PATHOLOGY PERSPECTIVES
(where lone star ticks are most common)
has the highest incidence of heart disease
and stroke—it is sometimes called the
"stroke belt." Is there a connection? And
what does alpha-gal syndrome tell us about
other possible symptoms or syndromes?
It is possible that many other conditions
are related to tick bite or other vector-
related reactions, and this insight may
open the door to new and more effective
prevention and treatment options.
TORI'S STORY
Tori Stafford is a 21-year-old student at the
University of Tulsa. Two years ago, Tori
was spending an evening with a friend.
She'd had a few bites of meatloaf around
5:30 p.m. At 8:30 p.m., they intended to
go run an errand at a store, but Tori's
stomach was "messed up," so she decided
to go home instead. She got into her car
and within moments, she says, "I was so
itchy—my ears, the bottoms of my feet, my
eyes were itching so bad I couldn't drive."
Over the next few minutes, her symptoms
got worse. Her friend convinced her to
go to the ER. In the 15 minutes it took to
get there, she had become itchy all over.
Her lips and throat were swollen, she was
shivering, and it was hard to breathe.
They gave her Benadryl, and three hours
later she was released to go home, with a
recommendation that she see an allergist.
She did, and her blood work plus prick tests
revealed alpha-gal hypersensitivity: extreme
allergies to beef, pork, lamb—"anything
on four legs." Tori was skeptical, but
when her allergist asked her about her
outdoor activities and she remembered a
tick bite from a few months before, Tori
was convinced her meat allergy was real.
Unlike many people with this
condition, Tori can enjoy dairy products,
so ice cream is still accessible to her—we
agreed that this is a significant factor in
her quality of life. Now, two years later,
she is slowly introducing meat back into
her diet. The chances are good that Tori
will fully recover from this reaction.
IMPLICATIONS FOR MASSAGE
THERAPY PRACTICE
What does all this have to do with massage
therapy practice and making choices for
the session room? Probably not a lot—
except that our clients sometimes tell us
things they don't tell their doctors. Also,
our healthy regular clients probably see us
more often than they see their primary care
providers. So, if someone reports an episode
like Tori's, with a surprising and sudden
onset of itching, swelling, and difficulty
breathing, we may be able to steer them
in the right direction for an important
diagnosis. Note: this is not to suggest that
we should ever say anything even vaguely
like, "Wow, sounds like a meat allergy—
try avoiding meat for a while and it will
probably go away." I hope that is very clear.
Resources
Abcore. "Allergy Antibodies." Accessed September 2018. www.abcore.com/allergy-antibodies.
Aubrey, Allison. "Red Meat Allergies Caused by Tick Bites Are on the Rise." NPR.org. June 25,
2018. Accessed September 2018. www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/06/25/621080751/
red-meat-allergies-caused-by-tick-bites-are-on-the-rise.
Gibbens, Sarah. "A Tick Bite Could Make You Allergic to Meat—and It's Spreading." National
Geographic. June 21, 2017. Accessed September 2018. https://news.nationalgeographic.
com/2017/06/tick-bite-meat-allergy-spreading-spd.
McNeil, Donald G., Jr. "An Invasive New Tick Is Spreading in the U.S." The New York Times.
August 6, 2018. Accessed September 2018. www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/health/asian-
long-horned-tick.html.
National Institutes of Health. "NIAID Scientists Link Cases of Unexplained Anaphylaxis to Red
Meat Allergy." November 28, 2017. Accessed September 2018. www.nih.gov/news-events/
news-releases/niaid-scientists-link-cases-unexplained-anaphylaxis-red-meat-allergy.
Paules, Catharine I. et al. "Tickborne Diseases—Confronting a Growing Threat." New England
Journal of Medicine. July 25, 2018. Accessed September 2018. https://doi.org/10.1056/
NEJMp1807870.
Velasquez-Manoff, Moises. "What the Mystery of the Tick-Borne Meat Allergy Could
Reveal." The New York Times. July 24, 2018. Accessed September 2018. www.nytimes.
com/2018/07/24/magazine/what-the-mystery-of-the-tick-borne-meat-allergy-could-
reveal.html.
Getting some background information
on tick-induced meat allergies may not make
substantial differences in your practice, but
the curiosity this condition may spark is
good for all of us. We live in an amazing,
fascinating world. We live in amazing,
fascinating bodies. We can share that
amazement and fascination and appreciation
in every interaction with our clients.
Ruth Werner is a former massage therapist,
a writer, and an NCBTMB-approved continuing
education provider. She wrote A Massage
Therapist's Guide to Pathology (available at
BooksofDiscovery.com), now in its sixth edition,
which is used in massage schools worldwide.
Werner is available at www.ruthwerner.com or
wernerworkshops@ruthwerner.com.
Yo u r M & B i s w o r t h 2 C E s ! G o t o w w w. a b m p . c o m / c e t o l e a r n m o r e . 47
