1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:02,860 (Transcribed by TurboScribe. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) The podcast has been on hiatus this week 2 00:00:02,860 --> 00:00:06,080 while I have dealt with a constellation of 3 00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:07,240 different health issues. 4 00:00:07,820 --> 00:00:11,340 The bottom line is I recently received a 5 00:00:11,340 --> 00:00:13,980 diagnosis of alpha-gal, which has been in 6 00:00:13,980 --> 00:00:15,040 the news a lot lately. 7 00:00:15,740 --> 00:00:19,660 It is a tick-borne allergy, not an 8 00:00:19,660 --> 00:00:22,760 illness, but an allergy to the alpha-gal 9 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,460 carbohydrate molecule that's present in all mammals. 10 00:00:27,020 --> 00:00:29,420 The top line that the news likes to 11 00:00:29,420 --> 00:00:32,400 sensationalize is that it makes you allergic to 12 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:34,580 red meat like burgers and bacon. 13 00:00:34,820 --> 00:00:36,940 But the truth is alpha-gal causes a 14 00:00:36,940 --> 00:00:38,420 lot more than that, and I've been dealing 15 00:00:38,420 --> 00:00:40,460 with a lot of those other symptoms. 16 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:43,020 A lot of people have said to me, 17 00:00:43,180 --> 00:00:44,780 well, what good are ticks anyway? 18 00:00:45,500 --> 00:00:49,520 And well, it's Disability Pride Month, and I 19 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,360 feel like that there might be some parallels 20 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:56,300 between the way that our society treats ticks 21 00:00:56,300 --> 00:00:59,200 and the way that our society treats disabled 22 00:00:59,200 --> 00:00:59,720 people. 23 00:01:00,420 --> 00:01:04,099 So throw in a heaping of vegan popcorn, 24 00:01:04,099 --> 00:01:06,980 and let's dive in and see what this 25 00:01:06,980 --> 00:01:07,640 is all about. 26 00:01:08,320 --> 00:01:12,180 You're listening to Feathermane Soul Wisdom, a podcast 27 00:01:12,180 --> 00:01:15,060 for those looking to rediscover their wild spirit 28 00:01:15,060 --> 00:01:16,580 in spite of life's challenges. 29 00:01:16,740 --> 00:01:19,300 If you're living with a chronic illness or 30 00:01:19,300 --> 00:01:23,040 neurodivergent or consider yourself disabled, and you're looking 31 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:25,520 to connect with your own inner untamed essence, 32 00:01:25,980 --> 00:01:27,540 then this show is for you. 33 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:30,960 Your host is Kit Kaelstoe, Wild Spirit Storyteller. 34 00:01:31,300 --> 00:01:33,380 Thanks for listening, and now on to the 35 00:01:33,380 --> 00:01:33,820 episode. 36 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:37,980 Hi, and welcome back to the Feathermane Soul 37 00:01:37,980 --> 00:01:38,800 Wisdom Show. 38 00:01:39,060 --> 00:01:42,420 I'm Kit Kaelstoe, and this week we're talking 39 00:01:42,420 --> 00:01:47,480 about alpha-gal specifically, although I admit that 40 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:50,860 since my diagnosis, I've had a lot of 41 00:01:50,860 --> 00:01:54,780 thoughts about eating and food, different ways of 42 00:01:54,780 --> 00:01:57,220 eating in general, eating more compassionately, and how 43 00:01:57,220 --> 00:02:00,700 we can move in that direction, as well 44 00:02:00,700 --> 00:02:03,920 as we're going to be talking about ticks 45 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:05,920 and what their role is in the ecosystem. 46 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:08,479 And yes, they do have a purpose, but 47 00:02:08,479 --> 00:02:09,960 we're going to be tying this into Disability 48 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:10,920 Pride Month. 49 00:02:11,540 --> 00:02:13,700 And lest you think I've gone too far 50 00:02:13,700 --> 00:02:17,180 afield in my original message, the truth is 51 00:02:17,180 --> 00:02:19,560 that all of this ties into wild spirit 52 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,600 storytelling and grief work, because not only is 53 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:26,140 there a lot of grief when you get 54 00:02:26,140 --> 00:02:29,260 diagnosed with a food allergy, or any chronic 55 00:02:29,260 --> 00:02:33,060 illness, honestly, there's also a lot of how 56 00:02:33,060 --> 00:02:34,500 do we connect to the wild? 57 00:02:34,900 --> 00:02:36,820 If the wild is something that can make 58 00:02:36,820 --> 00:02:38,780 us sick, how do we deal with that? 59 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,000 So it is all connected, and this is 60 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:43,600 the type of stuff that I really like 61 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:45,480 to think about and really like to dive 62 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:46,000 into. 63 00:02:46,780 --> 00:02:48,600 And so trust me when I say that 64 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:51,160 there's probably going to be many more podcasts 65 00:02:51,780 --> 00:02:53,700 slicing into that bit by bit. 66 00:02:53,780 --> 00:02:56,320 But again, today we're going to talk basically 67 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:58,780 about alpha-gal, we're going to talk about 68 00:02:58,780 --> 00:03:00,360 ticks, and we're going to talk about Disability 69 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:01,260 Pride Month. 70 00:03:02,050 --> 00:03:05,720 Let me start by discussing what alpha-gal 71 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:06,280 is. 72 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:11,440 Alpha-gal is is designated a mammalian meat 73 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:11,880 allergy. 74 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,280 It is a tick-induced allergy to a 75 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,240 molecule which happens to be a carbohydrate called 76 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:21,500 galactose A 1,3-galactose. 77 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,380 It's a sugar, and it's commonly known as 78 00:03:24,380 --> 00:03:24,940 alpha-gal. 79 00:03:25,580 --> 00:03:29,420 This sugar is found in all mammals except 80 00:03:29,420 --> 00:03:32,240 for humans and some primates, and it's just 81 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:35,300 part of the family of sugars that feed 82 00:03:35,300 --> 00:03:37,340 our cells and make our body work. 83 00:03:38,460 --> 00:03:41,580 Products made from mammals can also contain alpha 84 00:03:41,580 --> 00:03:45,580 -gal, and they include meat, so beef, pork, 85 00:03:45,740 --> 00:03:49,580 lamb, that would be burgers, bacon, pork chops, 86 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:54,100 lamb chops, milk and dairy products, cheese, ice 87 00:03:54,100 --> 00:03:57,000 cream, but also products you might not think 88 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:02,400 about like gelatin, medications, either with a mammal 89 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:05,820 -derived ingredient as like one of their inactive 90 00:04:05,820 --> 00:04:10,640 ingredients or active ingredients, or like the gelatin 91 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:11,300 capsules. 92 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:13,340 Some of your other medicines come in capsules. 93 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:15,279 Those are often made from gelatin. 94 00:04:16,339 --> 00:04:20,200 And medical products like heparin and vaccines and 95 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:25,220 even personal care products like lotion, makeup, deodorant, 96 00:04:25,380 --> 00:04:30,500 shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toilet paper, many other 97 00:04:30,500 --> 00:04:30,920 items. 98 00:04:31,180 --> 00:04:36,260 There is an amazing amount of products due 99 00:04:36,260 --> 00:04:39,480 in large part to our very industrial food 100 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:44,000 and consumer-driven product system that we have. 101 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:46,880 And no, this isn't a rant against ultra 102 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:49,300 -processed food or whatever the biggest fad is 103 00:04:49,300 --> 00:04:49,800 right now. 104 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:51,540 It's just a fact of life. 105 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,740 We are very efficient at using most parts 106 00:04:55,740 --> 00:04:58,220 of an animal that gets butchered for food. 107 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:03,740 In fact, bone char, so charred animal bones, 108 00:05:03,900 --> 00:05:06,560 is used in sugar production. 109 00:05:07,180 --> 00:05:09,040 It is also part of charcoal. 110 00:05:09,840 --> 00:05:13,340 So something that I've been thinking about is 111 00:05:13,340 --> 00:05:14,640 like my incense use. 112 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:18,600 All of this, all of these products contain 113 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:19,420 this molecule. 114 00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:22,760 And if you have alpha-gal, you are 115 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:24,240 allergic to this molecule. 116 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:29,400 And what's going to happen is you're going 117 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:30,540 to have reactions. 118 00:05:30,820 --> 00:05:34,220 And reactions can range from really, really bad 119 00:05:34,220 --> 00:05:37,640 like sudden anaphylactic shock, which is where you 120 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:40,760 can't breathe, you suffocate to death, very bad, 121 00:05:40,860 --> 00:05:41,880 no good, nobody wants. 122 00:05:42,740 --> 00:05:45,400 Reactions might be itching or hives as part 123 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:46,760 of that allergic reaction. 124 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:49,820 They also could be gastrointestinal. 125 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:53,820 And it's a delayed reaction. 126 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:55,640 So it's not like food poisoning where if 127 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:58,500 you eat something that's bad, like within a 128 00:05:58,500 --> 00:06:00,240 half an hour, you know it and you 129 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:01,560 can trace it right back to what you 130 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:02,500 have eaten. 131 00:06:03,140 --> 00:06:06,140 In this case, reactions can take three hours, 132 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:10,300 eight hours, sometimes even longer after what you've 133 00:06:10,300 --> 00:06:10,720 eaten. 134 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:14,280 Or people can be fume reactive. 135 00:06:14,540 --> 00:06:16,060 So if you go to say like McDonald's 136 00:06:16,060 --> 00:06:18,880 where they're cooking hamburgers, just having that in 137 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:20,820 the air can be enough to trigger your 138 00:06:20,820 --> 00:06:21,240 allergy. 139 00:06:22,280 --> 00:06:24,560 But about three to eight hours after you 140 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:26,720 eat, your stomach hurts really bad. 141 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:29,780 You might get all the usual GI symptoms, 142 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:36,200 gas, cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, all of 143 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:37,220 the no fun stuff. 144 00:06:38,380 --> 00:06:42,880 And because it happens so delayed, especially if 145 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:44,800 you don't realize you got bit by a 146 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:47,180 tick, it can take a long time to 147 00:06:47,180 --> 00:06:49,480 figure out a diagnosis because it's not something 148 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:51,060 that leaps to providers minds. 149 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:54,040 Even in a place where I'm at, which 150 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:55,920 is in the Missouri Ozarks, where alpha-gal 151 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:58,880 is very prevalent, it's very much on everybody's 152 00:06:58,880 --> 00:06:59,400 mind. 153 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:02,240 Even down here, like one of my biggest 154 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:04,500 frustrations for the past couple of weeks is 155 00:07:04,500 --> 00:07:06,920 that my doctor is not literate about it. 156 00:07:07,280 --> 00:07:09,240 And what my doctor told me is very 157 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:10,100 much not true. 158 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:14,740 And so they basically measure your allergy to 159 00:07:14,740 --> 00:07:15,540 this molecule. 160 00:07:16,460 --> 00:07:19,340 Anything over a certain threshold is considered a 161 00:07:19,340 --> 00:07:19,820 positive. 162 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:23,080 And one of the interesting facts about this 163 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:26,280 allergy is that it's kind of like that 164 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:28,860 game show whose line is it anyway, where 165 00:07:28,860 --> 00:07:30,540 the points are made up and don't matter. 166 00:07:31,220 --> 00:07:35,140 Whatever you score that's a positive, you can 167 00:07:35,140 --> 00:07:37,020 have a really high number and very low 168 00:07:37,020 --> 00:07:37,580 reactions. 169 00:07:37,580 --> 00:07:40,780 For example, you could tolerate dairy and some 170 00:07:40,780 --> 00:07:42,760 of the other products and just not meat. 171 00:07:43,340 --> 00:07:45,540 You can have a very low positive number 172 00:07:45,540 --> 00:07:47,320 and be extremely reactive. 173 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:49,640 So there's not a real correlation there. 174 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:52,700 There may be a chance that you can 175 00:07:52,700 --> 00:07:55,820 go into remission, especially if you avoid further 176 00:07:55,820 --> 00:07:56,580 tick bites. 177 00:07:57,360 --> 00:07:58,900 There's also a chance that it could get 178 00:07:58,900 --> 00:08:00,740 worse if you have further tick bites. 179 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:03,860 And again, because all of these reactions are 180 00:08:03,860 --> 00:08:07,520 delayed, it's really hard to know like, okay, 181 00:08:07,540 --> 00:08:08,880 I got bit by a tick. 182 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:10,840 It's now a week later. 183 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:12,400 My symptoms are super worse. 184 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:15,140 This can take several months to manifest in 185 00:08:15,140 --> 00:08:15,680 your system. 186 00:08:16,260 --> 00:08:20,100 So it's a very difficult food allergy to 187 00:08:20,100 --> 00:08:22,200 deal with in large part, because there's so 188 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:23,860 much misinformation about it. 189 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:27,360 And there is a certain sector of our 190 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:31,440 information ecosystem that, and I suspect it has 191 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:33,159 to do with the regions of the country 192 00:08:33,159 --> 00:08:36,559 where alpha gallus more prevalent, have really kind 193 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:39,679 of glommed on to some really wild ideas 194 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:42,520 about what this is and what can cure 195 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:42,780 it. 196 00:08:42,940 --> 00:08:45,520 There is no cure, what it means to 197 00:08:45,520 --> 00:08:46,180 live with it. 198 00:08:46,580 --> 00:08:48,280 And so it's really hard to find good 199 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:49,260 solid information. 200 00:08:49,860 --> 00:08:52,660 In my case, I belong to some groups 201 00:08:52,660 --> 00:08:56,140 of people who have the illness, and it's 202 00:08:56,140 --> 00:08:57,940 a lot of trial and error even then, 203 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:00,460 because again, our reactions vary so differently. 204 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:04,380 Now that you know what alpha gallus is, 205 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:07,740 the question that always comes up is, well, 206 00:09:07,740 --> 00:09:10,260 what purpose do ticks serve anyway? 207 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:12,220 And I understand. 208 00:09:12,740 --> 00:09:16,760 I mean, ticks are primarily known as pests 209 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:17,700 and bloodsuckers. 210 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:18,880 They're known as parasites. 211 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:25,740 In fact, their actual niche is called, and 212 00:09:25,740 --> 00:09:29,440 I hope I get this right, that they 213 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:31,700 are endoparasites. 214 00:09:32,220 --> 00:09:34,540 I'm going to pause the recording here and 215 00:09:34,540 --> 00:09:35,740 look this up just one moment. 216 00:09:36,560 --> 00:09:36,800 Nope. 217 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:37,620 I got that wrong. 218 00:09:37,820 --> 00:09:39,040 And I thought I did. 219 00:09:39,680 --> 00:09:42,760 Ticks are obligate bloodsucking ectoparasites. 220 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:44,640 In other words, on the outside of the 221 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:45,000 body. 222 00:09:46,500 --> 00:09:49,440 And you think, well, you know, golly, they 223 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:50,160 suck your blood. 224 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:52,340 What purpose do they have? 225 00:09:52,980 --> 00:09:57,260 Well, in, you know, much the same as 226 00:09:57,260 --> 00:10:01,000 the food web and the chain, they do 227 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:02,720 provide food for other animals. 228 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:05,320 Again, there's a lot of misinformation out there, 229 00:10:05,460 --> 00:10:08,580 but a lot of animals will feed on 230 00:10:08,580 --> 00:10:11,780 ticks, either ticks that land on them or 231 00:10:11,780 --> 00:10:13,600 ticks that they find in the environment. 232 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:19,240 And there are, you know, guinea fowl, for 233 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:20,980 example, apparently eat ticks. 234 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:22,560 I've kept guinea fowl. 235 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:25,260 It is way more trouble, as far as 236 00:10:25,260 --> 00:10:28,100 I'm concerned, than it's worth, because guinea fowl 237 00:10:28,100 --> 00:10:29,500 are not as smart as chickens. 238 00:10:29,700 --> 00:10:31,140 That's another show, probably. 239 00:10:32,340 --> 00:10:35,040 But, you know, guinea fowl eat them. 240 00:10:35,660 --> 00:10:37,960 Free ranging chickens eat them. 241 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:39,080 Reptiles, birds. 242 00:10:39,700 --> 00:10:41,940 I've heard it said that opossums eat them. 243 00:10:42,020 --> 00:10:45,260 I've also heard that that basically they will 244 00:10:45,260 --> 00:10:47,020 eat any that land on them, but they 245 00:10:47,020 --> 00:10:48,900 don't go seeking them out, which would make 246 00:10:48,900 --> 00:10:50,860 sense, because it's not a big food source 247 00:10:50,860 --> 00:10:52,600 for an opossum. 248 00:10:54,140 --> 00:10:58,220 But, you know, what they do is they 249 00:10:58,220 --> 00:11:00,160 do serve as food for other animals. 250 00:11:00,700 --> 00:11:04,660 They do take part in providing some diversity 251 00:11:04,660 --> 00:11:07,560 of life on our planet, because they do 252 00:11:07,560 --> 00:11:10,340 carry various microorganisms and bacteria. 253 00:11:11,220 --> 00:11:16,600 And whether we agree with the microorganisms and 254 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:19,700 bacteria that those ticks carry, that's kind of 255 00:11:19,700 --> 00:11:23,140 relevant, because we don't get to decide their 256 00:11:23,140 --> 00:11:27,280 purpose because of what they do for us. 257 00:11:27,560 --> 00:11:28,460 That's pretty selfish. 258 00:11:29,140 --> 00:11:30,820 And that kind of is going to get 259 00:11:30,820 --> 00:11:32,160 into the third part of the show. 260 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:36,000 So they do provide some diversity of life. 261 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:39,940 They have obviously evolved to fill certain niches. 262 00:11:40,500 --> 00:11:42,980 And in some ways, they do also help 263 00:11:42,980 --> 00:11:45,540 to keep animal populations in check. 264 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:49,920 So too many ticks on an animal, especially 265 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:52,360 an older animal, a weak animal, a sick 266 00:11:52,360 --> 00:11:55,960 animal, can be its cause of death. 267 00:11:57,120 --> 00:11:59,800 So it is one way to kind of 268 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:02,500 keep balance in the ecosystem. 269 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:05,540 And again, regardless of whether we think that's 270 00:12:05,540 --> 00:12:06,900 a good way to keep balance in the 271 00:12:06,900 --> 00:12:11,740 ecosystem or not, certainly, it is a way 272 00:12:11,740 --> 00:12:15,760 to do so with the help of this 273 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:16,240 creature. 274 00:12:19,250 --> 00:12:22,230 So ticks do have a purpose. 275 00:12:23,130 --> 00:12:25,430 And I think it's important when we're thinking 276 00:12:25,430 --> 00:12:29,430 about the environment, when we're thinking about our 277 00:12:29,430 --> 00:12:31,630 connection with the wild and our connection with 278 00:12:31,630 --> 00:12:35,650 nature, it's very important to de-center ourselves. 279 00:12:36,690 --> 00:12:39,330 And if we de-center ourselves from the 280 00:12:39,330 --> 00:12:43,370 conversation with nature, the entire nature of that 281 00:12:43,370 --> 00:12:44,590 conversation changes. 282 00:12:45,010 --> 00:12:48,450 If we de-center ourselves, we're no longer 283 00:12:48,450 --> 00:12:53,050 talking about what serves humanity, what is in 284 00:12:53,050 --> 00:12:56,290 humanity's best interests, but rather what is in 285 00:12:56,290 --> 00:12:57,770 the best interest of the planet. 286 00:12:58,410 --> 00:13:01,170 Now, I am not knowledgeable enough about ticks 287 00:13:01,170 --> 00:13:05,190 to make a strong argument for why ticks 288 00:13:05,190 --> 00:13:06,990 are in the best interest of the planet. 289 00:13:08,190 --> 00:13:11,790 Because they are not something that humans have 290 00:13:11,790 --> 00:13:14,190 put here, but because they have evolved along 291 00:13:14,190 --> 00:13:16,490 with the rest of life and they've evolved 292 00:13:16,490 --> 00:13:17,970 to fill certain niches. 293 00:13:18,570 --> 00:13:21,510 Again, I have to trust that nature in 294 00:13:21,510 --> 00:13:23,030 this sense knows more than I do. 295 00:13:23,290 --> 00:13:26,250 Obviously, it has a much broader picture than 296 00:13:26,250 --> 00:13:26,950 I do. 297 00:13:26,950 --> 00:13:29,970 And it's one of those things where we 298 00:13:29,970 --> 00:13:34,350 don't know what would happen if we took 299 00:13:34,350 --> 00:13:37,010 these creatures out of the ecosystem completely. 300 00:13:38,590 --> 00:13:42,250 So de-centering ourselves when we're talking about 301 00:13:42,250 --> 00:13:46,090 the environment means that we have to understand, 302 00:13:46,270 --> 00:13:48,230 first of all, that each and every animal 303 00:13:48,230 --> 00:13:50,750 and creature in this environment has a purpose. 304 00:13:51,330 --> 00:13:54,210 Even if we don't agree with that purpose, 305 00:13:54,270 --> 00:13:56,250 even if we don't like that purpose, even 306 00:13:56,250 --> 00:13:58,390 if that purpose is harmful to us. 307 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:04,180 It's a living with mindset rather than a 308 00:14:04,180 --> 00:14:05,660 dominion over mindset. 309 00:14:08,110 --> 00:14:11,470 The second thing is we have to understand 310 00:14:11,470 --> 00:14:14,090 that we don't know what we don't know. 311 00:14:14,270 --> 00:14:15,850 And I think that's the hardest thing for 312 00:14:15,850 --> 00:14:19,910 humans to understand is that we don't know 313 00:14:20,650 --> 00:14:23,210 what will happen or what questions need to 314 00:14:23,210 --> 00:14:25,610 ask to know what we don't know. 315 00:14:26,370 --> 00:14:28,270 And so if we can live with that 316 00:14:28,270 --> 00:14:33,970 ambiguity that, hey, even if it's not an 317 00:14:33,970 --> 00:14:36,270 intelligent design type model, if it's more of 318 00:14:36,270 --> 00:14:39,630 an evolutionary model, trial and error, more scientific 319 00:14:39,630 --> 00:14:44,090 model, we have to understand that something happened. 320 00:14:44,750 --> 00:14:46,210 These creatures have evolved. 321 00:14:46,310 --> 00:14:48,010 They've evolved to fill a niche for a 322 00:14:48,010 --> 00:14:48,330 reason. 323 00:14:49,050 --> 00:14:50,870 And we just have to trust that that 324 00:14:50,870 --> 00:14:51,750 reason exists. 325 00:14:52,370 --> 00:14:54,070 And that's why phrases like, I don't know 326 00:14:54,070 --> 00:14:55,330 why ticks exist anyway. 327 00:14:56,670 --> 00:14:58,550 You know, that's why those phrases are harmful, 328 00:14:59,110 --> 00:15:04,030 because as it's Disability Pride Month, those phrases 329 00:15:04,030 --> 00:15:08,550 can be extended to other individuals who may 330 00:15:08,550 --> 00:15:12,190 be seen as not having a functional role 331 00:15:12,190 --> 00:15:15,950 as seen by the person making that statement. 332 00:15:16,950 --> 00:15:19,230 So what does all this have to do 333 00:15:19,230 --> 00:15:20,870 with Disability Pride Month? 334 00:15:21,970 --> 00:15:25,310 Well, first of all, it's really opened my 335 00:15:25,310 --> 00:15:25,810 eyes. 336 00:15:26,090 --> 00:15:28,870 And I say this as somebody who thought 337 00:15:28,870 --> 00:15:32,090 I was pretty well versed in disability theory 338 00:15:32,090 --> 00:15:34,750 and in systemic ableism. 339 00:15:35,350 --> 00:15:39,610 I worked on a thesis regarding disability liberation. 340 00:15:40,290 --> 00:15:43,870 I have been disabled under multiple models, which 341 00:15:43,870 --> 00:15:47,070 I've talked about in other shows for many 342 00:15:47,070 --> 00:15:47,990 years now. 343 00:15:48,930 --> 00:15:52,050 And I am all about accommodations, nothing about 344 00:15:52,050 --> 00:15:53,190 us without us. 345 00:15:53,370 --> 00:15:56,190 The fact that the Americans with Disabilities Act 346 00:15:56,190 --> 00:15:59,570 needs to be strengthened quite a bit. 347 00:15:59,630 --> 00:16:01,310 It needs some teeth, to be very honest 348 00:16:01,310 --> 00:16:01,870 with you. 349 00:16:03,110 --> 00:16:06,510 And I'm looking at getting maybe a service 350 00:16:06,510 --> 00:16:07,030 animal. 351 00:16:08,230 --> 00:16:10,810 And even with all of this in mind, 352 00:16:10,810 --> 00:16:15,230 because I had not dealt with a food 353 00:16:15,230 --> 00:16:20,930 allergy, I am ashamed to say that I 354 00:16:20,930 --> 00:16:24,630 did not realize just how badly the American 355 00:16:24,630 --> 00:16:29,510 food system fails people with food allergies. 356 00:16:30,870 --> 00:16:34,610 So with alpha-gal, again, we're allergic to 357 00:16:34,610 --> 00:16:35,850 anything derived from mammals. 358 00:16:36,350 --> 00:16:39,050 If you look on a package of food, 359 00:16:39,130 --> 00:16:40,770 and I'm just going to say the English 360 00:16:40,770 --> 00:16:44,430 muffins, the light multigrain English muffins I've got 361 00:16:44,430 --> 00:16:45,690 sitting on my counter. 362 00:16:46,490 --> 00:16:48,250 I like to make breakfast sandwiches out of 363 00:16:48,250 --> 00:16:48,430 them. 364 00:16:49,430 --> 00:16:51,310 So there's an app that tells you what 365 00:16:51,310 --> 00:16:52,530 allergens are in food. 366 00:16:53,110 --> 00:16:56,130 I scan my muffins, and they are like 367 00:16:56,130 --> 00:16:57,390 flashing red danger. 368 00:16:57,430 --> 00:16:58,730 And I'm like, what the heck, man, it's 369 00:16:58,730 --> 00:16:59,450 an English muffin. 370 00:17:00,390 --> 00:17:01,810 What is wrong with this? 371 00:17:01,950 --> 00:17:04,609 Well, there is a whole bunch of enrichment 372 00:17:04,609 --> 00:17:05,530 in the flour. 373 00:17:06,150 --> 00:17:08,569 So those enriched vitamins and minerals in the 374 00:17:08,569 --> 00:17:10,650 flour actually could be animal derived. 375 00:17:11,810 --> 00:17:14,770 There are natural flavors that show up. 376 00:17:14,930 --> 00:17:17,030 And because those natural flavors don't have to 377 00:17:17,030 --> 00:17:20,690 be disclosed, they might be animal derived. 378 00:17:20,869 --> 00:17:22,210 And so a great example is chicken. 379 00:17:22,310 --> 00:17:24,589 So chicken is something that is safe for 380 00:17:24,589 --> 00:17:27,830 alpha-gal individuals to eat because poultry does 381 00:17:27,830 --> 00:17:29,230 not contain that molecule. 382 00:17:30,570 --> 00:17:36,290 However, a lot of chicken providers will say, 383 00:17:36,550 --> 00:17:39,550 will tell you, or not tell you as 384 00:17:39,550 --> 00:17:42,210 the case may be, that they may use 385 00:17:42,210 --> 00:17:46,890 mammal derived products, juices, flavorings to inject into 386 00:17:46,890 --> 00:17:48,910 the chicken to so called make it better. 387 00:17:50,150 --> 00:17:52,630 That may be great for everybody else. 388 00:17:52,850 --> 00:17:55,330 That's very dangerous for people with alpha-gal. 389 00:17:55,830 --> 00:17:58,290 Now, I am fortunate in that I have 390 00:17:58,290 --> 00:18:01,690 mostly GI symptoms, and they're mostly manageable. 391 00:18:01,930 --> 00:18:04,270 I mean, hell, I've dealt with an angry 392 00:18:04,270 --> 00:18:05,870 GI tract for decades. 393 00:18:06,270 --> 00:18:10,030 So although now I'm wondering just how long 394 00:18:10,030 --> 00:18:11,430 I've had this and not known. 395 00:18:11,870 --> 00:18:16,610 But the truth is, it's pretty safe for 396 00:18:16,610 --> 00:18:19,110 me to eat like those English muffins. 397 00:18:19,370 --> 00:18:20,970 In fact, I'll probably have one when I'm 398 00:18:20,970 --> 00:18:23,650 done recording this podcast so I can eat 399 00:18:23,650 --> 00:18:24,150 some lunch. 400 00:18:25,650 --> 00:18:29,170 But it also means that if you have 401 00:18:29,170 --> 00:18:32,790 an allergy to mammal derived products, it's going 402 00:18:32,790 --> 00:18:34,850 to really limit what you can and can't 403 00:18:34,850 --> 00:18:35,270 eat. 404 00:18:35,590 --> 00:18:38,250 And if we start thinking about food deserts, 405 00:18:38,290 --> 00:18:40,310 which I live in one, if you start 406 00:18:40,310 --> 00:18:45,030 thinking about rural populations without access to a 407 00:18:45,030 --> 00:18:48,110 lot of natural or organic foods, although Walmart's 408 00:18:48,110 --> 00:18:48,830 getting better. 409 00:18:50,170 --> 00:18:52,090 You know, when you start to think about 410 00:18:52,090 --> 00:18:55,370 that sort of thing, there really is an 411 00:18:55,370 --> 00:18:59,550 accessibility, a disability issue going on with our 412 00:18:59,550 --> 00:19:00,190 food supply. 413 00:19:01,690 --> 00:19:04,310 And again, I was aware of this to 414 00:19:04,310 --> 00:19:06,170 some extent as somebody who was trying to 415 00:19:06,170 --> 00:19:09,090 eat more plant based, but I really wasn't 416 00:19:09,090 --> 00:19:10,730 aware of the extent of it until I 417 00:19:10,730 --> 00:19:11,590 got alpha-gal. 418 00:19:12,350 --> 00:19:15,370 And you know, boy, I feel really ashamed 419 00:19:15,370 --> 00:19:18,730 now because there's a lot of advocacy that 420 00:19:18,730 --> 00:19:20,010 needs to be done in this area. 421 00:19:21,690 --> 00:19:24,770 The other area I really find with alpha 422 00:19:24,770 --> 00:19:26,970 -gal and disability is that a lot of 423 00:19:26,970 --> 00:19:28,170 people don't take it seriously. 424 00:19:30,070 --> 00:19:33,630 Again, because it's billed as a meat allergy, 425 00:19:33,890 --> 00:19:35,910 they think that if you just avoid hamburgers 426 00:19:35,910 --> 00:19:38,170 and bacon and pork chops and anything that's 427 00:19:38,170 --> 00:19:42,570 obviously, you know, from a mammal, although as 428 00:19:42,570 --> 00:19:44,430 I've seen in my alpha-gal group, some 429 00:19:44,430 --> 00:19:46,230 people don't even know what mammals are. 430 00:19:47,090 --> 00:19:48,710 They think that if you just avoid it, 431 00:19:48,750 --> 00:19:51,150 it'll be fine, but you can be around 432 00:19:51,150 --> 00:19:51,630 it. 433 00:19:51,970 --> 00:19:54,130 There's not a cross-contamination issue. 434 00:19:54,350 --> 00:19:56,430 There's not a fume reaction issue. 435 00:19:56,990 --> 00:19:59,290 That basically, just don't eat meat and you'll 436 00:19:59,290 --> 00:19:59,810 be okay. 437 00:20:00,490 --> 00:20:01,950 And it is so much more than that. 438 00:20:01,990 --> 00:20:03,270 It's so much broader than that. 439 00:20:03,330 --> 00:20:04,630 And in fact, I was looking at the 440 00:20:04,630 --> 00:20:07,530 CDC's recent paperwork on it. 441 00:20:07,570 --> 00:20:09,150 They've got some teaching handouts. 442 00:20:09,610 --> 00:20:12,150 And while they're pretty decent, they also kind 443 00:20:12,150 --> 00:20:15,550 of reinforce that stereotype and that's dangerous. 444 00:20:16,090 --> 00:20:19,150 Just like the idea where if your numbers 445 00:20:19,150 --> 00:20:22,290 are low or your numbers are high, that 446 00:20:22,290 --> 00:20:24,470 details the severity of your reaction. 447 00:20:24,470 --> 00:20:25,310 That's dangerous. 448 00:20:26,190 --> 00:20:28,890 So there's a lot of advocacy to be 449 00:20:28,890 --> 00:20:33,210 done in, I think, broadening our vision of 450 00:20:33,210 --> 00:20:37,670 disability, this Disability Pride Month, and thinking about 451 00:20:37,670 --> 00:20:41,570 ways that you might not consider yourself disabled 452 00:20:41,570 --> 00:20:43,130 if you have this allergy. 453 00:20:43,350 --> 00:20:46,970 I know, for example, I don't consider myself 454 00:20:46,970 --> 00:20:48,650 disabled because I have alpha-gal. 455 00:20:48,830 --> 00:20:50,850 I consider myself disabled because I have other 456 00:20:50,850 --> 00:20:51,790 medical conditions. 457 00:20:53,350 --> 00:20:55,590 But the alpha-gal just kind of compounds 458 00:20:55,590 --> 00:20:58,070 all of that and compounds the problem. 459 00:20:59,090 --> 00:21:02,170 But we need to think about inclusion and 460 00:21:02,170 --> 00:21:06,690 the way society either enables or disables people 461 00:21:06,690 --> 00:21:07,810 within society. 462 00:21:09,150 --> 00:21:12,150 And step away a little bit from the 463 00:21:12,150 --> 00:21:16,290 label of disability liberation is only for people 464 00:21:16,290 --> 00:21:17,690 who think that they're disabled. 465 00:21:18,350 --> 00:21:21,810 Because a lot of people have medical conditions 466 00:21:21,810 --> 00:21:24,190 but choose not to think of themselves as 467 00:21:24,190 --> 00:21:26,350 disabled for a lot of different reasons. 468 00:21:26,770 --> 00:21:29,570 Whether because they feel like they're doing okay. 469 00:21:29,810 --> 00:21:32,390 Whether because of internalized ableism. 470 00:21:32,970 --> 00:21:34,930 There's a lot that happens. 471 00:21:35,690 --> 00:21:39,370 And so we really need to get away 472 00:21:39,370 --> 00:21:41,790 from a rigid idea of what is and 473 00:21:41,790 --> 00:21:43,690 isn't disability or disabled. 474 00:21:44,130 --> 00:21:47,370 Because much like everybody's alpha-gal reactions can 475 00:21:47,370 --> 00:21:51,370 be different, everybody's vision of access and equity 476 00:21:51,370 --> 00:21:57,290 and ability within society to, for example, go 477 00:21:57,290 --> 00:21:59,710 into a grocery store without being overwhelmed by 478 00:21:59,710 --> 00:22:01,130 fumes from the deli department. 479 00:22:01,870 --> 00:22:05,910 Or eat at a restaurant without worrying that 480 00:22:05,910 --> 00:22:08,790 the server is going to laugh at your 481 00:22:08,790 --> 00:22:12,250 allergies and they're going to try something different. 482 00:22:12,370 --> 00:22:14,370 Which is a story I heard recently that 483 00:22:14,370 --> 00:22:15,530 just horrified me. 484 00:22:18,270 --> 00:22:21,970 And I also think it also invites us 485 00:22:21,970 --> 00:22:24,330 to think about our definition of usefulness. 486 00:22:25,310 --> 00:22:29,630 A lot of society believes that you are 487 00:22:29,630 --> 00:22:32,070 only disabled if you can't work. 488 00:22:32,110 --> 00:22:34,970 And if you can't work, then you are 489 00:22:34,970 --> 00:22:35,710 a taker. 490 00:22:35,890 --> 00:22:36,770 You are a parasite. 491 00:22:37,050 --> 00:22:38,370 You are not useful to society. 492 00:22:38,590 --> 00:22:40,830 Now I want to stop and say that 493 00:22:40,830 --> 00:22:41,510 that's bullshit. 494 00:22:42,170 --> 00:22:44,630 That every human being has worth. 495 00:22:44,790 --> 00:22:46,690 Every human being has value. 496 00:22:47,590 --> 00:22:51,850 Every human being deserves food, shelter, clothing, housing, 497 00:22:52,130 --> 00:22:55,650 medical care, community care, mutual aid, support. 498 00:22:55,910 --> 00:22:59,750 And none of that has any bearing on 499 00:22:59,750 --> 00:23:01,730 whether a person can work or not. 500 00:23:01,950 --> 00:23:05,930 Whether, you know, a person's productivity does not 501 00:23:05,930 --> 00:23:07,170 define their worth. 502 00:23:07,450 --> 00:23:08,470 Full stop. 503 00:23:08,570 --> 00:23:09,350 End of sentence. 504 00:23:09,590 --> 00:23:10,570 No asterisks. 505 00:23:12,090 --> 00:23:15,190 So when we think about, you know, well, 506 00:23:15,210 --> 00:23:17,190 what purpose does a tick salt, you know, 507 00:23:17,270 --> 00:23:18,590 have in our environment? 508 00:23:19,130 --> 00:23:23,490 Well, then the question becomes, some people wonder, 509 00:23:23,650 --> 00:23:26,250 well, you know, what purpose does it serve 510 00:23:26,250 --> 00:23:27,830 to support a disabled person? 511 00:23:29,370 --> 00:23:32,590 And you can appeal to them by talking 512 00:23:32,590 --> 00:23:35,090 about how a lot of people, if not 513 00:23:35,090 --> 00:23:37,870 almost everybody, will become disabled at one point 514 00:23:37,870 --> 00:23:40,810 in their life or another, whether through age, 515 00:23:40,910 --> 00:23:43,090 whether through an accident, whether through an illness. 516 00:23:44,110 --> 00:23:46,530 But the truth is we should not have 517 00:23:46,530 --> 00:23:47,470 to do that. 518 00:23:47,630 --> 00:23:50,430 We should have enough compassion and support for 519 00:23:50,430 --> 00:23:54,030 one another, to want to support one another, 520 00:23:54,210 --> 00:23:55,990 to want to make sure that one another 521 00:23:55,990 --> 00:23:58,650 has everything that we need to survive. 522 00:24:00,090 --> 00:24:02,070 And to be honest, when you look at 523 00:24:02,070 --> 00:24:04,570 the amount of money that gets tossed around 524 00:24:06,790 --> 00:24:10,610 by billionaires, by rich people, even by people 525 00:24:10,610 --> 00:24:15,250 who are moderately well off, when you look 526 00:24:15,250 --> 00:24:17,210 at that, you know, that kind of money, 527 00:24:17,290 --> 00:24:19,030 you think that could do a lot of 528 00:24:19,030 --> 00:24:19,250 good. 529 00:24:19,310 --> 00:24:21,350 Now I'm not saying that people should forgo 530 00:24:21,350 --> 00:24:25,410 their enjoyment or forgo things they like, but 531 00:24:25,410 --> 00:24:29,410 if you can afford to drop $500, $1 532 00:24:29,410 --> 00:24:33,170 ,000 on something you collect or on some 533 00:24:33,170 --> 00:24:38,130 special trinket, then the question becomes, what are 534 00:24:38,130 --> 00:24:39,590 you donating to your community? 535 00:24:39,830 --> 00:24:42,010 How are you supporting mutual aid posts? 536 00:24:42,570 --> 00:24:47,410 Are you giving not even that same amount, 537 00:24:47,490 --> 00:24:49,170 but even a tenth of that amount, just 538 00:24:49,170 --> 00:24:50,130 supporting your community? 539 00:24:50,310 --> 00:24:51,170 And if not, why not? 540 00:24:52,810 --> 00:24:55,430 When we start to think about, when we 541 00:24:55,430 --> 00:25:00,150 start to decouple worth from productivity, we start 542 00:25:00,150 --> 00:25:04,610 to de-center that capitalist human mindset. 543 00:25:05,210 --> 00:25:08,050 And that's just like de-centering the human 544 00:25:08,050 --> 00:25:11,410 mindset from thinking about the wild or thinking 545 00:25:11,410 --> 00:25:13,570 about the nature. 546 00:25:13,790 --> 00:25:18,210 When we start to de-center basically common 547 00:25:18,210 --> 00:25:20,590 culture and start to think of it more 548 00:25:20,590 --> 00:25:24,690 as, you know, interconnected ecosystems, whether that's the 549 00:25:24,690 --> 00:25:27,950 ecosystems of our environment, whether that's the ecosystems 550 00:25:27,950 --> 00:25:31,210 of our body, whether that's the ecosystems of 551 00:25:31,210 --> 00:25:31,910 our community. 552 00:25:32,370 --> 00:25:34,910 When we start to really think about that 553 00:25:34,910 --> 00:25:36,970 and realize that we're all in this together, 554 00:25:37,730 --> 00:25:42,150 then it does seem really selfish to not 555 00:25:42,150 --> 00:25:49,190 support disability pride, not support disability access, disability 556 00:25:49,190 --> 00:25:52,250 equality, not support disabled people. 557 00:25:54,570 --> 00:25:57,690 And so that's kind of where I want 558 00:25:57,690 --> 00:25:59,170 to leave this episode. 559 00:25:59,170 --> 00:26:01,350 Like I said, I've got a lot of 560 00:26:01,350 --> 00:26:05,330 thoughts tumbling around my mind about alpha-gal, 561 00:26:05,510 --> 00:26:08,370 about our environment, about how we treat certain, 562 00:26:08,570 --> 00:26:10,530 you know, creatures in our environment, how we 563 00:26:10,530 --> 00:26:14,690 treat ourselves and eating more compassionately. 564 00:26:14,970 --> 00:26:16,550 And as somebody with a degree in ag, 565 00:26:16,650 --> 00:26:19,230 kind of how that ties into our current 566 00:26:19,230 --> 00:26:20,710 food production system. 567 00:26:21,130 --> 00:26:22,670 Lots of stuff out there. 568 00:26:22,930 --> 00:26:26,110 All of it ties into grief work and 569 00:26:26,110 --> 00:26:28,870 all of it ties into wild spirit storytelling. 570 00:26:29,550 --> 00:26:32,010 If you would like to know more about 571 00:26:32,010 --> 00:26:34,810 how to work with wild spirit storytelling in 572 00:26:34,810 --> 00:26:37,010 your life, if you would like to do 573 00:26:37,010 --> 00:26:40,190 some grief work around disability or food allergies 574 00:26:40,190 --> 00:26:44,150 or your neurotype, I would love to speak 575 00:26:44,150 --> 00:26:44,510 with you. 576 00:26:44,590 --> 00:26:46,190 I would love to support you in this. 577 00:26:46,450 --> 00:26:48,810 Please visit feathermanesoul.com. 578 00:26:48,950 --> 00:26:50,570 You can reach out to me through the 579 00:26:50,570 --> 00:26:51,650 contact form. 580 00:26:52,030 --> 00:26:54,310 If chatting works better for you and is 581 00:26:54,310 --> 00:26:57,190 more accessible, you can book a call with 582 00:26:57,190 --> 00:26:57,590 me. 583 00:26:58,350 --> 00:27:00,770 And you know, if you're listening to my 584 00:27:00,770 --> 00:27:03,690 voice, a like, a share, a subscribe goes 585 00:27:03,690 --> 00:27:04,830 a really long way. 586 00:27:05,390 --> 00:27:07,190 And if you really want to support the 587 00:27:07,190 --> 00:27:10,310 work that I do, you can visit feathermanesoul 588 00:27:10,310 --> 00:27:11,870 .com and support. 589 00:27:12,530 --> 00:27:15,570 And there are different ways to donate or 590 00:27:15,570 --> 00:27:17,290 just sign up for our newsletter and make 591 00:27:17,290 --> 00:27:19,570 sure you get this information in your inbox 592 00:27:19,570 --> 00:27:20,910 every week. 593 00:27:20,910 --> 00:27:22,610 Thank you so much. 594 00:27:23,090 --> 00:27:25,230 And I look forward to chatting with you 595 00:27:25,230 --> 00:27:25,810 next week. 596 00:27:28,940 --> 00:27:31,840 You've been listening to the Feathermane Soul Wisdom 597 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:34,100 Podcast hosted by Kit Kaelstow. 598 00:27:34,420 --> 00:27:38,200 Learn more about Feathermane Soul at feathermanesoul.com. 599 00:27:38,580 --> 00:27:41,340 As a wild spirit storyteller, Kit is passionate 600 00:27:41,340 --> 00:27:45,560 about helping those who are neurodivergent, disabled, or 601 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:48,460 living with chronic illness rediscover their own inner 602 00:27:48,460 --> 00:27:49,360 wild spirit. 603 00:27:49,980 --> 00:27:53,760 Visit feathermanesoul.com to receive free gifts or 604 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:55,620 book a free call with Kit to discuss 605 00:27:55,620 --> 00:27:57,960 how wild spirit storytelling can help you. 606 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:00,740 Music is Running with the Horses by Purple 607 00:28:00,740 --> 00:28:01,480 Planet Music. 608 00:28:02,140 --> 00:28:04,960 This podcast is hosted on the MuseTarmer Media 609 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:05,560 Network. 610 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:10,220 Find out more by visiting feathermanesoul.com and 611 00:28:10,220 --> 00:28:13,400 following the links to the MuseTarmer Network. 612 00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:16,500 Please don't forget to like, subscribe, or follow 613 00:28:16,500 --> 00:28:19,100 wherever you're hearing my voice, or tell a 614 00:28:19,100 --> 00:28:20,140 friend who may be interested. 615 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:20,940 Thank you.