This is shared with permission from a good friend who's been fighting the after-effects of a bite of a Lone Star tick last spring. Think about how your life would be if you were having to make all these modifications to prevent a full-on allergic reaction. Pay attention and "use protection"!!


Happy Easter Everyone! Since we are getting into tick season here is my PSA regarding Alpha Gal Syndrome and all of the adjustments I have had to make to avoid allergic reactions due to being bitten by the little ...hole. Everyone's reactions to this allergy are so very different. And now it's not just the lone star tick it's also deer ticks and chiggers to watch out for. I can only eat Perdue chicken as it is the only chicken where the chickens are fed a vegetarian diet. I have to grind my own turkey because all of the ground turkeys I've found so far have "Natural Flavors" or rosemary extract, so I react to those. I've changed out all of the following to vegan products: Shampoo, conditioner, lotions, make-up, chapstick, band-aids (react to the adhesive), face wash, hand soap, laundry detergent, had to switch to Children's Liquid Xyzal as the pill form contains lactose, toothpaste, even some brands of water and juice are filtered using bone char (Sugar also), vitamins, tylenol (cannot have gel caps) can't even use the tylenol brand, had to switch to organic ketchup, razors, switched all foods to dairy free: plant based butter, oat/coconut milk, plant based cheese (It doesn't agree with me so I try to avoid that, nutritional yeast is a good substitute), and plant based ranch. My dog now gets all chicken food and treats. I wear cleaning gloves to feed the calf so I don't get the milk replacer on me. You have to read the labels on EVERYTHING even frozen vegetables are not just frozen vegetables. Going out to eat is very very hard. McDonalds coats their fries in beef, other places use beef tallow to fry. If I do go out I try to be the first one there to reduce the possibility of cross contamination as much as possible. Oh, and I also react to fumes which is why I'm not attending family Easter this year. Pork fumes are the worst but beef fumes aren't much better. My longest streak so far without a reaction since last June 2024 has been 8 days. I've still got work to do and still finding out new things every day. I could go on and on but be safe my friends! And if you do test positive, I can help you! Yes, we are thinking about raising our own Chickens and Turkeys. My next projects is trying to make my own Chicken brats...stay tuned!