How climate change affects Lyme disease

Plus more health news | Email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [Health Matters]( Does a warmer climate mean more ticks? By Jeffrey Kluger Editor-at-Large If you’re worried about Lyme disease and the blacklegged tick that carries the bacteria that cause it, it stands to reason that you should be worried about climate change, too. Shorter, milder winters and hotter, longer summers are, after all, increasing the ticks’ range and season across the northeastern U.S. But the connection between climate change and the threat of ticks isn't that simple. The blacklegged tick, it turns out, is a fragile species. Just as climate change is causing precisely the right conditions to expand the ticks’ population in the Northeast, it’s leading to droughts, heat waves, and wildfires in other regions (namely the South, the plains, and the West) that are killing off the species there. Even in the Northeast, climate might not be the biggest driver of the ticks’ expansion. More important may be the spread of the ticks’ key host—white-tailed deer—which have lost their fear of humans and the built environment and are increasingly wandering out of the woods and into neighborhoods and backyards. If you live where the ticks do, read on to learn how to protect yourself from Lyme disease, what the symptoms are, and how to treat the disease once you’ve got it. [READ MORE]( What else to read [The VA Will Pay for Some to Get New Alzheimer’s Drug]( By John Tozzi and Robert Langreth/Bloomberg It's a move toward broader coverage of the controversial drug category. [Read More »]( [You Can Now Calculate Your Grocery List’s Carbon Footprint]( By Aryn Baker A new tool lists the emissions of 10,000 grocery store items. Here's what it's like to try and create a more climate-friendly grocery list. [Read More »]( [How Menopause Affects Cholesterol—And How to Manage It]( By Katherine Harmon Courage Cholesterol rises for nearly everyone who goes through menopause [Read More »]( [No, Coffee and Tea Aren’t Actually Dehydrating. Here’s Why]( By Jamie Ducharme Instead, it's quite the opposite. (Originally published in 2018.) [Read More »]( [Why You Should Always Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them]( By Markham Heid The chemicals used in manufacturing clothing are potentially bad for your skin. (Originally published in 2019.) [Read More »]( AN EXPERT VOICE "When I was experiencing severe anxiety and overwhelm, my former therapist taught me the power of a 'goodbye shower.' At the end of your day, take a shower and visualize all the tough moments from the day washing off you and going down the drain." —Katherine Chan, psychotherapist based in Los Angeles --------------------------------------------------------------- If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, [click here](. Today's newsletter was written by Jeffrey Kluger and Angela Haupt, and edited by Mandy Oaklander. [Want more from TIME? Sign up for our other newsletters.]( [Subscribe to TIME]( TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this email. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Connect with TIME via [Facebook]( | [Twitter]( | [Newsletters]( [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS]( TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508 Questions? Contact health@time.com Copyright © 2023 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved.