If you’ve been diagnosed with Alpha Gal Syndrome, you’ve likely been told the same thing by
every doctor you’ve seen: avoid red meat, avoid mammalian products, and learn to live with it.
No cure. No treatment. Just avoidance — for life.

That answer is understandable, because it reflects what conventional medicine currently offers.
But it is not the whole picture. And for the growing number of people in Wisconsin and across
the Midwest who are struggling with this diagnosis, I want to make sure you know that another
option exists.

My name is Scott Bartell. I am a licensed acupuncturist and the owner of 7 Stones Acupuncture
and Wellness in Cascade, Wisconsin. Over the past three and a half years, I have treated
dozens of Alpha Gal patients using a specialized acupuncture protocol called Soliman’s
Auricular Allergy Treatment — SAAT. To the best of my knowledge, every single one of them
has gone into full remission.

I want to be clear about what that means and what it doesn’t. And I want to explain why this
treatment exists, how it works, and why so few people — including most doctors — have ever
heard of it.
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What Is Alpha Gal Syndrome?

Alpha Gal Syndrome (AGS) is an acquired allergic condition triggered by a tick bite. When a tick
— most commonly the lone star tick — bites a person, it introduces a sugar molecule called
galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal) into the bloodstream. In some individuals, this
triggers the immune system to produce IgE antibodies against alpha-gal. Because alpha-gal is
present in the tissue of most mammals, those antibodies then react when the person eats red
meat, pork, dairy, or other mammalian products.

What makes Alpha Gal Syndrome particularly disorienting is the delayed onset of symptoms.
Unlike most food allergies, which produce immediate reactions, AGS reactions typically emerge
three to eight hours after eating the offending food. This delay makes it notoriously difficult to
diagnose, and the average patient waits years before receiving a correct diagnosis.

Symptoms range widely and can include hives, itching, gastrointestinal distress, swelling,
difficulty breathing, and in severe cases, anaphylaxis. Because the symptoms overlap with so
many other conditions — IBS, MCAS, generalized food intolerances — many people cycle
through specialists without answers.

Alpha Gal Is Not Rare — Especially in Wisconsin

Most people assume Alpha Gal Syndrome is uncommon. It is not. The CDC has identified it as
an emerging public health concern, and case numbers have increased substantially since 2010.
What surprises many is that Wisconsin has been flagged as one of two unexpected hotspot states — alongside Minnesota — with meaningful clusters of AGS cases occurring well outside
the traditional lone star tick range in the southeastern United States.

Researchers believe this may be due to travel-related tick exposures or, potentially, transmission by additional tick species present in our region. Whatever the mechanism, the data is clear: people right here in Wisconsin are being diagnosed with Alpha Gal Syndrome, and many more are likely living with it undiagnosed.

If you spend time outdoors — hunting, hiking, gardening, or simply living in a rural or wooded area — you are not immune.

The Standard Answer Is “Avoidance.” But That Isn’t the Only Answer.

I first became aware of how urgently people were looking for alternatives to lifelong avoidance
when I received a phone call from someone eight hours away. They had been diagnosed with
Alpha Gal Syndrome, had exhausted every conventional option, and were searching for a
practitioner who offered SAAT. They found me.

That call changed how I thought about this condition and about my responsibility to make this
information accessible.

The overwhelming message from the conventional medical world is that Alpha Gal Syndrome is
permanent and manageable only through strict dietary restriction. And while avoidance is
necessary and important — especially while immune sensitization is active — it should not be
the only tool available to patients. The good news is that it isn’t.

What Is SAAT and How Does It Address Alpha Gal?

Soliman’s Auricular Allergy Treatment was developed by Dr. Nader Soliman, a physician based
in Rockville, Maryland, with over 25 years of specialization in auricular acupuncture. The
treatment draws on the foundational work of Dr. Paul Nogier, who mapped the ear as a
microsystem of the entire body in 1960s France, and applies it through a highly refined,
standardized protocol that Dr. Soliman developed around 2003.

The ear is uniquely connected to the brain through four cranial nerves, as well as cervical spinal
roots and the sympathetic plexus. This network of neurological connections means that precise
stimulation of specific ear points can influence the autonomic nervous system — including the
immune response.

In the case of Alpha Gal Syndrome, the immune system has been sensitized to alpha-gal. It has
learned — through the tick bite — to treat a normally harmless sugar molecule as a threat.
SAAT works by helping the nervous and immune systems unlearn that response.

The treatment itself is straightforward. A very small, sterile needle — a Spinex pin — is placed
at a precise point on the ear that corresponds to immune regulation. It remains in place for a
minimum of three weeks. During that time, the body recalibrates its response to the allergen
being treated. In most cases, only one treatment per allergen is needed.

A published peer-reviewed case series in the journal Medical Acupuncture followed 137 Alpha
Gal patients treated with SAAT across two clinics. Of the 126 patients with available outcome
data, 121 — or 96% — reported that their symptoms were in full remission following treatment.
No adverse reactions were observed.

What I Have Seen at 7 Stones

Over the past three and a half years, I have personally administered SAAT to several dozen
patients diagnosed with Alpha Gal Syndrome. As of now, I have not received a single report of
treatment failure. Every patient I have been able to follow up with has reported going into full
remission.

This does not mean remission is guaranteed in every case, and it does not mean Alpha Gal
Syndrome cannot return. If a person is bitten by another infected tick, immune sensitization can
reactivate, and retreatment may be needed. That is the nature of this condition — it is acquired,
and like any acquired sensitivity, it can theoretically be reacquired. But the treatment response I
have seen in my clinic mirrors what the published research shows: SAAT has a remarkable and
consistent track record with this particular syndrome.

Patients come to me having given up red meat for months or years. Some have experienced
anaphylactic episodes. Many have been told there is simply nothing to be done. When they
leave with the ability to safely eat a meal they haven’t touched in years, it is genuinely one of the
most meaningful outcomes I witness in clinical practice.

What to Expect at Your First SAAT Appointment

Your initial SAAT session at 7 Stones lasts approximately 25 minutes. Before addressing Alpha
Gal directly, I first test for Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and histamine sensitivity,
because both conditions can cause the immune system to react to substances in ways that
mimic — or amplify — true allergic responses. In many patients, clearing MCAS and histamine
sensitivity alone reduces overall reactivity significantly, sometimes by 50 to 85 percent.

Once those are addressed, I treat for the Alpha Gal allergen specifically. The pin is placed at the
precise auricular point, and you will wear it for a minimum of three weeks while your system
adjusts. Most patients require only one treatment per allergen. The procedure itself is essentially
painless — children as young as four tolerate it without difficulty.

There are no required dietary changes, supplements, or lifestyle modifications to support the
treatment. It is designed to work as a standalone intervention.

Why Haven’t I Heard of This Before?

This is the question I hear most often. If SAAT is this effective, why don’t more doctors know
about it? Why isn’t it more widely available?

The honest answer is that auricular acupuncture — despite its deep research base and
international use — remains outside the mainstream of American healthcare. Most people
associate acupuncture with pain management or stress relief, and are unaware that it can be applied with precision to regulate immune function. SAAT in particular is a specialized protocol that requires specific training, and only a limited number of practitioners in the United States
offer it.

For Alpha Gal patients, this creates a real access problem. People who are suffering, who have
already navigated a lengthy and difficult diagnostic process, are now trying to find a treatment
that most of their providers have never encountered. Many give up. Others travel significant
distances — as the person who called me from eight hours away was willing to do.

My hope in writing this is to make sure that anyone in Wisconsin, or within a reasonable
distance, knows that this option is available here.

A Note on Ongoing Research

The science around Alpha Gal Syndrome is still developing. Researchers are continuing to
study how sensitization occurs, why some tick-bite victims develop AGS and others do not, and
how the condition behaves over time. SAAT itself deserves more prospective clinical trials, and
the authors of the 2021 Medical Acupuncture study explicitly called for that next step in their
conclusion.

What exists now is a compelling body of clinical evidence — peer-reviewed, multi-site, and
consistent with what I have observed firsthand in my own practice. The 96% remission rate in
that published study is not a number I take lightly. It reflects a treatment that is working for a
population that has been largely told nothing can be done.

You Don’t Have to Keep Avoiding Everything

Alpha Gal Syndrome is real, it is serious, and it deserves to be taken seriously. But “learn to live
with it” should not be the final word.

If you have been diagnosed with Alpha Gal Syndrome — or if you suspect you may have it
based on unexplained delayed reactions after eating red meat or dairy — I encourage you to
reach out. We can talk through your history, your symptoms, and whether SAAT is an
appropriate next step for you.

To learn more about SAAT and the work of Dr. Nader Soliman, the treatment’s founder, visit
alternativemedicinecenter.info.

To schedule a consultation at 7 Stones Acupuncture and Wellness in Cascade, Wisconsin, call
(262) 622-3602 or visit 7stonesacupuncture.com.
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Scott Bartell is a licensed acupuncturist and the owner of 7 Stones Acupuncture and Wellness, with
location in Cascade, Wisconsin. He has been practicing acupuncture since 2014 and is trained and
certified in Soliman’s Auricular Allergy Treatment (SAAT).
References

Bernal M, Huecker M, Shreffler J, Mittel O, Mittel J, Soliman N. Successful Treatment for Alpha Gal
Mammal Product Allergy Using Auricular Acupuncture: A Case Series. Med Acupunct. 2021 Oct
1;33(5):343–348. doi: 10.1089/acu.2021.0010. PMID: 35003502.
Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35003502/