ACarl (@ACarl)

#Alpha-gal is not encountered only through food. It appears in biologic #drugs, #gelatin-containing products, certain #vaccines, surgical #implants, #porcine-derived #medications, heart valves, #plasma products, and numerous medical materials (3). Ironically, alpha-gal syndrome was not discovered because people reacted to #steak. It was discovered because #cancer patients in the southeastern United States experienced severe reactions to #cetuximab, a #monoclonal #antibody. Investigation of those reactions ultimately led researchers to alpha-gal and then to the lone star #tick (4). An injectable product helped reveal the syndrome in the first place, because such products also contain Alpha-gal. Yet the possibility that such drugs or repeated #pharmaceutical exposures may influence #disease severity, persistence, or progression receives relatively little discussion. Could #dysbiosis, chronic #gastrointestinal #inflammation, #metabolic disease, #alcohol consumption, medications, or ultra-processed diets alter the threshold at which sensitization becomes clinical disease? Once a diagnosis exists, every episode of #fatigue, #bloating, #abdominal discomfort, #headache, #rash, or gastrointestinal upset risks being attributed to alpha-gal. #Histamine intolerance, mast cell disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, medication reactions, foodborne illness, metabolic dysfunction, and countless other conditions can produce overlapping symptoms. https://www.malone.news/p/alpha-gal-syndrome-beyond-the-tick #Alphagal #lonestartick #deer #hunting #ultraprocessed #allergy #meatallergy #mastcelldisorder #IBS #bioweapon