Effective Natural Remedies for Alpha-Gal Syndrome Relief

on Nov 17, 2023| Modified on Oct 09, 2024
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Alpha-Gal Syndrome Remedies

Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS) is a complex allergic condition caused by sensitivity to galactose-α-1,3-galactose, a sugar molecule predominantly present in red meat and various mammalian products.

This syndrome can manifest in a spectrum of symptoms, from mild reactions like hives and digestive disturbances to severe cases that may result in anaphylaxis. AGS is often triggered by tick bites, making it a unique and challenging condition to diagnose and manage.

While strict avoidance of foods containing alpha-gal is essential, there are also numerous natural remedies and lifestyle adjustments that can aid in symptom management and improve overall health for those living with AGS. In this article, we explore various holistic approaches that offer relief and support to individuals dealing with Alpha-Gal Syndrome.

1. Dietary Adjustments

  • Plant-Based Diet: Emphasizing a plant-based diet can be beneficial for AGS sufferers. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes don't contain alpha-gal and are safe options.
  • Dairy Alternatives: Many individuals with AGS can tolerate dairy products, but for those who can't, plant-based milk and cheese alternatives made from soy, almond, or coconut are great options.
  • Safe Meat Choices: Poultry and fish do not carry alpha-gal, making them safe protein sources for individuals with AGS.

2. Herbal Supplements

Certain herbal remedies can help manage allergic reactions and boost the immune system.

  • Quercetin: This natural antihistamine found in apples, berries, and onions can help reduce allergic reactions.
  • Butterbur: Known for its anti-inflammatory properties, butterbur can help with respiratory symptoms associated with AGS.
  • Probiotics: These beneficial bacteria can help strengthen the gut microbiome, which is crucial for immune health.

3. Lifestyle Changes

  • Stress Management: Stress can exacerbate allergic reactions. Techniques such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing exercises can help manage stress levels.
  • Regular Exercise: Engaging in regular physical activity can improve overall health and strengthen the immune system.
  • Adequate Sleep: Ensuring sufficient sleep is vital for immune health and can help the body cope better with allergies.

4. Homeopathic Remedies

Some AGS sufferers find relief with homeopathic treatments, although these should be taken under the guidance of a healthcare professional.

  • Apis Mellifica: Used for treating hives and swelling.
  • Urtica Urens: Often used for skin itching and hives.

5. Avoidance of Trigger Foods

  • Label Reading: Carefully read labels to avoid hidden sources of alpha-gal in foods and medications.
  • Cross-Contamination Awareness: Be mindful of cross-contamination in kitchens and when dining out.

Community Insights on Alpha Gal Syndrome

"Mama to Many," a popular community member on Earth Clinic for over a decade, shared her personal journey with Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS). Initially, she noticed health issues such as chronic sinus congestion and digestive problems like stomach cramps and diarrhea. After eliminating dairy and undergoing allergy testing, she discovered she had a beef allergy. This revelation led her to connect her symptoms with the consumption of mammalian meat products, such as beef broth, sausage, bacon, and gelatin powder. Noticing a significant improvement upon avoiding these products, she suspected AGS and planned further bloodwork with her doctor.

In the same discussion, Mama to Many addressed a contrasting opinion suggesting AGS results from additives in meat and vaccines. She countered this by recounting her own experience of developing AGS after a tick bite, despite not having vaccines for many years. She also cited cases from her community, including a vegetarian friend and another who consumes home-farmed meat, both avoiding vaccines but still developing AGS. These anecdotes, along with the higher incidence of AGS in areas with dense tick populations, support the link between tick bites and AGS, challenging the alternative theory of its origin from meat additives or vaccines.

Through her experiences and observations, Mama to Many emphasizes the complexity of AGS and the importance of considering environmental factors and personal health histories in understanding this condition.

Conclusion

Managing Alpha-Gal Syndrome naturally involves a combination of dietary changes, herbal supplements, lifestyle modifications, and, where appropriate, homeopathic remedies. While these natural approaches can help alleviate symptoms, it's essential to work with a healthcare professional for a personalized treatment plan.

Continue reading below for feedback from Earth Clinic readers about AGS and please join the conversation!

Related Links:

Home Remedies to Treat Food Allergies
Natural Remedies for Lyme Disease


Avoid Meat

2 User Reviews
5 star (2) 
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Posted by Mama to Many (TN) on 11/07/2019
★★★★★

Hi all,

Life had been busy with kids and grandbabies and my mother in laws needs, so I haven't had much time to post. I still read the latest posts most days though and love hearing what everyone is learning!

I am writing to just put out there a heads up about alpha gal syndrome, which is basically a meat/mammalian allergy caused by tick bites, often from the lone star tick. There is lots of info on the web, but the symptoms are random and it isn't easily diagnosed. I think I have alpha gal syndrome based on some symptoms and some recent bloodwork.

Here's my story:

I had eliminated dairy over the summer, suspecting it was the cause of my chronic sinus congestion. It did greatly reduce my congestion but I mentioned it to my primary doctor who offered to run some allergy testing to see if there was something else that might be a factor.
The results showed a beef allergy and dairy allergy among other things.

That's when a lot of things started to make sense.

I was shocked at the beef allergy. I eat beef and beef broth and have never noticed any issue.
But the more I thought about it the more the dots connected.

Last spring I bought some collagen powder to add to my coffee. I thought it would help my hair and nails.

Three days in a row I added it to my morning coffee. Every afternoon I was having stomach cramps and diarrhea. I just figured collagen powder wasn't all it was chalked up to and bought just gelatin powder. Same results. So I gave up.

All summer it seemed that my digestion wasn't great. I was prone to cramps and diarrhea at random times, but I had no idea what caused it.

Now I realize it was meat. Beef broth. Gelatin. Sausage, bacon. Beans seasoned with pork. And on and on and on.

With Alpha Gal Syndrome, you can't eat any kind of meat from any 4 legged animals. Chicken and fish are okay. Some people can and some cant have dairy products. Dairy has never agreed with me much, so I don't know if Alpha Gal is the reason it bothers me currently or not.

I have been off all mammal products for a week and my digestion has been perfect. Not one cramp. No diarrhea. No bloating. My doctor is going to do bloodwork to confirm alpha gal next time I go in.

Alpha gal can cause an anaphylaxis reaction. And the reactions can be delayed from the time of exposure – 2-8 hours, so the connection is not easily made. It can also be in medications – heparin, gelatin based capsules, vaccines, etc.

I won't try and do a complete education about Alpha Gal. There is plenty of info.
Just keep it on your radar for yourself and your loved ones!

That's all for now!

~Mama to Many~

Replied by Maria
(Memphis)
12/24/2019

Mama, you are not alone. I've been diagnosed with Alpha-gal after going into anaphylactic shock. Was bitten by a lone star tick a few months prior. So, crazy. I now can't tolerate dairy either. I have to be so careful and it's not that hard at home. The biggest problem I've run into is cross-contamination at restaurants. If in doubt, don't chance it. On the bright side, there's a chance the allergy can wear off in time. I will be tested once yearly.

Good luck.

Replied by Scott
(everywhere)
05/09/2020
★★★★★

Try an alkaline diet or fermented foods. I hear people have had good success with that.

Replied by Shelia
(Fort Collins, Colorado)
11/30/2021

It's not from ticks, it's from stuff they put in our meats and from vaccines.

Replied by Mama to Many
(TN)
11/30/2021

Hi Sheila,

I'm curious about the science behind your assertion. It does not match my experience of that of friends with alpha gal.

I have not had a vaccine in 50 years and developed alpha gal after a lone star tick bite.

A vegetarian friend who does not get vaccines developed alpha gal.

Another friend who does not get vaccinated and eats meat raised on his farm developed alpha gal.

We are surrounded by woods here and tick borne diseases like Lyme and Alpha gal are common. We had a dog get very ill with Ehrlichia, another tick disease.

I do not have evidence to rule out that additives to meat and vaccines cause alpha gal, but I am certainly convinced by experience and logic that tick bites can cause alpha gal.

I do think that if alpha gal were caused by vaccines and meat and not by ticks that the incidence of alpha gal would be more evenly distributed on the map instead of concentrated in areas that have higher levels of ticks and other tick borne diseases. But that is not the case.

~Mama to Many~

Replied by Alan
(W.Yorks)
08/20/2022

According to many in alternative health there are just two causes of disease, toxicity and deficiency. Like a glass of water that's full to the brim, if our bodies are at a toxic tipping point, just one mouthful of the wrong food and we have a reaction. I've had a number of episodes of something similar to sleep apnea which is very frightening. I suspect all animal flesh including fish but especially mammalian meat, dairy, nuts, soy, grains. I have sinus and phlegm problems all the time, itching, diarrea, acid reflux and autoimmune disease for 40 years. I will try eliminating suspect foods and intermittent fasting and taking acidophilus. Thanks to everyone who shares their experience.

Replied by Concerned mom
(Middle TN)
11/17/2023

Do you know anyone with support for this in TN?

I am curious as someone in my family has it and it has been very difficult. They seem to get ascites and abdominal pain (not cramps, just ongoing pain in the stomach) and no other symptoms. It's been confusing and difficult. I've found someone on reddit that has an allergy to grapes and tomatos that started after alpha gal. This has been exactly the same for us here and it clicked after reading that thankfully so that has been a blessing. I am wondering what else might also be causing an autoimmune response now and keeping this person in pain. It seems peanut butter and cinnamon may be possible culprits. It's been weeks since we've eliminated all mammalian products and derivatives and being extremely careful.

Looking for support on this from anyone who has insights. I'm sure by a year from now it will be it's own page. The PTB seem to be intent on 'plagues'

Mama To Many
(Tennessee)
11/18/2023

Hi Concerned Mom,

I have heard third-hand of a couple of people being healed of Alpha Gal through acupuncture. One of them went somewhere in Franklin, TN. I see that the Franklin Acupuncture Clinic has something on their website about treating Alpha Gal. I have had Alpha Gal for many years and know many people with it. It is very common here in Middle TN, unfortunately. I have known of people going into remission but getting tick or chigger bites again can bring symptoms back.

~Mama to Many~

Replied by Rob
(Kentucky)
11/17/2023

I've seen an explosion of Alpha-gal here in western kentucky. I have not seen a specific treatment for it so I've been recommending herbal lyme's disease treatments with about 50% success rate.

Yes, there needs to be a page on EC for this disease.

EC: Thanks for the suggestion. A new page was created and posts on AGS moved over!

Replied by Hollyhock
(America)
11/17/2023

Rob from Kentucky, what herbal treatments do you suggest? And many thanks!

Replied by Rob
(Kentucky)
11/17/2023

Since there is no current treatment for Alpha-gal, I recommend treating it like lyme's disease. I have seen a 50/50 result using these herbs. Ticks that cause alpha-gal syndrome are believed to carry alpha-gal molecules from the blood of the animals they commonly bite, such as cows, sheep etc.... When a carrier tick bites a human, the tick injects alpha-gal into the person's body.

For unknown reasons, some people have such a strong immune response to these molecules that they can no longer eat red meat or products made from mammals without a mild to severe allergic reaction. People who are exposed to many tick bites over time may develop more-severe symptoms.

In a 2017 study they found that essential oils from oregano, cinnamon bark, clove buds, citronella, and wintergreen killed stationary phase Lyme bacteria even more potently than daptomycin, the champion among tested pharmaceuticals.

In a study, published Oct. 16, 2018 in the journal Antibiotics, included lab-dish tests of 35 essential oils—oils that are pressed from plants or their fruits and contain the plant's main fragrance, or "essence." The Bloomberg School researchers found that 10 of these, including oils from garlic cloves, myrhh trees, thyme leaves, cinnamon bark, allspice berries, and cumin seeds, showed strong killing activity against dormant and slow-growing "persister" forms of the Lyme disease bacterium.

For the new study, the researchers tested 35 essential oils at four different concentrations against seven-day-old laboratory-grown Bb stationary phase bacteria, which are enriched in persisters and biofilm-like micro-colonies.

A week later, they examined the cultures and identified 18 essential oils (at 1% concentration) which were similar to daptomycin in their antibacterial activity against Bb.

Further study revealed that oregano, cinnamon bark and clove bud were the most effective essential oils because of their high activity against Bb, at the lowest concentration of 0.125%.

To specify the active ingredients of oregano oil, the researchers further tested the three major components and discovered carvacrol (at either 0.1% or 0.05% concentration) was the most active ingredient in oregano oil.

In fact, carvacrol was highly effective against all phases of Bb, including the active spirochetal phase, the stationary (non-growing) phase and the biofilm-like structures. Importantly, oregano and carvacrol appear to be more active than daptomycin and seem to dissolve the most difficult to kill biofilm structures.

To confirm their results, the researchers re-tested their top six essential oils. After 21 days, there was no regrowth of Bb in three of them—oregano, cinnamon bark and clove bud. The other three oils, citronella, geranium bourbon and wintergreen, did not completely kill the organism, with many spirochetes still visible after 21 days.

Renowned Lyme specialist Dr Klinghardt recommends taking 2 drops of medical grade frankincense internally 2x daily. He also advises putting 2 drops of oregano oil mixed with coconut oil on the bottoms of the feet 2x per day. Note: I recommend taking oregano internally.

If you are in relatively good health with no underlying health conditions… I'd hit it with all the above.


EFT, Colloidal Silver

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Hollyhock (America ) on 10/09/2024
★★★★★

Found this post from The Natural Health Library, I found it interesting about eating grass fed beef, and also the use of colloidal silver.

Terry Chamberlin

Alpha-gal syndrome:

Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is a serious food allergy to red meat. It occurs most often in adults bitten by certain types of ticks. Symptoms range from mild to severe and can vary over time. Meat from any kind of mammal — beef, lamb, pork, goat, and even whale and seal — can cause an allergic reaction. While meat allergy is uncommon, more cases have been reported in the past few years and the numbers continue to rise due to increased recognition of the diagnosis.

A bite from the Lone Star tick can cause people to develop an allergy to red meat, including beef and pork. The Lone Star tick has been implicated in initiating the red meat allergy in the US, and this tick is found predominantly in the Southeast, from Texasto Iowa and into New England.

Natural treatment options include EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) tapping and using the Pulse Test and muscle testing to determine more exactly which meats/foods are causing a reaction.

Many people have found that allergic reactions occur less or not at all when the meat has been raised in a 100% grass-fed and pastured environment.

Some have reported experiencing improvement when generous daily colloidal silver ingestion (sometimes 1 quart/liter per day) is a part of their diet/supplementation.

People with a strong immune system tend to experience Alpha-gal and other allergy symptoms less often or not as severe.

Use the search option here in our group (a small magnifying glass symbol) to search for "The allergy thing" and "Ultimate Health".


Oregano Oil

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 12/19/2023
★★★★★

I wanted to post this while it was on my mind and I had some free time.

A patient "Chad" called me today to tell me about his alpha-gal "diagnosed via testing" he had contracted this past summer while horseback riding with a group of other men. All of them came down with Alpha-gal and all pulled ticks off them.

As previously mentioned, there is no set treatment yet for this disease. And the posted data as to its cause form reseachers/labs is very sketchy to say the least.

Chad was complaining about the joint pain caused by this disease. He asked if I could treat him and I agreed. I like a good challenge.

Since Alpha-gal seems to be caused by a tick bite just like all the other tick-borne diseases like Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, Babesiosis, Powassan, Rocky mountain spotted fever, Lyme's, etc... I've chosen to treat it the same way as any other of the listed tick disease's.

Based on research and results from a 2017 petri-dish study on Lyme's disease caused by ticks, I choose oregano for its high activity against spirochetes, at lowest concentration of 0.125%. Plus, it had the lowest side effects attached to its use than the other herbs listed in the study. How this translates to the human body will be different due to the division of cell walls. You will just need to crack up the dosages.

I put him on my homemade wildcrafted oregano capsules 2 times daily with food because they are the strongest I can make and they can cause upset stomach.

He has been on them now for 25 days and he was happy to report that his joint pain has been reduced by 50%. Over all feeling better. So he wanted to order two more bottles from me to continue this treatment for another 50 days.

Based on the initial results this experiment, I would say that wildcrafted oregano will be a good choice for treatment of this disease. Just don't expect any major results overnite.

If I can remember, I'll post again his results in 2 months of taking the wildcrafted oregano.

Hope this helps....

Replied by Hollyhock
(America)
12/19/2023

Rob, I have a question, my golden retriever gets yearly lyme disease. The vet always puts her on 30 day treatment of doxycycline. Last fall she even had anaplasmosis, it was the sickest she'd ever been! We live in the northeast where ticks are rampant! Can a dog be put on oregano capsules? Thank you.

Rob
(Kentucky)
12/19/2023

@ Hollyhock

To give Oil of Oregano it to your dog add 1-2 drops of pre-diluted oil of oregano to their food. Avoid if dog has seizures.

Replied by Lorita
(WV)
04/17/2024

Why not try Ivermectin. You know the horse paste that was demonized during 2020. Did you ever hear of Dirt road discussions on Telegram. There is a whole protocol for it, for the paste and liquid version, he has everything you need to know about it. Lymes disease, this has helped a lot of people. I don't know if it helps with alpha gal though, joint pain absolutely!

Replied by Emma
(MA)
07/21/2024

Can you please tell me more about the wildcrafted oregano capsules you mention? I make triple soaked oregano tincture but I have not made capsules. My friends and family suffer from a lot of Lyme and AGS and I would love to make natural aid to help them. Thank you! Emma

Mama To Many
(Tennessee)
07/22/2024

Hi Emma,

I am not familiar with Oregano oil use for Alpha Gal. I could see it being a good remedy for tick born diseases that cause infection, like Lyme or Ehrlichia, but Alpha gal is a tick induced allergy. (But then again maybe oregano oil can heal an allergy.)

Anyway, I have had Alpha Gal for 5 years but haven't made treating it a priority. As a former vegetarian I haven't minded a mammal free diet. However, since I am getting my other allergies treated through immunotherapy, I will go ahead and get the alpha gal treated that way, too. She has had success healing alpha gal through immunotherapy. There is also an acupuncture practice in Franklin, TN that treats alpha gal with acupuncture. I know a couple of people for whom that has been successful.

~Mama to Many~

Madelyn
(Idaho)
07/23/2024

Hi Mama to Many,

I hope to hear back from you how everything goes with immunotherapy for you. I'm interested in learning more about immunotherapy since I know very little, and it's great hearing about other people's experiences and results.



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