SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – For those living with Alpha Gal syndrome, avoiding red meat and dairy is often the starting point, not the finish line.<\/p>\n
As the tick-borne illness becomes increasingly common, patients are raising questions about what else in their daily lives they should avoid. <\/p>\n
Patients look beyond the dinner table<\/p>\n
For aesthetician and owner of Laurel Spa and Lash Studio, Michelle Rose, a diagnosis with Alpha Gal brought more than a change in eating habits.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy arms would constantly just break out in hives; my neck and my chest would break out in hives,\u201d Rose said.<\/p>\n
After her diagnosis, Rose said she began paying closer attention to the ingredients in skincare and other everyday products.<\/p>\n
What the science says<\/p>\n
Dr. Seth Knight, an allergist and immunologist with Cox Health, said the most serious symptoms remain tied to what patients eat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more concerning symptoms that you see from Alpha Gal come from mammalian meat ingestion,\u201d Knight said.<\/p>\n
While some products and medications can contain mammal-derived ingredients, Knight said the evidence still points to red meat as the primary trigger. He cautioned against getting ahead of what researchers currently know.<\/p>\n
\u201cCareful to not outpace what the science world knows. To be quite honest with you, a lot of these reports \u2014 there\u2019s just not enough evidence to confirm them,\u201d Knight said.<\/p>\n
Medications and other triggers<\/p>\n
On the question of medications, Knight said the level of mammal-derived byproduct matters.<\/p>\n
\u201cTypically, medications that are given intravenously in hospitals, urgent care centers or emergency rooms \u2014 if they\u2019re your routine oral medications, those typically don\u2019t have high enough byproducts to elicit symptoms,\u201d Knight said.<\/p>\n
Knight said if a product is clearly causing a reaction, he recommends avoiding it. <\/p>\n
Helping others navigate the condition<\/p>\n
Rose said she remains committed to helping clients who are also managing the condition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to educate them, especially with skincare. I feel like for a lot of people it\u2019s hard enough,\u201d Rose said.<\/p>\n