posted
Hello all. I have been reading where lyme sufferers often develop a serious delayed allergy to red meat. Does anyone know if this develops shortly after the tick bite you know within a few weeks to a month or can it develop months or years after the tick bite.
I am asking because I eat red meat and don't want to risk an anaphalytic attack. I have been experiencing noticeable lyme symptoms since February of this year and have been eating red meat the whole time without any reactions.
Do most people with lyme develop this allergy? Ugh! As if we don't have enough to worry about!
Posts: 138 | From US Virgin Islands | Registered: May 2012
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Keebler
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posted
- Most do not develop this and it's not so much from lyme but an allergy to the tick bite, if I recall correctly.
You should probably search out the article that appeared a couple months ago and see if that author has written more about it. Google should get you directly to the source(s) of that information.
I think you would have been well aware had this occurred for you.
Still, it's best to vary foods - don't eat the same thing every day. If you eat red meat, maybe do that just 4 times a week or so. Add in FISH, poultry, high protein vegetables, with lots of good veggies and good fats.
Same with eggs, best to rotate with other foods.
If you enjoy nuts, go for lots of varieties but, still, take a day or two off a week. Variety matters.
My naturopathic doctor has told me that if we don't rotate and vary our diet enough, allergies can develop. Human bodies are designed to sample from nature's sm�rg�sbord.
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to find the expert source(s) of that detail, many reputable links pop up with a Google search for:
Tick, red meat allergy -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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- Now, sometimes, those with a certain liver condition called porphyria can have a lot of trouble with red meat, fowl and maybe even fish. Mostly, it's with red meat.
I had this happen before I knew I had lyme & co., I started hating the idea of red meat. Just could not digest it and that ole standby dx IBS was declared. Wrongly so.
I would later be diagnosed with 2 kinds of genetic porphyria, 3 tick-borne infections and a couple other chronic stealth infection.
Also was diagnosed way too late with a genetic Celiac, so gluten (in wheat, spelt, kamut, rye, barley and in LOTS of processed foods, some lip balms, etc.). That also explained a lot of my gut trouble. Diary, too, clobbered me.
But the allergy that researcher was talking about was far different. Still, my gut was so painful for years. So, I mention these other things to help others be aware.
Sometimes, during lyme & treatment, there can be a "secondary porphyria" with symptoms similar to a herxheimer reaction - and, like a genetic porphyria when flared - a dislike for red meat &/or lower digestive tract trouble can be very severe.
posted
not lyme, co infection ehrlichiosis or STARI is the one that can cause red meat allergy. i've heard though, that the attack isn't as strong as someone who's allergic to peanuts...it's just very uncomfortable for most, but is also uncommon
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map1131
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The study said the Lone Star tick was the carrier of this infection. I don't recall exact identity was given of this bacteria?
Pam
-------------------- "Never, never, never, never, never give up" Winston Churchill Posts: 6478 | From Louisville, Ky | Registered: Jan 2002
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Keebler
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posted
- From MedLine, the SOURCE of this ALLERGY information is:
After exposure to Lone Star tick, some people must avoid red meat thereafter
July 26, 2012
Can a tick bite turn you off red meat for good?
It can if it is the bite of a Lone Star tick, a type that's endemic in the southeastern United States.
This phenomenon has been known for a while, but now new research published online July 20 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine reports on three case studies to illustrate exactly how it may occur.
The Lone Star tick injects spit into a person's body when it bites. The body then develops antibodies in response to a carbohydrate called alpha-gal that is present in the spit.
This carbohydrate substance is also present in red meat. When the bitten person eats meat again, their immune system goes on the warpath, causing an allergic reaction. This reaction is typically delayed, occurring about three to six hours after eating meat.
The reaction can range in severity from mild hives and itching to full-blown anaphylactic shock, according to Dr. Susan Wolver and Dr. Diane Sun at the Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond.
This connection was first discovered somewhat serendipitously by researchers who were trying to determine why a cancer drug called cetuximab (Erbitux) was causing severe allergic reactions in people in the southern states. The sugars in Erbitux are also present in beef, pork and cows' milk.
Calling the phenomenon "the cow's revenge," Dr. Bruce Hirsch, an infectious diseases specialist at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., said, "Lone Star tick bites may well be turning a portion of people in the southeast into involuntary vegetarians."
Tick bites cause a host of other diseases and infections including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The best thing to do is to avoid ticks altogether, Hirsch said.
For starters, avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and use insect repellents that contain 20 percent or more DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) on all exposed skin.
Dr. Bernard Feigenbaum, an allergist at the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said that most people think about Lyme disease when they think about ticks and tick bites.
"This study shows that there can be other allergic consequences," he said. "If a person discovers having reactions or unusual symptoms after eating meat, follow up with a primary care doctor or an allergist to see what is going on."
If you are allergic to red meat, you will need to avoid beef, pork, lamb, venison and other meat from mammals, said Despina Hyde, a nutritionist at the NYU Langone School of Medicine. "Poultry, fish and chicken are OK."
---------------
SOURCES: Bernard A. Feigenbaum, M.D., allergist, NYU Langone Medical Center, and clinical assistant professor of medicine and otolaryngology, NYU Langone School of Medicine, New York City;
Despina Hyde, M.S., nutritionist, NYU Langone Weight Management Program, New York City;
Bruce Hirsch, M.D., infectious diseases specialist, North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, N.Y.;
July 20, 2012, Journal of General Internal Medicine, online -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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- This may (or may not) be more about allergy to the bite, the tick saliva, rather than infection.
And/or it could ALSO be one very early sign of infection, IMO, but the "researchers" likely would never consider that. They should. But they won't. I'd bet on that.
I also wonder if this supposed life-long meat allergy would disappear with assessment / treatment for tick-borne infections?
I would hope they carefully follow each person who has this meat allergy reaction. Hope those folks also learn about LLMDs right away.
The article suggests seeing an allergist but, IME, that has never proved helpful regarding tick-borne disease.
For those who may be newcomers to the topic of lyme:
Most "researchers" say the lone star tick does not carry lyme. That is not true. Some Lone Star ticks have been found to be infected with lyme (Bb).
But, in the SE US, the lone star tick is seen as a carrier for STARI (aka: Masters disease) but some say it's just lyme in disguise.
Whatever it's called, whatever the tick bite: I hope everyone with this meat allergy from a tick bite will get assessed by lyme literate, ILADS educated doctors.
desertwind
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posted
In agreement with Keebler. I am allergic to tick saliva/bite AND tested positive for beef allergy.
In a sense I am lucky to have an allergic reaction to tick venon because it helps me to know when I have gotten bit.
My beef allergic may however be stemming from a bovine patch I have in my head and my body reacting to that...and not so much tick bites.
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Keebler
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Excitotoxins; MSG; Aspartame; & "Natural" Flavors -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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posted
- It can be hard to sort out just what the culprit is so we also have to consider what else has been consumed when there is trouble. A few references here for the most obvious to rule out along the way.
Sidebar: When a lifetime of suffering, medical visits and prescription drugs can be resolved with a not especially challenging dietary change, a certain amount of retroactive frustration seems justifiable.
Not surprisingly, experiences like mine with dairy, outlined in my column of two weeks ago, are more common than unusual, at least according to the roughly 1,300 comments and e-mails we received since then.
In them, people outlined their experiences with dairy and health problems as varied as heartburn, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, eczema, acne, hives, asthma (�When I gave up dairy, my asthma went away completely�),
- full article at link above. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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- I don't have the energy to set this up with the basics about gluten / celiac and why many LLMD suggest gluten-free diets, right now. I may be back to fix this part but wanted to get this in:
============
HIDDEN SOURCES OF GLUTEN (each link has detail the others may not):
Gluten Issues or Celiac? Don�t Drink Coffee! -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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- Sammi just posted this at another thread:
". . . A tick-bite induced meat allergy also happened to author John Grisham and his wife.
You can read a journal article called "The relevance of tick bites to the production of IgE antibodies to the mammalian oligosaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose."
To read it just copy and paste the title. For some reason, this site is not letting me post the link.
You can be tested for this." (end Sammi's quote) -
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Razzle
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posted
About gluten:
Gluten (and Casein, which is cow's milk protein) are know to increase inflammation in the body. This is the primary reason most LLMD's recommend a gluten free & dairy free diet.
Also, it is known that Lyme/coinfections can trigger the onset of genetically predisposed diseases such as Celiac Disease (a genetic intolerance to gluten proteins, which are found in wheat, rye, barley, and cross-contaminated oats).
Furthermore, since gluten causes leaky gut temporarily -- even in those who do not have Celiac Disease or non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or wheat allergy -- it is a good idea to stay away from gluten grains (wheat/rye/barley/cross-contaminated oats) while undergoing Lyme/Coinfection treatment.
Anything that increases leaky gut is bad for us because that makes it more difficult to detox and increases the stress on our already overwhelmed immune system.
-------------------- -Razzle Lyme IgM IGeneX Pos. 18+++, 23-25+, 30++, 31+, 34++, 39 IND, 83-93 IND; IgG IGeneX Neg. 30+, 39 IND; Mayo/CDC Pos. IgM 23+, 39+; IgG Mayo/CDC Neg. band 41+; Bart. (clinical dx; Fry Labs neg. for all coinfections), sx >30 yrs. Posts: 4166 | From WA | Registered: Feb 2011
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