Avoid Meat
★★★★★
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~
(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.
(everywhere)
05/09/2020
★★★★★
Try an alkaline diet or fermented foods. I hear people have had good success with that.
(Fort Collins, Colorado)
11/30/2021
(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~
(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.
(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'
(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~
(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!
(America)
11/17/2023
(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.
Oregano Oil
★★★★★
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....
(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.
(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.
(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!
