The Rise of Alpha-Gal Syndrome, The Origins of Lyme, and Tick-Borne Weapons of Mass Destruction

In my telehealth functional medicine clinic, I have seen a dramatic increase in patients with Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. One of the most perplexing conditions however, is an allergy that makes eating a steak, sipping on bone broth, or even drinking a milkshake nearly impossible.

Known as Alpha-Gal Syndrome, this condition sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, but for a growing number of people, it is very real. But what is even more shocking than the condition itself, is a recent academic paper that argues for the intentional spread of this illness. Yes, you read that correctly.

A 2025 paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Bioethics proposed that Alpha-Gal Syndrome could function as a “moral bioenhancer” to discourage meat consumption and suggested that we should genetically engineer ticks to spread the condition more effectively.

If that sounds dystopian to you, you’re not alone. Here’s why the ethical implications of this paper should concern anyone who values informed consent and the impact this can have on overall health and wellbeing if it were to come to fruition.

What Is Alpha-Gal Syndrome?

Spread through a bite by the Lone Star tick, Alpha-Gal Syndrome is an allergic reaction to the sugar molecule, alpha-galactose. (1) Since alpha-galactose is naturally present in the meat and tissues of most mammals, it can result in an allergic reaction to more than just red meat:

• Beef
• Pork
• Lamb
• Venison
• Dairy products
• Gelatin
• Bone broth
• Certain medications derived from mammalian sources

Alpha-Gal Syndrome is also unique in that unlike a typical food allergy that results in an immediate reaction, it can take anywhere between 3-8 hours for a reaction to appear. (2) Common symptoms include: (3)

• Hives
• Itching
• Digestive distress
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Swelling
• Difficulty breathing
• Anaphylaxis

Because of this delayed reaction, Alpha-Gal isn’t always easy to diagnose. Especially when you consider the fact that Alpha-Gal, like any chronic inflammatory problem, exists on a spectrum. There’s people that I know that can have small amounts of these things and they don’t have symptoms. They can have bone broth, but can’t eat a steak. There are no hard and fast rules.

Every case is different, but the consensus is the same. This is a life-altering condition that doesn’t begin and end with what you can and cannot eat. In reality, it often coincides with many other symptoms that play a role in life-long wellbeing. 

READ MORE: The Alpha-Gal Syndrome + Red Meat Connection

Why Are Cases Of Alpha-Gal Syndrome Increasing?

Alpha-Gal Syndrome isn’t the only tick-borne illness on the rise. In fact, this increase in cases mirrors the broader spike we are seeing in all tick-borne illnesses. Researchers believe it has to do with how our environments are continuing to evolve. For example, climate shifts may be expanding the geographic range of ticks while also increasing their survival rates through winter, a time when more of these bugs tended to die off. 

Changes in urban development have also brought humans into closer contact with wildlife that carry ticks. Deer populations have increased in many regions, and with less people hunting compared to generations before, it creates an ideal environment for tick proliferation which means more exposure to humans and more bites. Here in Pennsylvania where I live, it’s a common occurrence to see deer in your backyard and within city limits. Pennsylvania also has one of the highest rates of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses in America.

Understanding the “Moral Imperative” of Alpha-Gal Syndrome

But there’s another theory out there as to why cases of Alpha-Gal are increasing — that ticks are being bioengineered and released to spread this condition to more people. While this sounds like a viral conspiracy theory, a new research paper is sounding the alarms that it may be closer to fact than fiction.

A 2025 paper titled, “Beneficial Bloodsucking”, was published in the reputable peer-reviewed journal Bioethics. (4) The authors are Parker Crutchfield and Blake Hereth, both professors in the Department of Medical Ethics, Humanities, and Law at Western Michigan University School of Medicine.

They argue that Alpha-Gal Syndrome can function as a “moral bioenhancer.” Basically, if eating meat is considered morally wrong due to animal welfare, environmental, or climate reasons, then actively promoting the spread of AGS is not just permissible, but “strongly pro tanto obligatory” — essentially a moral imperative. To accomplish this, they propose genetically modifying ticks to spread AGS more effectively while reducing other disease risks, framing it as an ethical intervention to “enhance” human behavior by making meat consumption difficult or impossible for more people. If that’s not concerning, I don’t know what is. 

Is This Happening + Should We Be Concerned?

As a functional medicine expert, it’s hard not to take this paper as more than just a theory or think-piece. If you look at our relationship with ticks throughout history and what’s happening in our current society, it should give us extreme pause.

One of the leading theories of why we’ve seen an increase in all tick-borne illnesses, is that they were bioengineered to begin with. Studies have found evidence of tick bacteria in fossilized wood, confirming that it has been around for centuries. But the uptick in tick bites, how fast these diseases spread, and how severely, is allegedly because of government gain-of-function research — an area of research dedicated to genetically altering organisms with the goal of enhancing biological functions like transmission and pathogenesis —  that was either intentionally, or unintentionally released to the public.

In fact, the United States Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, just revealed new evidence showing U.S. government funding for more than 120 biolabs across more than 30 countries. (5) Not only did these labs work with dangerous pathogens, they often involved this gain-of-function research.

We also know for a fact that the bioengineering of ticks is already happening. I’m not living in a total conspiracy tinfoil hat land, I promise. Bill Gates is already investing in companies that are bioengineering male ticks with a “self-limiting” gene that prevents ticks from reaching adulthood and wreaking havoc on the cattle population. (6,7) These male ticks are released into the wild, mate with wild female ticks, and pass this gene on to their offspring. While this may seem like a good use of this technology, what is that saying…the road to hell is paved with good intentions?

Another “coincidence”? 50% of the Wampanoag Native American tribe in southeastern Massachusetts now have Alpha-Gal syndrome. That’s quite the sudden increase for a people group that has lived alongside nature for millennia. So even though there is no evidence to say that the bioengineering of ticks to spread Alpha-Gal is happening currently, it’s important to have these conversations and look at what is and is not being talked about.

The Health Repercussions of Bioengineering Alpha-Gal Syndrome

Spreading Alpha-Gal syndrome also doesn’t take into account the potential downsides this can have on a person’s health. Everyone’s biochemistry is unique, and while some people can do well on a vegan diet, many others can end up with severe nutrient deficiencies and a reliance on supplementation to make up for what they are lacking from no longer eating meat.

We also know that Alpha-Gal is a result of an abnormal immune response. Alpha-Gal occurs when your immune system begins identifying a previously harmless substance (in this case, it’s the alpha-galactose sugar in meat), as a threat. That is not normal. 

Once your immune system becomes dysregulated it can result in a cascade of other problems from gut dysfunction to hormone imbalances. That’s why I often see Lyme disease and other tick-borne co-infections coincide with a variety of symptoms and health problems. While many cases of Lyme and Alpha-Gal can be put into remission through dietary changes and natural remedies like my personally curated Lyme Protocol supplements (which is great for any tick-borne illness, not just Lyme, including Alpha-Gal), tick-borne illnesses don’t have a known cure and tend to need management to some extent throughout your life.

Without fully understanding these repercussions — ethically and physically — there’s no way we can even begin to advocate for the purposeful inoculation of Alpha-Gal syndrome in whatever form it takes place.

LISTEN: Real Candida Causes, Tick Bites & The Alpha-Gal Syndrome – Red Meat Allergy Conspiracy | Ask Me Anything

The Takeaway

Regardless of where someone stands on the issue of meat consumption, there is a profound distinction between education and force. People can choose vegetarian diets. People can choose vegan diets. People can choose a completely carnivore diet. Those are all legitimate choices. But intentionally altering human biology to remove choice is something entirely different. 

What makes this “Beneficial Bloodsucking” paper so disturbing is that it is just one of many discussions that frame human health through the lens of collective outcomes rather than individual well-being. In functional medicine, we deeply understand that everyone’s biochemistry is unique and what works for one person won’t always work for the next. And playing God with Alpha-Gal syndrome can result in a cascade of implications both ethically and physically that we are not ready for. 

So whether the rise in Alpha-Gal syndrome is due to climate change, urban sprawl, or us thinking we know better in the name of science (it’s likely a multi-tiered phenomenon and again there is no evidence that ticks are currently being bioengineered to spread Alpha-Gal), we should all agree on one thing: health should never be weaponized. Instead, our efforts should be put towards finding solutions that work for both us and the environment. 

As one of the first functional medicine telehealth clinics in the world, we provide webcam health consultations for people around the globe. 

Photo: Unsplash.com

Sources

• Young, I., Prematunge, C., Pussegoda, K., Corrin, T., & Waddell, L. (2021). Tick exposures and alpha-gal syndrome: A systematic review of the evidence. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 12(3), 101674. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101674
• Commins, S. P. (2020). Diagnosis & management of alpha-gal syndrome: lessons from 2,500 patients. Expert Review of Clinical Immunology, 16(7), 667–677. https://doi.org/10.1080/1744666X.2020.1782745
• Commins, S. P., James, H. R., Stevens, W., Pochan, S. L., Land, M. H., King, C., Mozzicato, S., & Platts-Mills, T. A. (2014). Delayed clinical and ex vivo response to mammalian meat in patients with IgE to galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 134(1), 108–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2014.01.024
• Crutchfield, P. and Hereth, B. (2025), Beneficial Bloodsucking. Bioethics, 39: 772-781. https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.70015.
• Macias, A. (2026, June 14). Gabbard says declassified biolab records validate concerns previously dismissed as misinformation. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gabbard-says-declassified-biolab-records-validate-concerns-previously-dismissed-misinformation
• The Roslin Institute. (2023). Project aims to curb losses from major cattle pest. The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh. https://vet.ed.ac.uk/roslin/news-events/archive/2023/project-aims-to-curb-losses-from-major-cattle-pest
• Rajput, Z. I., Hu, S. H., Chen, W. J., Arijo, A. G., & Xiao, C. W. (2006). Importance of ticks and their chemical and immunological control in livestock. Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B, 7(11), 912–921. https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.2006.B0912