Alpha-gal food allergy cases on the rise nationwide

Summertime is all about getting outside and firing up the grill for an all-American barbecue. But here's a warning out there for meat lovers - a small but growing outdoor danger could take that away from you.

What started out as a tick bite in September Norman's front yard nearly took her life weeks later.

"Played golf, grilled some steaks. About 2:30 in the morning I woke up and my hands were on fire," Norman said.

She was going into shock.

"My tongue and lips started swelling to the point that I could barely speak," she said.

Emergency responders treated her and sent her home. But a pork dinner that week landed her back in the ER. That's when she mentioned the still-itching tick bite to her doctor.

"He looked at me and says, 'I know what you have. You have Alpha-gal,' and I went, 'Alpha what?'" Norman said.

Doctor Robert Valet says Alpha-gal is a sugar found in red meat. Bites from the "lone star tick" trigger an allergic response.

"They'll have this bite and never had any issue before but maybe days later can have these really life-threatening reactions out of the blue," Valet said.

Meaning those with the Alpha-gal allergy must give up all red meat.

"Beef, pork, lamb, goat, even game like deer or rabbits," Valet said.

Valet says cases are on the rise; more than 1,000 have been reported nationwide.

Norman has totally changed her eating habits.

"Chicken, fish and vegetables," she said.

She also started a blog, "The Unintentional Diet," to help get the word out.

Doctors say the best defense against the reaction is prevention. Wear long clothing, use insect repellent and check for ticks after you've been outside.

There is no cure for food allergies, so those with allergy to Alpha-gal will likely always experience a reaction to red meat. A blood test can confirm if you have the allergy.

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