Dear T.C.,

Yes, I've had what I think might be a similar reaction, seemingly to meat.

First, let me say a couple of things.

First, I long ago figured out from reading labels that citric acid as a food
additive would cause me to experience flushed face, burning lips, anxiety,
confusion, insomnia. I figured it out from canned tomatoes and also found it to
be true for packaged sausages that listed citric acid as an ingredient.

Second, I have more recently determined that various meats that are served as
fresh and free from any other ingredients are actually not free from other
ingredients. This list includes meats that I've bought that were already
cooked, such as barbecued pork and fried chicken from a local restaurant. I
know this from having gone back to the restaurant and asked if they used any
additives, seasoning salt, etc. I believed them when they said that the pork
was simply slow cooked and the chicken was simply fried in oil. Sometimes my
reaction is discomfort, with the symptoms that I listed above. Other times, my
reaction is heightened awareness and sleeplessness. I also know this to be true
of bacon that I bought from the meat case at the store and cooked myself at
home. My reaction to this was ringing in my ears and sleeplessness.

Okay, here's my story about me having an experience similar to your experience
with the lamb. I've always been able to eat the all natural ground chuck at my
local natural foods store with minimal problems. (My reaction was present but
not severe.) However, on one recent visit, I let them convince me to pay more
for the "local, grass-fed, natural" ground beef. My reaction was swift and
immediate - ringing in ears and later sleeplessness.

I went back to the store. They said "Nope, nothing but beef." I called the
corporate headquarters: "Nothing but beef." I called the farmer: "Nothing but
beef." Then I called the meat processor: They said Oh sure, we spray lactic
acid on the carcass. We're required by law to do so. And we don't wash it off.
It's an acid intervention. It kills bacteria. It can be either lactic acid,
acetic acid or citric acid.

I went to a another local vendor who raises cows and pigs and sells all natural
meats. Her products are more expensive than those at my local natural foods
store (and both are already more expensive than my local conventional grocery
store). I tried her products and had no reaction to ground beef and pork
sausage. I called her processor. He uses acetic acid. I asked why he chose
acetic acid over lactic acid. His answer was vague. I think he didn't want to
criticize lactic acid or lactic acid users. He did say that acetic acid is more
corrosive than the other acids to his metal equipment and his concrete floors.

By the way, I also spoke to a representative of the company that sells the
lactic acid. The company is Purac and the product is FCC 88. I have the
product data sheet if anybody wants it.

T.C., I find it highly unlikely that you had a reaction to the lamb itself. My
assumption is that your reaction was to the acid intervention. Perhaps you
could make a few phone calls and find out which of the acids was on the lamb.

Doug

--- In helminthictherapy@yahoogroups.com, "b_r_rikk" <brrikk@...> wrote:
>
> hello, everyone! i had a very odd experience tonight -- a fairly severe
allergic reaction, including some anaphylactic symptoms, like numb lips and a
throat closing sensation.
>
> i've had many food allergies for years, but just recently i started becoming
sensitive to a lot of new foods. that was what motivated me to explore
helminthic therapy, and now i'm hosting 55 hookworms and 500 TT whipworms. here
is a link to the page on my blog that describes this episode.
>
> http://wp.me/p1rPi0-2O
>
> i guess i'm just wondering if anyone here has had a similar experience, and if
so, what they did to sort it out. clearly, i won't be trying lamb in any
quantity until the helminths i'm hosting allow for it -- fingers crossed. since
i'm now at day 38, post inoculation, that may not be for a while yet.
>
> one interesting wrinkle -- i was able to eat frozen new zealand rack of lamb
with no problem, a week ago, but the fresh lamb loin chops i got from a local
store, two weeks ago and then again tonight, were toxic to my system. luckily,
i've been blogging my habits so it's pretty easy to pin this down.
hmmmmmmmmmmm...
>
> thanks in advance for your help!
>