Alpha gal and the lone star tick
In Spring 2020, I was bitten by a lone star tick and developed a meat allergy known as Alpha-gal Syndrome. I reacted to meat, dairy, and gelatin. It was unbelievable how many products contained animal-derived ingredients in some form.
Benadryl is commonly taken to treat allergic reactions, yet it made my symptoms worse because some pressed pills use animal-derived ingredients as binders or fillers. Removing meat from my diet wasn’t enough. I once reacted after eating a plain meal of store-bought pasta. Later I discovered the pasta had vitamin D added, and one form — vitamin D3 — can be made from sheep’s wool. The nightmare continued when I discovered even the toothpaste I used could trigger reactions. Another concern was “natural flavors,” a common ingredient that can sometimes be derived from beef or pork stock.
For me, a typical reaction involved heavy mucus production and coughing throughout the day and night. On nights when I took Benadryl to sleep, I feared drowning in mucus. The constant coughing often led to bronchitis, and stagnant mucus sometimes became infected.
Western medicine currently has no universally accepted cure for Alpha-gal Syndrome, and at one point I thought my life was over. Thankfully, my wife discovered a treatment route through acupuncture called SAAT (Soliman Auricular Allergy Treatment), a specialized ear-acupuncture technique developed by Dr. Nader Soliman around 2003 and built upon the work of French physician Dr. Paul Nogier in the 1960s.
After five months of suffering, I began treatment. I can’t rationally explain the testing process, but three micro-needles were placed in my ear and secured there for three weeks. The needles were about the length of a pinky fingernail and as thin as a human hair.
During the first week, my reactions became worse before gradually calming down. Since then, the symptoms have largely stayed away. After the needles were removed, I waited a week before testing a single ounce of milk. A few days later, I ate half a marshmallow. Eventually, I returned to a normal diet. About a month ago, some Alpha-gal symptoms began to reappear, and I returned for another treatment. This time, the standard is to leave the needles in place for four weeks.
Life is precious and should never be taken for granted.
Christopher Cooper