What is alpha-gal syndrome?
Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is an allergy to meat from mammals caused by a reaction to galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, often called “alpha-gal” for short. It is a type of sugar occurring naturally in all mammals except humans and some other primates. Some patients experience severe life-threatening anaphylactic reactions when exposed to meat from mammals or products made from mammals (such as gelatin, milk, butter), and to some forms of seaweed (carrageenan has a chemical structure similar to alpha-gal) often found in products as a thickener or stabilizer. For some people, even the smell of meat cooking can be enough to trigger an allergic reaction. Because of the use of animal products (and carrageenan) in a variety of products, people with AGS may have allergic reactions to non-food items made with mammalian tissue such as medications, vaccines, medical devices, personal care products, make-up, etc.
AGS develops after a tick bite. In the U.S., AGS is most often associated with the lone-star tick, but it is possible that other ticks may trigger the syndrome. It may take days or weeks for an allergic reaction to occur after a tick bite.
What are the symptoms?
Unlike many allergic reactions that have a quick onset of symptoms, alpha-gal symptoms usually appear 2 to 8 hours after exposure to meat or other mammalian-derived product, which can make initial diagnosis difficult. Symptoms may include:
- Hives or rashes that may also be itchy
- Itching, tingling, or swelling of the lips, mouth, tongue, face, throat, hands or feet
- Diarrhea, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting
- Short of breath, wheezing
- Feeling dizzy, weak, or faint
Allergic reactions can vary from mild to severe. A severe form of allergic reaction is called anaphylaxis. It is a life-threatening emergency that can lead to a patient going into shock or even death. One should call 911 immediately to seek emergency medical help for anaphylaxis, even if one uses an epinephrine auto-injector (ex: EPIPEN, AUVI-Q) and starts feeling better.
Symptoms of anaphylaxis include:
- Severe shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and tightness of throat
- Drop in blood pressure
- Weak, rapid pulse
- Feeling weak or dizzy
- Fainting, loss of consciousness
- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Skin rash with hives or welts
- Feeling of dread or doom
Typically, people with alpha-gal syndrome are not given many options other than just avoiding foods and products from mammals, carrying an epinephrine auto-injector in case of accidental contact or cross-contamination, and avoiding tick bites. Even more discouraging is the fact that, being such a newly discovered syndrome, many health care providers are not even familiar with the condition. A nation-wide survey of 1500 health care providers conducted by the CDC in 2022 found that 42% of health care providers had never heard of alpha-gal syndrome, 35% did not feel confident they could diagnose or know how to manage it, and only about 5% felt very confident they could diagnose it and know how to manage it. Fortunately, there is a recently developed acupuncture technique that has helped a lot of people.
How is alpha-gal syndrome treated with acupuncture?
An acupuncture technique called Soliman Auricular Allergy Treatment (SAAT) was developed and refined by Nader Soliman, MD for more than two decades as a means to provide long-lasting allergy relief using ear acupuncture. A recent study of 126 participants treated using SAAT for alpha-gal syndrome by Bernal et al found that 96% were in remission after the treatment.
We offer SAAT for alpha-gal syndrome at this office and Deborah Hutchinson is a trained and certified provider of SAAT by Dr Nader Soliman.
REFERENCES
Bernal M, Huecker M, Shreffler J, Mittel O, Mittel J, Soliman N. Successful Treatment for Alpha Gal Mammal Product Allergy Using Auricular Acupuncture: A Case Series. Med Acupunct. 2021 Oct 1;33(5):343-348. doi: 10.1089/acu.2021.0010. Epub 2021 Oct 18. PMID: 35003502; PMCID: PMC8729907.
Carpenter A, Drexler NA, McCormick DW, et al. Health Care Provider Knowledge Regarding Alpha-gal Syndrome — United States, March–May 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72:809–814. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7230a1
