Homestead News - Ticks Now Causing Red Meat Allergies
An ABC news report this past week stated that doctors are reporting a new tick borne sickness that gives people an allergic reaction to red meat. Lyme disease or rocky mountain spotted fever has always been a concern when talking about ticks and the result is that many people choose to stay indoors.
How To Solve The Problem
Sometimes it takes a backwoods solution to solve a problem that all the experts can't manage to figure out. Introduce the ticks natural predator into lands, parks and recreational camping areas so that people can enjoy them without fear of a disease that has no cure and will torment them for years or even a lifetime.
Meet the Guinea Hen. Enjoy the Video!
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The red meat allergy is not that new. I was one of the first in North Central Florida to get the "life threatening" alpha gal allergy as it is called. Most cases were reported in Virginia before they figured it out because the symptoms did not occur until 4 hours after eating meat. In my case a horrible rash broke out all over and my throat did constrict moving toward anaphylactic shock which is why it is called life threatening. Many have gone to the hospital because of this.
Google alpha gal for more info and if not bitten by another tick the allergic reactions do subside after several years if you are lucky - which I was. Even though I am primarily a vegetarian I thoroughly enjoyed a cheeseburger after many years.
If you find a tick on you get it off asap and this may prevent the allergic reaction. The news about alpha gal needs spreading - thanks for posting.
You are correct that this is not new. But it's happening now more often so its finally getting some media attention. My biggest issue is that with all this media attention, the solutions they give are not really a solution. We can beat this pretty easily by releasing Guineas into the wild or on land/parks where people may come into contact with infected ticks. Most wildlife management agencies already do this with things like quail or pheasants and other animals.
Also, experts are divided on the amount of time this allergy stays in the body. Some people who have contracted this allergy no longer suffer from it after 2-3 years. So some evidence suggests that it may not be a lifetime challenge for those who get bit.
You're right - my symptoms which were quite intense did dissipate after about 2 1/2 years. But before that time anyone afflicted should be very careful. Guineas are wonderful to have and perhaps should be bred to run wild in areas that are hiked within. Maybe set up watering stations and let them forage for tick food. That would need to be monitored but would be well worth the effort I believe. Tick diseases are increasingly dangerous and Lyme which is not diagnosed can be fatal or severely debilitating if the blood brain barrier is breached.
Guineas are funny birds. I love their feathers but not their faces. :-) We had them for a short while until the coyotes and owls took care of them. Dumb, LOUD birds. They didn't like to go into their coop at night but roost in a nearby tree, thus the owl food. We have a nice little forest-y area close to our house....so the coyotes just waited until the birds weren't in our line of sight. Oh well.
We have chickens so maybe they will keep the ticks (and grasshoppers) in check.
They are dumb indeed. We call them an expendable commodity.
Heck yeah - Great educational post! The ticks are bad this year in East Tennessee.
Thanks! Appreciate you stopping by.
Sounds like a great way to kill ticks. Here in Ecuador, we do not have very many ticks. I have lived here for about 4 years and I only have got one tick.
I have heard you say this before! And using a natural way to handle pests is always best of course!
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Thanks for spreading the word about the Tick borne disease. I myself just got over Rocky Mountain Spotted fever and two of my friends now have the red meat allergy. Our area has been inundated with the Lone Star Tick in the last few years, it's so bad many people have stopped recreational activities outdoors. The Larval stage of the Lone star is what some call "Turkey Mites" and the Nymph stage has commonly been called "Deer Ticks." Opossums and Guineas are the top two predators of these ticks. We ordered twenty Guineas this spring to help with this plague of parasites.
Guinea for the win, lone star ticks cause this.
Funny you posted this today; I'm on my way this afternoon to the Agway to order 10 guinea chicks. Now that the heat of summer is on we should be able to raise them outside in the coop. I don't like having birds inside the house, they smell awful.
Our last guinea disappeared late last summer. It has been far too quiet around the farm since them, Haha ;)
Guinea fowl is the best pest control I know of. We no longer have a coyote problem (high walls) and we don't have any owls so not much of a problem. They are noisy birds but if we don't have ticks, I am happy.