Around 59 million Americans participated in hiking activities in 2021, in part because the fresh air, exercise, and beautiful scenery helped shake off COVID-19 angst.

But to truly enjoy the outdoors, you need to protect yourself from tick bites.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that around 300,000 cases of Lyme disease are caused by tick bites annually, accounting for 86% of reported cases of tick-transmitted illness. If left untreated, Lyme disease can lead to chronic fatigue and arthritis, neurological problems, heart palpitations, and shooting pain.

Another tick-borne illness is called alpha-gal syndrome. The American Gastroenterological Association has just released clinical guidance to help doctors and patients figure out if unexplained digestive symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting come from this infection, which triggers an allergy to eating meat from mammals, as well as mammal-derived products such as dairy.

A blood test can identify immunoglobulin E antibodies to alpha-gal.

Relief comes from not eating those foods — which I advise everybody to do anyway in order to live younger longer.

There's also an alert out about the tick-borne illness babesiosis, which is caused by the same tick that transmits Lyme disease. Early symptoms include fever, chills, sweats, headache, body aches, loss of appetite, nausea, and hemolytic anemia.

For protection from tick bites, hike on cleared trails; wear socks, long pants, and long sleeves; and use tick-repellent DEET.

When heading indoors, check your body for ticks and remove them with sharp tweezers. Save the critter in a pill bottle and if you develop symptoms, see a doctor (with your captured tick) for treatment right away.