Allergy Care
Alpha-Gal Syndrome (Red Meat and Mammal Product Allergy)
By Dr. Anthony J. Gordon, Doctor of Acupuncture | Last reviewed September 2026
Maybe you have woken with hives at midnight after a burger at dinner, or you read every label twice and wonder whether the gelatin in a capsule is safe. Alpha-gal syndrome changes how you eat and how you plan your day. Dr. Gordon offers Soliman Auricular Allergy Treatment (SAAT) for alpha-gal syndrome at his North New Hyde Park clinic, alongside the care you get from your allergist.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (516) 597-5400.
SAAT at a Glance
Certified provider
Fully certified in the SAAT protocol and on Dr. Soliman's practitioner list
Treatments
Most patients need one or two for significant improvement
Implants
Tiny 3 mm intradermal implants stay in for three weeks
Clinic
North New Hyde Park, on Union Turnpike
Understanding the Condition
Understanding Alpha-Gal Syndrome
Alpha-gal syndrome is an allergy to alpha-gal, a sugar molecule found in most mammals but not in people. In the United States it is linked mainly to bites from the lone star tick. After the bite, some people start reacting to mammal products they have eaten safely all their lives.
The delay is what makes it hard to spot. Symptoms usually appear 2 to 6 hours after eating red meat or dairy, so a reaction at night often is not connected to dinner. The CDC counts more than 110,000 suspected cases from 2010 to 2022 and estimates as many as 450,000 people may be affected.
At a Glance
Also called
Alpha-gal allergy, red meat allergy, mammalian meat allergy
Usual cause
A lone star tick bite
Common triggers
Beef, pork, lamb, venison and rabbit; for some people also dairy, gelatin and some medications
Typical timing
2 to 6 hours after eating
How it is diagnosed
By a physician, from your history and a blood test for alpha-gal antibodies
How It Happens
How alpha-gal syndrome happens
Reactions come hours after eating, which is why they are so easy to miss.
Step 1
A tick bite
A bite from a lone star tick can make the immune system react to alpha-gal.
Step 2
Alpha-gal
A sugar molecule found in most mammals, but not in people.
Step 3
Eating mammal products
Beef, pork, lamb or venison, and for some people dairy or gelatin.
Step 4
2 to 6 hours laterA delayed reaction
Hives, stomach pain, swelling or trouble breathing.
On Long Island
Alpha-Gal on Long Island
Suffolk County had 3,746 suspected cases from 2017 through 2022, more than any other county in the country. That figure comes from a CDC analysis reported by the North Fork Sun in July 2026. An East End allergist told the paper her earliest patients were mostly from the East End, and she now sees more each year from towns farther west, such as Port Jefferson and Stony Brook. A Stony Brook Medicine physician believes the true number may be 10 to 20 times higher.
Source: North Fork Sun, July 24, 2026
Signs and Symptoms
Does This Sound Like You?
Hives or itching hours after a meal
Often at night, long after you have stopped thinking about what you ate.
Stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or heartburn
The CDC lists each of these as a possible sign.
Swelling of the lips, tongue, throat or eyelids
Cough, shortness of breath or trouble breathing
Dizziness, feeling faint or a drop in blood pressure
Reactions that are hard to predict
People with alpha-gal syndrome may not react to every product that contains alpha-gal, and a reaction can look different from one time to the next.
A severe reaction or anaphylaxis is an emergency. Use your epinephrine as your allergist directed and call 911.
Treatment
How SAAT Is Used for Alpha-Gal
SAAT (Soliman Auricular Allergy Treatment) was developed by Dr. Nader Soliman. Dr. Gordon is fully certified in the SAAT protocol and focuses his SAAT practice on alpha-gal syndrome and MCAS, and he goes beyond the standard protocol. Before looking for points, he does a polarity reset to calm your nervous system out of fight-or-flight mode. In his experience, this makes the treatment more effective and makes the right ear points much easier to find. Then, while you hold a small vial of the allergen, he scans the allergy zone of your outer ear several times with a high-precision point finder and grades each active point to choose the most effective ones. These points are different for everyone, and they change if a second treatment is needed.
Depending on your case, he places 1 to 6 intradermal needle implants, and when six active points can be found, he uses all six for the most benefit. Each one is a tiny, very thin needle only 3 mm long, placed almost flat in the skin of the outer ear, above the cartilage rather than into it. A small, skin-colored round bandage held with surgical adhesive covers it and blends in with your skin. They stay for three weeks. No medicine is given, and the allergen stays in the vial you hold.
In Dr. Gordon's experience, most patients need one or two treatments for significant improvement, and a third is rarely needed. When a second is needed, there is almost always some improvement after the first. How severe your reactions are does not predict how many treatments you will need. Most patients are able to go back to eating the foods they love with no reaction or only a very slight one, after careful testing guided by Dr. Gordon (see After Treatment below). How SAAT works is not yet known, and the study authors say so themselves.
See each step on the SAAT pageWhen Mast Cells Are Part of the Picture
Some people with alpha-gal syndrome also have mast cell activation, where mast cells release chemicals too easily. In Dr. Gordon's experience, leaving it untreated is a common reason alpha-gal treatment does not bring the results patients hoped for.
That is why, at a SAAT visit for alpha-gal, he treats mast cell activation at the same time. This comes from his clinical experience and has not been studied.
Learn about MCASThe Evidence
What the Research Shows
The published evidence is one case series. In 2021, the journal Medical Acupuncture reported on 137 patients with alpha-gal syndrome treated with SAAT at two clinics, each contacted at least nine months after treatment. Of the 126 who could be reached, 121 (96 percent) said their symptoms were in remission, and no adverse reactions to the treatment were reported.
Remission was based on what patients reported. Patients without a history of anaphylaxis were told to slowly reintroduce mammal foods after three weeks, and those with past anaphylaxis were advised not to. The study had no comparison group and did not repeat blood tests, and Dr. Soliman, who developed SAAT, is one of the authors. How long results last is not yet known, and the authors call for studies that confirm results with lab testing. Every patient is told what the evidence does and does not show, and Dr. Gordon goes over every patient's case before any food is reintroduced.
Your First Visit
Your First SAAT Visit
Review your history
Your reactions, the foods and products involved, and your test results.
Confirm your safety plan
Your epinephrine, your allergist's instructions and your medications stay exactly as they are.
Treatment
After a polarity reset to calm your nervous system, you hold the allergen vial while Dr. Gordon finds and grades your active points with a high-precision point finder, then places the implants in your ear.
Aftercare
While the implants are in: no swimming, hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms or heavy daily sweating. For showers Dr. Gordon gives you an ear shower cap, and they are also inexpensive on Amazon. The covered implants are very water resistant, so a little water is fine; they are just not waterproof.
Follow-up
After 2.5 to 3 weeks the implants come out. Come back and Dr. Gordon removes them at no charge, or take them out yourself at home, which is easy to do.
See a physician first if
- You have not been diagnosed yet. A physician diagnoses alpha-gal syndrome from your history, an exam and a blood test.
- You have had a severe reaction and do not have an epinephrine prescription.
Before Your Visit
Before you book
Pick a time when you will not be swimming, using a hot tub, sauna or steam room, or sweating heavily every day for the next 3 weeks. If you are allergic to adhesive bandages, let the clinic know ahead of time so Dr. Gordon can adjust the covering.
Bring to your first visit
Your alpha-gal test results, a list of your reactions and what triggered them, your medication list, and your epinephrine.
After Treatment
Testing Your Response
Once the implants are out, the next step is to test how you respond. This is the general outline:
A very small portion
Have a very small portion of the food you miss most.
Again in 2 to 3 days
If there is no reaction, try it again in 2 to 3 days.
Once more
If there is still no reaction, try it once more to see how your body handles it over time.
Make the food at home so you know exactly what is in it, and keep your epinephrine with you. The exception is anyone who has had anaphylaxis: this outline does not apply to you.
This is only an outline. Dr. Gordon goes over your exact case, including whether and how to test, and you should also talk with your allergist before reintroducing any trigger food.
SAAT and Your Allergist
SAAT does not replace your allergist's care. Keep carrying your epinephrine, keep following your allergist's plan, and talk with your allergist before reintroducing any trigger food.
"After two treatments I can safely say that my Alpha gal symptoms are gone. The procedure itself is very quick and Dr Gordon and his staff are very personable and professional."
Christopher R., Google review, February 2025
Individual results vary.
Common Questions
Answers About Alpha-Gal and SAAT
Still have a question about alpha-gal or SAAT? Send it to the clinic and Dr. Gordon will get back to you.
Contact the ClinicNo. Alpha-gal is in beef, pork, lamb, venison and rabbit, and some people also react to dairy, gelatin, some medications and other products made from mammals.
Yes. Keep carrying your epinephrine and follow your allergist's plan.
In Dr. Gordon's experience, most patients are able to go back to eating the foods they love with no reaction or only a very slight one. After the implants come out, Dr. Gordon walks you through a careful test with a very small portion of homemade food. The exception is anyone who has had anaphylaxis; Dr. Gordon goes over those cases individually. Talk with your allergist before reintroducing any trigger food.
Most patients need one or two for significant improvement, and a third is rare. If a second is needed, there is almost always some improvement after the first. How severe your reactions are does not predict how many you will need. Each implant stays in for three weeks, and if a second treatment is needed, your active points are found again because they change.
They are tiny intradermal needles, only 3 mm long, that sit almost flat in the skin of the outer ear under a small, skin-colored round bandage held with surgical adhesive. You can touch them and sleep on them without discomfort and without them falling off. They also cannot be pushed in further, because each one lies flat at an angle between the skin and the cartilage. They are very water resistant, so a little water is fine; they are just not waterproof. If you are allergic to adhesive bandages, the surgical adhesive Dr. Gordon uses is not reactive, and a different covering such as Tegaderm can be used if needed. Let the clinic know ahead of time.
No. The fee is listed on the SAAT page.
Treatment is at the North New Hyde Park clinic on Union Turnpike. Most patients need one or two treatments. After 2.5 to 3 weeks you can take the implants out yourself at home, which is easy, so each treatment can be a single trip.
About Dr. Anthony J. Gordon
Dr. Anthony J. Gordon is a Doctor of Acupuncture licensed in New York and board certified. He holds ASE certification in intrapelvic and extrapelvic dry needling, along with advanced certifications in Functional Dry Needling and Neuro-Functional Acupuncture. With more than 18 years of clinical experience and over 3,000 complex cases treated, he focuses on pelvic, spinal and orthopedic conditions that have not responded to standard care, and works closely with each patient's physicians and physical therapists.
Read Dr. Gordon's full bioFurther Reading
Tick Season: What to Watch For After a Bite
From the blog: Adult ticks stay active through the fall. How to remove a tick, which symptoms after a bite need a doctor, and the delayed red meat reaction of alpha-gal.
Ready to Talk About Alpha-Gal?
Book a SAAT visit with Dr. Gordon at the North New Hyde Park clinic, or call with your questions first.
1508 Union Turnpike, Suite 133, North New Hyde Park, NY 11040