Dr. Samantha A. Parsons, DC. Parsons is one of three Missouri practitioners of SAAT acupuncture, one of the only effective treatments for Alpha-Gal Syndrome.
This photo of me was taken in the Buffalo River Valley in late 2019. The next time I visited the Buffalo, I would take home an unwanted souvenir in the form of AGS.
Hiking companion Joseph points out abandoned cabins, hundreds of feet down the valley. The Goat Trail on the Buffalo River in Arkansas is not only home to breathtaking views and teeming wildlife; It is also home to the Lone Star Tick, a known carrier of AGS.
As spring marches into summer, and the Ozarks are blanketed in heavy rains, warm humidity, green trees and tall grasses, we always see a surge in wildlife. Birds, deer and rabbits come out in droves seeking the newly verdant sustenance of the forests. We are always wary of those creatures that pose a threat to humans, including venomous snakes, hornets and other stinging or biting creatures. They teem in the summer warmth as well. However, the organism that poses the most insidious threat is even smaller than any of these and is easily overlooked, perhaps to disastrous, potentially life-threatening consequences: The Lone Star Tick.
The Lone Star Tick is one of several species of tick that are known carriers of Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS), along with a host of other diseases. AGS, according to the CDC, is a disease which causes an allergic reaction to the sugar molecule Alpha-Gal (galactose-α-1,3-galactose) found in most mammals, but not poultry or fish. The symptoms of this sensitivity can vary from person to person, but can include hives, nausea and vomiting, heartburn, diarrhea, a cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, a drop in blood pressure, swelling, dizziness or faintness, and severe stomach pain. AGS is not well studied, only having been discovered in the early 2000s. Therefore, the full spectrum of effects and symptoms are not well established.
An AGS diagnosis is a difficult one to obtain. One study (Flaherty MG, Kaplan SJ, Jerath MR.) showed that the mean time to diagnosis was around seven years among participants. This is surprising due to the severity of the symptoms and the ease and simplicity of the blood test used to diagnose AGS.
I don’t often write in the first person. However, this topic is of personal significance to me as someone with AGS. I suffered extreme hardships as the disease took its toll. For most of the time I’ve been sick, no answers were forthcoming. My hope for this article is to spread awareness about the disease, and a potential treatment, so others need not suffer the same uncertainty and pain.
This photo of me was taken in the Buffalo River Valley in late 2019. The next time I visited the Buffalo, I would take home an unwanted souvenir in the form of AGS.
Joseph P.
In my case, I believe the AGS nightmare began in the Buffalo River Valley near Ponca, Arkansas in 2020. As my good friend Joseph and I traversed the ruins near Centerpoint trail, down to the majestic cliff faces of the Goat Trail, and on to the towering waterfall at Hemmed-In Hollow, a hidden hijacker was going to work on me.
Hiking companion Joseph points out abandoned cabins, hundreds of feet down the valley. The Goat Trail on the Buffalo River in Arkansas is not only home to breathtaking views and teeming wildlife; It is also home to the Lone Star Tick, a known carrier of AGS.
Ben Johnson
I suffered extreme symptoms for a period of years with no diagnosis. Daily vomiting, total loss of appetite, constant trips to the bathroom and extreme stomach pain. I lost over 100 pounds in under a year. I saw around a half-dozen doctors over that time, and received a variety of responses, but no diagnosis. I was told I might have irritable bowel syndrome, a parasite or a bad gallbladder. One doctor told me I was probably making it up due to stress. I was prescribed a variety of nausea and other gastrointestinal pharmaceuticals, many of which made my symptoms worse. I would later find out this was due to chemicals such as magnesium stearate, a compound used in many pills, which is often derived from animal products. My gallbladder was removed via laparoscopic surgery in a bid to solve the problem. I improved for a time, but the symptoms slowly increased to their old severity and beyond.
I was finally diagnosed about a year after I moved to Salem. The diagnosis was obtained through a simple blood test. I received the results the day I was interviewed for my position at The Salem News. I was told I would have to change my diet and begin screening every health or beauty product for animal derivatives and avoid areas where beef or other animal products were being cooked.
Despite these measures, I was still deteriorating. It was difficult to work between bouts of reactions. I continued to lose weight, and began developing other symptoms, such as extreme vertigo, heart palpitations and neurological symptoms due to the constant inflammation of my digestive system. The vertigo made me self-conscious. What would people think about my swaying? The situation seemed hopeless. The symptoms were consuming my entire life.
Dr. Samantha A. Parsons, DC. Parsons is one of three Missouri practitioners of SAAT acupuncture, one of the only effective treatments for Alpha-Gal Syndrome.
Submitted Photo
In March, I was made aware of a new chiropractic practice that was opening in Salem. When I attended the ribbon cutting for Parson’s Chiropractic, I learned that one of the owners, Dr. Samantha Parsons, was certified to perform SAAT (Soliman Auricular Allergy Treatment), a form of acupuncture. According to the testimonies of former patients, the advice of my doctor, and a few studies, SAAT appears to be the only proven effective option currently available to treat AGS. Parsons is one of only three people in Missouri who are certified to perform the treatment. The other two are Dr. Melani Crocker in Lebanon and Matthew Sams in Branson. Parsons said she has successfully treated around 60 AGS patients.
“I’ve only had three so far who have not successfully gone into remission yet. I’m still working with them,” said Parsons. “This specific acupuncture can be used for any kind of allergy, whether it be environmental and/or food. (It was found to be) super successful with Alpha-Gal specifically.”
Parsons said SAAT is derived from traditional Chinese medicine, which has been practiced for thousands of years. The process affects what the Chinese called “Qi”, pronounced “Chee.” While the terminology might seem a bit mystical to some, Parsons said Qi simply refers to the natural energy of the body, specifically the electrical impulses the body uses to function.
“With traditional Chinese medicine, they believe that your body can heal through itself. That is a big thing with acupuncture. This is just a form of traditional Chinese medicine with the allergic component to it. It’s really just how the body can help heal itself from within,” she said. “It’s a holistic approach to healthcare. (SAAT) is what we call auricular medicine; it’s a semi-permanent ear acupuncture with small needles that stay in the ear based on what you test positive for with different vials (of allergens).”
My treatment process began with an unconventional allergy test. An aluminum tray with cylindrical slots was connected to an aluminum rod by a wire. I held the rod in one hand. I was instructed to form an “OK” gesture by touching my left index finger and thumb together. Parsons then instructed me to push my fingers together, resisting against her fingers, as she tried to pull the “O” apart. A vial containing Alpha-Gal allergens was placed into a slot in the tray. When nothing was in the tray, I was able to resist the pull with my fingers. I was skeptical, but when Samantha placed the Alpha-gal vial in the tray, my fingers parted with little effort on her part. That indicated a severe allergy, she said. She demonstrated the test several more times as she tested for other allergies associated with AGS, such as different forms of dairy. When in contact with an allergen substance, I lacked the strength in my left hand to keep my fingers together. My skepticism was quelled as it became apparent the test was repeatable and consistent.
According to Parsons, the test evaluates a patient’s neurological and muscle response to allergens. Parsons said contacting the allergens within the tray disrupts electrical signals between the brain and the muscles, causing your hand to weaken while in contact with the allergen. She called the process “Bioenergetic Muscle Testing.”
I underwent two rounds, or six weeks of acupuncture with Samantha. At the beginning of each round, I was tested for a host of sensitivities. A specialized electrical meter is used to poke around in the patient’s ear to find the right spot for the needles. The needles are tiny – barely larger than a human hair. I barely felt them as Samantha installed them in my ear. The needles remain glued into the earlobe for three weeks. Parson gives strict instructions to keep the ear totally dry to preserve the position of the needles. Patients are given tiny shower caps for the ear.
After week one, I felt like a new man. My energy levels were rising, and I didn’t have the constant gnawing pain in my gut from the constant reactions. After I finished both rounds, she told me I was cleared from Alpha-Gal and could begin reintroducing foods into my diet. Now, I can eat cheeseburgers, steak, bacon and pizza again. Aside from the symptoms of having no gallbladder, I have yet to have an allergic reaction post-treatment. I considered the placebo effect, but quickly realized that I would be in the hospital with anaphylaxis from the foods I had been eating.
Though it worked to great effect in my case, the process is not guaranteed to work. Every case is different. Parsons said stress and repeated exposure during treatment can both play a role in cases where patients fail to respond to treatment.
“It’s messing with your body’s natural energy. That’s what we call Qi. Your body’s energy is huge in helping you to heal. If you’re in a negative state of energy, you’re not going to get better,” she said. “That’s a big part of it, the stress. You’re constantly worrying about ‘what am I going to eat’ or ‘if I go over here am I going to have a reaction to what this restaurant has’. You’re putting your body in a constant state of fear.
“You’re depressed, you can’t eat anything. That’s the big thing with everyone who has Alpha-Gal. You’re just… They’re miserable,” she said. “And that’s what it comes down to.”
That said, the success rate of the process is certainly significant. While the mainstream medical community is playing catch-up, AGS-carrying ticks are spreading. Parsons and others within the medical community have noted a sharp increase as of late in AGS cases. As I continue to recover, I have made it a personal mission to spread the word about the disease, and to point others to one of, if not the only, chance for relief in the form of SAAT treatment.
