Hi, this is Your Health Quickly, a scientific American podcast series.

We highlight the latest vital health news, discoveries that affect your body and your mind.

And we break down the medical research to help you stay healthy.

I'm Tanya Lewis.

I'm Josh Fishman.

We're a scientific American senior health editors.

On today's show, we're talking about ticks and the nasty diseases these little blood sucking

vampires carry with them.

One of them even makes you allergic to red meat and dairy.

I am terrified of ticks.

I like to go hiking in the Hudson Valley, but I always try to wear long pants or use insect

repellent.

And I check for ticks when I get home.

You're really actually sort of like shaking terrified of ticks?

Why?

Well, I mean, I especially worry about deer ticks because they carry Lyme disease.

And those ticks are super common here in the Northeast.

What about you, Josh?

Funny.

I actually went to college, not that far from Lyme, Connecticut, where that disease got its

name.

And I wasn't that worried about it then, but now I've got this dog with his dense black

...