won't in the future.

it took years of health problems and 2 near-death experiences before my husband was diagnosed (recently) at UNC. I don't blame the doctors. For quite a while they simply didn't know what they were dealing with. Please continue to get the word out. This kind of informed publicity saves lives.

I know too well the symptoms described, first is intense abdominal pain, followed by diarrhea and/or vomiting. By the time this is happening my ears are burning hot, and all of my bodies orifices begin to itch. Then I am covered in welts and my eyes and face swell up. This almost always occurs in the middle of the night, or sometimes when I wake up. I was diagnosed about 12 years ago by Dr. Platt-Mills. Now my youngest son also is presenting the allergy. We have ticks every Spring and Summer where we live.

I also have learned Epi-Pen works fast, but you can suck on a Benadryl tablet or two under your tongue and that helps in about 45 minutes. The reaction sucks, and is surely a day lost when it happens. I have been to the ER one time it was so severe.

My diet also excludes shellfish, also determined through an allergy test. It is annoying that people dismiss this as nonsense and even sometimes suggest it is "in my head". When the subject comes up, I tell my friends I follow a Kosher/Halal diet for "Spiritual Reasons" and it gives some levity to the situation.

Completely eliminating the "mammal meat" and shellfish for me has prevented a reaction since. I have not stopped consuming dairy products with no concerns. Neither can my son have even tiny bit of that without developing hives though. There is something else I have learned the uncomfortable way: sometimes even fried chicken is cooked in lard or bacon grease, along with lots of other foods in Southern style menus.

I've had these same symptoms for 7 years now. My Dr.s in Delaware didn't have a clue. I had to demand to get tested and then find out on my own where to go. Now I wait to find out. I work with 2 other people that have the same thing. I just wonder about the allergy shots for cats that I am getting. I am very allergic to them. I break out in hives, so are the shots not doing anything? I just think it's part of this alpha-gal allergy and not a real allergy to the dander.

This is so funny, I was away and was staying at a hotel. I started having hives and assumed it was from their detergent. It got worse when I got home in my own sheets. I had several trips to the ER and lived on steroids until I had gotten diagnosed with the beef allergy. Lamb, pork and deer was added to my list of foods to avoid.

I find it strange that the Dr's in my area don't have a clue. The last trip to the ER it took them 2 hours to treat me because they did not believe I reacted 8 hours later. They even asked me if I had done this on purpose!

I just got tested and now I wait. I know it's not going to change anything but at least I'll know. I'm wondering if the shots for cat allergies are hurting me because that is also new with all of this.

after hearing this show, i've been reading other info on the web. one newspaper article stated that a patient had been told if he is not exposed to the allergen again, the allergy can go away.

i don't remember this point being addressed on the show. is it true that the allergy can subside over time?

many thanks for a fine, informative show.

Very interesting about the kombucha. I have the allergy too... I am very interested in your brave experiments with meat after kombucha. Please let the world, or at least me, know if you're onto something. I'm sure there is a way to side-step the allergy. I don't mind not eating meat personally, it's getting hives from cross-contamination at restaurants that's been my biggest problem. And sometimes cheese gets me too, I think. If you're onto something I'd love to hear about it!
Thanks.

Patrick

You can be allergic to dairy and red meat so maybe it was the milk in the chocolate. I experienced the severe red meat allergy in March 2008 after being bitten by two ticks that month in Sydney Australia. I am less allergic but still reactive to dairy. My allergy doctor is fantastic and is researching this area - journo girl

I live in western Massachusetts and about 10 years ago, I found a lone star tick (engorged) attached to my leg after spending time in Holyoke, MA in the woods. It was hypothesized that it may have dropped off a dog as the area was near I-95. Our highways easily spread all kinds of things. Fortunately, I'm a vegetarian. The tick was identified by a tick expert at a university with a particular interest in lone star ticks.

I developed an allergy to pork, beef and most other hooved animals (haven't tried them all) in the mid 1990's. I was a vegetarian off and on during that time and had not been eating red meat very regularly for a year or two.

I have noticed that the symptoms (hives, itching, general feeling of discomfort) are fairly easily treatable with benadryl or claritin. I have also been able to increase my tolerance of red meat by eating increasing amounts of it over a long period of time. About 3 years ago I would react from as little as 1 piece of bacon. At the present time I can eat a slice or two of ham on a sandwich with little or no effect.

My ultimate goal is to be able to once again eat a full plate of North Carolina Barbecue without having to pop any allergy medications.

WE have lived in NC for 44 years, most of that time in Durham. In approx 1980 I developed an allergy to red meat, although no one at Duke, or the Chapel Hill allergist I saw had ever seen anything like my symptoms. I was able to self-diagnose--at first only beef, but quickly found that pork and lamb were also problematic. Usually symptoms started during the night, with intense itching in the wrists and ears. This quickly spread to all-over hives, nausea, vomiting, violent headaches, and lasted for at least 24 hours. Once when we had eaten out it began almost immediately, and I also lost my sight for a short while. Ended up in the ER at Durham regional, where my Duke family physician met us and administered Rx benadryl to hopefully keep airways open. That was my last time eating red meat, but I soon found that the problem had extended to lard--at that time (c. 1980) a common ingredient in many processed foods. Fortunately, because of the cholesterol issue, this became less of a problem here in this country, but is still a major problem when we go to Europe. In fact, my last episode was in 2009 in the UK with eating potato skins in a restaurant there. There has been no tapering off from this allergy for me. Has lard been an issue with other sufferers?

My Husband has had this problem for about 17 years. He grew up on a dairy farm here in CT where we still live. He was told by a Dr at UCONN health center that it was all in his head. That was about 12 years ago.

I told her off and we continued to look for answers. Well this past June he needed open heart surgery. Because of his allergies the surgeon sent him to Dr. Askanas allergy specalist at Yale. He listened to us and told us about Dr .Platts-Mills. He sent him some of my husband s blood and sure enough he had alpha-gal allergy.

Then the concern was that heparin is made from pork or beef, Boy were we in trouble. They were able to load him up on steriods and the surgery was a success.
It was so good to find out there is a name for what he has. He is able to eat deer meat with no trouble but that is the only red meat he can eat. He eats all seafood with no problems. Also anything that is made with anything from pork or beef he can not tolerate which would includes lard.

Another great bit of info I wish I had run across several years ago. I awoke around midnight in late May 2009 with horrific stomach pain. By the time I got up and got into the restroom I could feel my heart racing extremely fast. I turned on the light, and was horrified to see that I was bright red. My arms and chest went numb, and I felt as though I couldn't get any air in. My wife called 911 assuming I was having a heart attack; by the time they got there 10 minutes later I was barely conscious with a BP of 70/40.

I did this about seven times for six months until I ran across an article on an allergy board. Food allergies had been dismissed over and over again to this point. I then had myself tested and finally had a diagnosis.

I travel extensively and it can be tough. I've learned to speak up, and avoid anything grilled for the most part. Unfortunately, if my immune system is weak (bad cold, flu, etc.) I also react to dairy. Normally I have milk, cream, etc. with no problem but not when I am already sick. I went 11 months with no issues, then got nailed just the other day after having a protein shake (whey protein has bovine serum in it, a mammalian meat derivative). So you just never know. I usually take Zyrtec and Accolate (Zafirlukast) daily, which may reduce my symptoms to just elevated BP, red face, with no breathing or circulatory issues. And I always carry epi pens.

Avoid anything with Fur -- seems to be the rule to follow for me.