A tick whose bite can make you allergic to meat? That’s it! I may never venture outdoors again…

I already had plenty of reasons to avoid going outdoors, including:

  1. The heat, exacerbated by the humidity.
  2. Sunburn.
  3. Mosquitoes.
  4. The fact that statistics show that more than 99 percent of yard work occurs there.

Now there’s this:

Meat lovers, beware. One bite from the tiny lone star tick may be enough to cause meat allergies and turn you into a vegetarian. Dr. Scott Commins of the University of Virginia has been seeing meat allergies popping up along the East Coast and thinks the tiny tick may be to blame. Of the nearly 400 cases he’s seen, nearly 90 percent report a history of tick bites. Commins says saliva from the tick that makes its way into the wound can cause some people to break out into hives or even anaphylactic shock three to six hours after chowing down on some animal carcass. So make sure either your sleeves are rolled up or you’re adequately covered in bug repellent before hitting that summer barbecue.

The lone star tick.

My diet is already limited enough with the allergies I have. An allergy to meat would be catastrophic, if you’ll excuse the understatement. As the colleague who brought this to my attention wrote, “Good grief!  You need to avoid this fella at all costs or you’ll be down to nothing but rice!”

Add to that the fact that I’m one of these people who thinks that the only real food is meat; other foods are meant to complement meat. I heard an overweight standup comic say it well a number of years ago. It went something like: Salad isn’t food. Salad is something you eat with food.

So it’s settled. From now on, I just need to figure a way to protect myself between the house and the car …

4 thoughts on “A tick whose bite can make you allergic to meat? That’s it! I may never venture outdoors again…

  1. `Kathryn Braun Fenner

    Move to a “high-end condo” in the city. You’ll be a lot safer there than on Rancho Wartheno….

  2. Brad

    Not much chance of that.

    Yesterday, my wife had the four youngest grandchildren (ages 1 month to 4 years) at the house, and actually had them all down for a nap at one point — for about 30 minutes.

    She accomplished that by putting each one in a different bedroom.

    I asked her, “Aren’t you glad we didn’t downsize?” We looked at doing that when I got laid off. We didn’t do it because moving to a smaller place in town would have cost us MORE money, not less, and because we’re only a few years from having the mortgage paid off (we refinanced to a 15-year close to a decade ago). Oh, and also because we didn’t get any offers.

    Besides, what would we do with all the peasants on the estate? How would they get along without my wise, paternal guidance of their affairs?

  3. Steven Davis II

    Kathryn – Not everybody appeals to be the Jeffersons. Moving into an apartment or condo with no lawn is about as appealing as moving into a college dorm with community bathrooms.

  4. `Kathryn Braun Fenner

    SDII–Pay attention to context–Brad was nervous about ticks, which are far less common in town than in his big snake-ridden yard. Hence the suggestion.

    You are welcome to stay in Hooterville.

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