Latest news with #Lyme-causing
Boston Globe
31-07-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
Justin Timberlake says he's been diagnosed with Lyme disease
Lyme disease is transmitted by Ixodes ticks, also known as deer ticks. It can cause flu-like conditions, neurological problems, joint paint and other symptoms. In the vast majority of cases, Lyme disease is successfully treated with antibiotics. Advertisement 'I honestly don't know what my future is onstage, but I'll always cherish this run! And all of them before! It's been the stuff of legend for me,' Timberlake wrote. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Related : Timberlake canceled and postponed multiple shows throughout the tour's run, citing health issues including bronchitis and laryngitis. Six of his U.S. shows were postponed from October and November to February, the singer announced on Instagram. Timberlake ultimately canceled the last show of the U.S. leg of the tour in Ohio due to the flu in February. Representatives for Timberlake did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for comment. Timberlake Advertisement The 10-time Grammy winner ended the post thanking his wife, Jessica Biel, and their two sons, Silas and Phin, saying 'nothing is more powerful than your unconditional love. You are my heart and my home. I'm on my way.' About Lyme disease Exactly how often Lyme disease strikes isn't clear. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites insurance records suggesting 476,000 people are treated for Lyme disease in the U.S. each year. Black-legged ticks, also called deer ticks, carry Lyme-causing bacteria. The infection initially causes fatigue, fever and joint pain. Often — but not always — the first sign is a red, round bull's-eye rash. Early antibiotic treatment is crucial, but it can be hard for people to tell if they were bitten by ticks, some as small as a pin. Untreated Lyme can cause severe arthritis and damage the heart and nervous system. Some people have lingering symptoms even after treatment.
Boston Globe
01-05-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
Tick season is in full swing. Here's how to stay safe.
Send questions or suggestions to the Starting Point team at . If you'd like the newsletter sent to your inbox, . TODAY'S STARTING POINT The return of warm and sunny days in New England means spending more time outdoors. It also, unfortunately, means ticks — including those that play host to bacteria that cause Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne illness in the US. The bacteria, which larval ticks pick up when they feed on infected rodents, can cause headache, joint pain, a telltale bullseye rash, and more serious symptoms in humans. Lyme-transmitting ticks, known as black-legged or deer ticks, were once largely balkanized to coastal New England. (The disease is named for a Connecticut town where researchers in the 1970s first described it, although Today's newsletter explains why ticks have become more widespread — and how to keep them from crawling all over you. Advertisement A growing problem Two factors have combined to produce ideal conditions for more Lyme-causing ticks to come into contact with more humans. One is global warming. Climate change has kept the Northeast hotter and more humid for longer on average, stretching the ticks' active season from early spring into the late summer or early fall. Advertisement 'When I was starting to work on this back in the 1970s, 1980s, we really didn't see new cases until May,' said Dr. Allen Steere, a rheumatologist at Harvard Medical School who was among The deer tick's moniker suggests the second factor behind its proliferation. Less hunting and fewer natural predators have caused New England's population of white-tailed deer — on whose backs the ticks breed — Suburban sprawl, lawns that abut woods, and gardens with plants that deer see as tasty snacks have also invited more of them into spaces that humans frequent. Staying safe There's one surefire way to avoid getting Lyme: 'Don't get bitten,' says Thomas Mather, a University of Rhode Island tick expert. Chemicals can lessen the chances. Rich, the UMass microbiologist, suggests getting your property treated with There are sartorial solutions, too. If hiking, wear long pants and sleeves, tuck in your shirt, and tuck your pants inside your socks. Tight-fitting clothes, like leggings, offer ticks fewer points of entry. Shower after you come inside and do a tick check. 'They tend to get in the areas where your body forms a Y,' Rich said, like leg and arm joints. Advertisement And don't forget about your pets! Ticks like to burrow behind dogs' and cats' ears and beneath their collars. If yours spend time outside, check them regularly and keep them up to date with flea and tick prevention. Diagnosis and treatment Suppose you spot a tick on you. What then? Finding one crawling on you may be creepy, but good news: it probably hasn't bitten you yet. If it has, use tweezers to grasp the tick close to your skin Different tick species carry different types of bacteria and viruses, so the next step if you've been bitten is to figure out what you're dealing with. Consult How long the tick has been there also matters. Ticks swell as they feed on your blood, so if you suspect it has, consider sending it to a lab In the northeast, about half of adult deer ticks carry germs that cause Lyme disease, so if you pull one of those off you, there's a good chance you've been exposed. Many cases of Lyme are mild and resolve quickly with the antibiotic doxycycline. But others can cause lasting fatigue, brain fog, or even brain inflammation and heart problems. Advertisement Lyme can be hard to diagnose, and some patients experience Of course, the best peace of mind comes from not getting bitten at all. 'I know patients who get Lyme disease and it is very debilitating,' said Shah, of the Mayo Clinic. 'It does take you out of commission.' 🧩 1 Down: | ☀️ 58° POINTS OF INTEREST A developer plans to build senior housing at an empty monastery next to the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. Brett Phelps for The Boston Globe Boston Forests and trees: City officials and a developer are navigating how to turn a Jamaica Plain monastery into housing Fond farewell: Robert Pinsky, the former US Poet Laureate, is retiring from BU. He's Massachusetts Karen Read: On day 7 of her retrial, Read's defense lawyer Taking aim: Gun-rights advocates have lodged legal challenges to state gun laws in hopes that a Not so golden: Economic inequality and the cost of living have left retiring residents 'No family should go through something like this': A teen's catastrophic brain injury has exposed Gold rush to red ink: The state's cannabis industry is struggling Trump administration Kamala Harris: In her first major speech since losing to Trump, the former vice president said that his tariffs 'as I predicted, are clearly inviting a recession.' ( Mineral deal: Ukraine signed an agreement to give the US some revenues from its natural resources. ( Bye Bye Barbie: Trump acknowledged his tariffs could cause shortages of goods, saying American kids might 'have two dolls instead of 30.' ( Student freed: Friendly fire: Senator Susan Collins, the Maine Republican, said the administration must reverse proposed cuts to scientific research funding. ( Unchecked: The Senate rejected a resolution to block Trump's tariffs, but three Republicans backed it. ( Money talks: Dozens of Harvard faculty members Monkey's paw: Unions, lawmakers, and others wanted Harvard to pay more in taxes. Trump threatening its tax-exempt status Turnabout: Immigration and the debate over antisemitism on college campuses were losing issues for Democrats. Some think Trump's recent moves BESIDE THE POINT By Teresa Hanafin ⚽️ Never too old: A team of 🧴 Never too late: You're in your 40s or 50s. Did you miss the anti-aging boat? Dermatologists who I assume are not selling skin care products say no. ( 🍺 Dad% ABV: Not to make this section all about Boomers and Gen Xers, but if you're a guy who can't hold your liquor anymore, there's a beer for that. ( 👗 Nice threads: Letter writer compliments friends on their clothes, but feels creepy saying it to strangers. Miss Conduct's advice: Advertisement 🗓️ Things to do this weekend: The Big Queer Food Fest, 'Art in Bloom,' music by contemporary Asian American composers, and more. ( 🤢 Retching ride: Twelve outbreaks of the stomach bug on cruise ships have sickened about 1,500 people so far this year. Follow these tips on how to feel better, or drive cross-country in your own vehicle instead. ( 🧋 Quickie cuppa: Starbucks created an algorithm to serve your coffee two minutes faster. Next: An algorithm that tells baristas that your name is not spelled Mad-Ah-Lynn. ( 🐕🦺 Good boy: If you have a mug or T-shirt with the iconic Martha's Vineyard Black Dog on it, you have tavern founder Robert Douglas to thank. Thanks for reading Starting Point. This newsletter was edited by ❓ Have a question for the team? 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