Tick season in Florida
One tick bite. A lifelong food allergy. There is an answer.
A single lone star tick bite can trigger alpha-gal syndrome — delayed, sometimes severe reactions to red meat, pork, and dairy. Dr. Kim Windschauer is one of the few certified SAAT providers in the country treating it.
As reported by
“6 Tick Infested Areas In Florida” — WorldAtlas
Six places, one statewide risk
Florida’s mix of swamp, forest, and prairie makes it one of the most active tick environments in the country year-round. The lone star tick — the species most linked to alpha-gal syndrome — is present in every location on the list.
The Everglades
1.5M acres of near-constant tick activity; lone star tick especially common along trails.
Ocala National Forest
385,000+ acres of pine flatwoods and hammocks with dense deer-driven tick populations.
Big Cypress Preserve
Seasonal flooding pushes wildlife — and ticks — onto the same raised trails hikers use.
Apalachicola National Forest
Florida's largest forest; stable, humid conditions sustain ticks nearly year-round.
Hillsborough River State Park
Tampa Bay's own entry on the list — shaded riverine trails popular with hikers and paddlers.
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve
Open grassland exposure, with lone star ticks clustering along deer and turkey corridors.
What a single tick bite can actually cause
A bite from a lone star tick can trigger Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS) — a delayed allergic reaction to a sugar molecule found in mammal meat and products.
- Reactions to beef, pork, lamb, and sometimes dairy or gelatin
- Symptoms often delayed 3–8 hours after eating, making the trigger hard to spot
- Ranges from hives and GI distress to severe, delayed anaphylaxis
- Most conventional guidance is simply lifelong avoidance
There is another option
At Acupuncture of West Florida we offer SAAT — Soliman Auricular Allergy Treatment, a non-invasive protocol designed to help retrain the immune system’s response to alpha-gal rather than just managing around it.
Alpha-gal rarely shows up alone — many patients are reacting to several triggers at once. We often use as many as 8 needles in a single session to address multiple allergies simultaneously, rather than treating one at a time.
For many patients it’s the first real answer they’ve been given — which is why they travel to see us from throughout Florida and across the country.
Why patients travel for this
Dr. Kim Windschauer is one of the few certified SAAT providers in the country
She trained directly under Dr. Nader Soliman, the founder of SAAT, and holds certified status in a protocol very few practitioners nationwide are trained to deliver. Patients from across Florida — and out of state — travel to Clearwater for this treatment because it isn’t widely available anywhere else.
What to expect
Three simple steps
Step 01
Free consultation
We listen to your history, reactions, and testing, then tell you honestly whether SAAT is a fit.
Step 02
Your SAAT session
A precise auricular placement targeting alpha-gal — and any additional triggers found in your intake.
Step 03
Follow-up & reintroduction
We guide the timeline for carefully reintroducing foods and check your response along the way.
Patient stories
Real results from SAAT patients
“After years of reacting to beef and pork, my husband finished SAAT and has since eaten both with zero symptoms.”
“Dr. Kim treated my alpha-gal after years of no answers from allergists. I can finally eat normally again.”
“She's treating a condition most doctors have never even heard of, and it's turned my life around.”
“After starting SAAT for my tick-borne illness, I began seeing real improvement within the first week.”
Don't wait for a diagnosis to catch up with the science.
If you've reacted to red meat, pork, dairy, or gelatin after a tick bite — or you're not sure why certain meals suddenly feel unsafe — a consultation is the first step.