Over a decade ago, a fated encounter with a tick changed my life. I suddenly found myself allergic to mammal meat. Actually, it wasn't so sudden. At the time, Alpha-Gal was not so well known. Two years of terrifying emergency room visits due to anaphylactic shock and numerous doctor visits with no answers. My allergist had me on a potent cocktail of antihistamines that frankly had scary side effects. My frequent hives were "idiopathic." Meaning, they didn't know why. Luckily, my allergist heard about a strange meat allergy and ordered the test. Alpha Gal was the answer to my strange symptoms. Alpha Gal sufferers typically have a delayed reaction to eating mammal meat, unlike other food allergies. This makes for a difficult diagnosis. My allergist told me to stop eating all red meat. Two years later I failed an EKG due to irregular heart rhythm. A blood test revealed that my B12 levels were dangerously low. Turns out, emu meat could provide the missing nutrients naturally.

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