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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA mom-of-two has spoken out after she seemingly developed an allergy overnight, rendering her unable to eat meat.<\/p>\n
Daisy Holstine of Mountain Home, Arkansas, was forced to adopt a vegan lifestyle after receiving an alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) diagnosis, a potentially life-threatening condition believed to be caused by a lone star tick bite. Scientists think that the sugar molecule certain tick species carry, called alpha-gal, gets into people\u2019s bodies, can disrupt their immune systems, and lead to a possibly deadly allergic reaction.<\/p>\n
That was certainly the case for Holstine, 36, who told the New York Post<\/em> she was \u201cwaking up with my eyes swollen shut.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cThe hives were all over my body, even on my scalp, my hands, the bottoms of my feet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holstine was skeptical when a doctor suggested testing for AGS and instead opted to see a dermatologist. But months went by with no relief.<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>A woman was forced to adopt a vegan lifestyle after developing an allergy to animal products (Getty)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nFrustrated, Holstine asked ChatGPT for advice. After the AI app suggested an elimination diet, Holstine cut out meat and gluten. Interestingly, her hives disappeared. Upon reintroducing meat, though, they returned. She then received a diagnosis of AGS.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could have cried getting that diagnosis,\u201d Holstine said. \u201cWe finally figured out what the heck was going on with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Holstine\u2019s ordeal was frightening, what\u2019s even more alarming is the fact that the allergy can develop months after the tick bite. She didn\u2019t recall having received one, nor did she spot the signature bullseye rash that typically accompanies a bite.<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Lone star ticks are aggressive human biters (Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThe alpha-gal sugar molecule exists in the tissues of most mammals, including cows, pigs, deer and rabbits, but it\u2019s absent in humans. When a big dose of alpha-gal gets into your bloodstream through a tick bite, it can send your immune system into overdrive to generate antibodies. In later exposure to foods containing alpha-gal, your immune system might then launch an inappropriate allergic response.<\/p>\n
Often, this allergy is triggered by eating red meat. But it can also be set off by exposure to a range of other animal-based products, including dairy products, gelatin, medications and even some personal care items. The drug heparin, used to prevent blood clotting during surgery, is extracted from pig intestines, and its use has triggered a dangerous reaction in some people with alpha-gal syndrome.<\/p>\n
Knowing this, Holstine eliminated animal products not only from her diet, but also from other daily use items like toothpaste and cosmetics.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s possible to get over the allergy through diet modification to avoid triggering another reaction for a few years \u2014 and also avoid more tick bites \u2014 there remains no cure for AGS.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more A mom-of-two has spoken out after she seemingly developed an allergy overnight, rendering her unable to eat meat. Daisy Holstine of Mountain Home, Arkansas, was forced to adopt a vegan lifestyle after receiving an alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) diagnosis, a potentially life-threatening condition believed to be caused by a lone star tick bite. Scientists think that the sugar molecule certain tick species carry, called alpha-gal, gets into people\u2019s bodies, can disrupt their immune systems, and lead to a possibly deadly allergic reaction. That was certainly the case for Holstine, 36, who told the New York Post she was \u201cwaking up with my eyes swollen shut.\u201d \u201cThe hives were all over my body, even on my scalp, my hands, the bottoms of my feet.\u201d Holstine was skeptical when a doctor suggested testing for AGS and instead opted to see a dermatologist. But months went by with no relief. open image in gallery A woman was forced to adopt a vegan lifestyle after developing an allergy to animal products (Getty) Frustrated, Holstine asked…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3962,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5117"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}