Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Hundreds of Martha’s Vineyard residents forced to go vegan, become ‘social pariahs’ because of a tiny, dangerous insect
https://nypost.com ^ | Aug. 20, 2025 | Natalie O'Neill

Posted on 08/22/2025 12:05:23 PM PDT by bitt

A bizarre, life-threatening tick-borne illness has made hundreds residents of Martha’s Vineyard allergic to red meat and dairy — turning many of them into forced vegans and “social pariahs” at the height of BBQ season on the ritzy island.

Skyrocketing cases of alpha-gal syndrome — a disease spread by bites from the Lone Star Tick— have ripped through the scenic summer hotspot with a total of 523 reported last year, according to the Times of London.

“I woke up at 2 a.m. with major stomach cramps and thought I had food poisoning,” said Andrew Keenan, a 58-year-old former chef, who had eaten skirt steak several hours before.

“I managed to go back to sleep but woke up four hours later and was covered in hives. I sat up in bed and almost fainted just from sitting up, that’s how low my blood pressure was,” he said of the meal in 2020 that triggered anaphylactic shock.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: alphagalsyndrome; alphagalsyndrone; beefallergy; lonestartick; marthasvineyard; ticks
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-46 next last
To: Dartoid
Is this from the Bee?

No, it's from the Tick!

21 posted on 08/22/2025 1:11:23 PM PDT by null and void (We are living through the greatest of all ICE Ages.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Sirius Lee

GMTA


22 posted on 08/22/2025 1:12:51 PM PDT by null and void (We are living through the greatest of all ICE Ages.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: packrat35

Wow, that’s hardcore! Seriously?


23 posted on 08/22/2025 1:15:33 PM PDT by waterhill (Nobody cares, work harder!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: bitt

The word is Bill Gates has a number of research teams studying the alpha gal and putting it into lone-star ticks for years as part of his artificial meat development.


24 posted on 08/22/2025 1:18:37 PM PDT by fella ("As it was before Noah so shall it be again," )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bitt; ConservativeMind; Red Badger

Just spoke with a guy in north east Maryland has it, and he had not travelled to MV. Any idea of pathogen yet?


25 posted on 08/22/2025 1:34:58 PM PDT by sopo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bitt

If you catch this disease, can you still drink alcohol. Asking for a friend.


26 posted on 08/22/2025 1:39:49 PM PDT by fini
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: noiseman

And its called the Lone Star tick. Now that there is some powerful kinda karma.


27 posted on 08/22/2025 1:42:15 PM PDT by AndyJackson
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: who knows what evil?

Yes, in a way. Ticks feed on blood; usually forest animals (deer, to be precise) but have also been known to (not uncommonly) attach themselves to humans. Ticks, being blood feeders, have been known to transmit other blood-borne pathogens to animals, and more famously to humans.


28 posted on 08/22/2025 1:51:01 PM PDT by Spacetrucker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: bitt

These new ticks are government engineering at its finest. They want us to stop eating beef so they mess with tick DNA to make it happen. You can’t convince me otherwise.


29 posted on 08/22/2025 1:54:21 PM PDT by lucky american (Had enough yet?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: waterhill

Yes, the only vegetables I eat is in some stew or soup and that’s not often.

I never eat salads and I hate almost all foods that are green.


30 posted on 08/22/2025 2:13:30 PM PDT by packrat35 (Pureblood! No clot shot for me!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: bitt

Does an editor check the headline? A tick isn’t an insect.


31 posted on 08/22/2025 2:16:03 PM PDT by damper99
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: packrat35

Bet you feel good! I try to be carnivore, but I have a hard time with sourdough and pasta and ice cream.

I do eat wild game/fish and grass fed as 90% protein intake. I just hauled in my limit of crappie earlier this morning . And a few bluegill.

Hat tip to you.


32 posted on 08/22/2025 2:23:36 PM PDT by waterhill (Nobody cares, work harder!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: Dartoid

It’s real. I have it. Got a bunch of tick bites cleaning up the mo-in-laws rural property years ago. A while after that I would wake up at 2am with the hives which I’d never had in my life. Tried changing laundry detergent, sheets. Searched the web for delayed allergy/anaphylaxis and found a doctor in VA had just discovered this Alpha-Gal allergy because he had it. About 4-8 hours after eating mammalian meat, it kicks in. Only known delayed food allergy there is. Most are within minutes.

Confirmed mine by noticing it always happened only on ribeye night. I don’t have it real bad for the most part. Usually just the hives, I take a benadryl and scratch for an hour and go back to bed. Kinda wipes me out for the next day though. I did have full anaphylaxis one time though. Ate some homemade Virginia Baked ham and the meat was from a locally raised heritage breed, definitely not the other white meat. Passed out a couple of times. I’ve also had a reaction to ribs.

No longer eat ribeyes and can’t afford it these days anyway. NY Strip is my new steak. Learned to manage it by desensitization. Eat a couple bites of beef one day, eat a little more the next day and so on. Later on found a study out of Turkey where they did the same with a couple of people and showed it’s a valid treatment.

It’s Lone Star ticks that do it.


33 posted on 08/22/2025 2:24:10 PM PDT by Pollard (Gettin' things done)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Pollard

Have you tried eating blue/raw? I pepper cure venison and beef cuts sometimes. I have some axis in the fridge right now smothered in ground peppercorn.


34 posted on 08/22/2025 2:34:03 PM PDT by waterhill (Nobody cares, work harder!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

Cook some for company tonight with some broccoli and carrots. Mine will be uncooked at room temperature.


35 posted on 08/22/2025 2:37:23 PM PDT by waterhill (Nobody cares, work harder!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: waterhill

I eat only beef and eggs


36 posted on 08/22/2025 2:42:13 PM PDT by Karoo (..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: Karoo

I don’t know how you do it.. I fast. Sometimes up to a few days. Used to do a warrior diet when I got really big(fat). It was awful the first week. After that it was natural. I’m starting to get big again.....


37 posted on 08/22/2025 3:02:09 PM PDT by waterhill (Nobody cares, work harder!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: packrat35

Primates (including the most populous one) are still on the table per se as it only makes one allergic to non primate red meat…🙄


38 posted on 08/22/2025 10:47:27 PM PDT by Axenolith (Don’t bother holding my beer, I’ll finish it first…)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: sopo

It’s a protein in the ticks juices.


39 posted on 08/22/2025 10:49:15 PM PDT by Axenolith (Don’t bother holding my beer, I’ll finish it first…)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Axenolith

so a venom?


40 posted on 08/23/2025 5:54:49 AM PDT by sopo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-46 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson