Helen Foster, Julie Tracy on KFEQ

Helen Foster and Julie Tracy were featured on KFEQ radio on Tuesday. The station did a segment on Lone Star Disease, which is a tick borne illness. Julie Tracy called in and told them about a person she knew, Helen Foster, who had the disease. Ms. Foster, of Denver, subsequently called the station, which interviewed her about her situation Tuesday. It was then the lead story in the Hotline program Wednesday; the Hotline is a program that is dedicated to local public affairs and politics.

In an interview with the Sheridan Express Wednesday, Foster said that last May, she began having symptoms and was diagnosed with the disease last July. The disease triggers an allergic reaction to red meats such as beef and pork, that come from mammals. In fact, Foster says that she cannot even be in the presence of red meats without undergoing an allergic reaction. It does not trigger an allergic reaction for meats such as turkey, fish, or chicken.

Since she was diagnosed, Foster said that it completely changed her lifestyle. She says that now, she has to check the ingredient labels for every food that she buys because "you would be surprised at some of the foods that contain red meat," she said.

One year later, Foster said that she still has the allergy, but that it can be controlled by acupuncture therapy; she goes to the acupuncturist in Pickering for regular treatments and has done so since January. She said that it has affected her husband even more than her; she has to leave the room when he eats or cooks red meat and they have to wash their dishes separately. Foster said that she has to avoid the Subway section of Maryville's Wal-Mart and the sandwich section of Casey's in order to avoid triggering her allergies.

The disease mostly affects people in the Bible Belt and the East Coast. But thankfully, Foster says that she has not had to give up any of her pets or animals. "That would be pretty hard," she said.

Lone Star Disease triggers immune system reactions to red meats. The best defense to any tick borne disease is prevention. The site Web MD recommends wearing clothing that covers your whole body when going into wooded areas, applying an insect repellent and follow label directions, wearing gloves when in woods or when handling animals, and removing leaves, brush, tall grasses, and other possible tick habitats. To prevent ticks on pets, the Centers for Disease Control recommends checking pets for ticks daily, having the vet check for ticks anytime they are in for a checkup, and talk with the vet about tick prevention methods.