Between fad diets, trendy skin care regimens and an evolving landscape of illnesses and treatments, staying on top of the latest health news is no easy task.
To help you kick the new year off with the best information, here are 13 common health issues and dole out some sensible advice for each, from AARP.
1. No more meat???
I know someone who can’t eat beef, pork or lamb because of a tick bite. Could it happen to me?
Potentially. There is a carbohydrate called alpha-gal in the saliva of lone star ticks (common in the East and South) that is also present in the meat of mammals. A bite from that type of tick can trigger our immune systems to develop allergic reactions to beef, pork, lamb gelatin, even dairy products. Alpha-gal syndrome is one of many tick-related health conditions; Lyme disease is the best known. Ticks are prevalent across the U.S. If bitten, use tweezers to gently lift the tick out of your skin (don’t twist or use oil or fire). If concerned, place the tick in a plastic bag and send it to a tick testing center to see if it was carrying dangerous bacteria.
