Study Reports 96% Remission Rate of Alpha-Gal Syndrome with Auricular Acupuncture
With nearly 500,000 Americans now affected by tick-induced meat allergy, a peer-reviewed study reports almost unbelievable results using a little-known form of ear acupuncture.
A peer-reviewed study published in Medical Acupuncture reported results that almost sound too good to be true for alpha-gal syndrome (AGS)—the tick-induced condition that can make people suddenly allergic to red meat, dairy, and other mammalian products after a tick bite.
Researchers evaluated 137 patients with AGS treated using a specialized form of auricular acupuncture called Soliman Auricular Allergy Treatment (SAAT). The results were striking: among patients with follow-up data, 96% reported remission of symptoms after treatment. Many who had previously been unable to tolerate beef, pork, dairy, or other mammalian foods were reportedly able to reintroduce them without allergic reactions.
Importantly, these were not just mild cases. Nearly 25% of patients had previously been formally diagnosed with anaphylaxis, while many suffered severe gastrointestinal symptoms, hives, respiratory reactions, and other debilitating symptoms after mammalian food exposure.
Most patients had already attempted conventional approaches—including strict avoidance, antihistamines, and corticosteroids—with little success before seeking SAAT treatment. The majority had also received a formal diagnosis from an allergist, underscoring that this was a clinically recognized patient population rather than self-diagnosed cases.
The treatment itself is unusual. Patients do not ingest or get injected with alpha-gal. Instead, they simply touch a vial containing the allergen while clinicians identify a reactive point on the ear using electrical detection. A tiny acupuncture needle is then inserted into a specific auricular zone and left in place for approximately three weeks. Afterward, patients without a history of anaphylaxis slowly reintroduced mammalian foods in small amounts. In most cases, symptoms reportedly did not return.
Even more remarkable, among patients with a prior history of anaphylaxis, over 93% reported no subsequent symptoms after accidental—or in some cases intentional—exposure following treatment. At the time of analysis, many patients had remained symptom-free for months to years, and the study reported no adverse reactions to the procedure itself.
Of course, the authors caution that this was a retrospective case series, not a randomized controlled trial. Laboratory confirmation before and after treatment was limited, and prospective studies are still urgently needed.
But with hundreds of thousands of Americans now affected by AGS and no accepted medical treatment beyond avoidance, a reported 96% remission rate is difficult to ignore.
Epidemiologist and Foundation Administrator, McCullough Foundation
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Thank you so much for this valuable information!
There's a reason acupuncture has been used for centuries, because it works!
As a botanical-medicine clinician who works with folks afflicted with tick-transmitted infections, I can't tell you how thrilled I was to see this study! Thank you so very, VERY much, Nic!
Your Substack newsletter has been my favorite among the many to which I subscribe and I frequently link your fine research on my clinic Facebook page. (Your previous reference to the study showing colostrum is superior to the flu shot was priceless--life-saving, to be sure--just like your present post.) Keep up the fantastic work!