Good Morning. Tick bites sent Americans to the ER at the highest April rate in nine years. That is not the scary part. Plus, private credit problems, a free way to reset your nervous system, and Jack Sparrow (forwarded this email? Join 523k readers).
Our most clicked link yesterday: The Legal Way to Never Pay Taxes
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The Meat Allergy
Emergency room visits for tick bites hit their highest April rate since 2017, at 104 per 100,000 visits, up from 68 a year earlier. An estimated 31 million Americans are bitten annually. Tick bite data tracker here.
The lone star tick, spreading north into Maine and Minnesota, causes alpha-gal syndrome, a red meat allergy. Researchers documented its first fatality in 2025, a New Jersey pilot who died hours after eating a hamburger.
Federal health officials estimate 450,000 Americans may have alpha-gal, most undiagnosed. Lyme diagnoses peak from July through September. Permethrin on clothing, pants tucked into socks, and same-day full-body checks remain the most effective measures. Bitten? How to save a tick for testing.
▲ Tim Ferriss: How I Beat Lyme Disease with The Ketogenic Diet
Private Credit Cracks
Troubled loans at the 20 largest publicly traded business development companies rose to a median 2.8% of cost in the second quarter, up from 2% in March and the highest level since 2017.
The private credit default rate hit a record 6% through the second quarter across 1,300 tracked US borrowers. Most of the damage traces to deals financed in 2020 and 2021, when interest rates sat near zero.
Roughly $654 billion of these funds are sold to individual investors. Redemption requests at the ten largest non-traded funds averaged 14% in the second quarter, and most managers have capped withdrawals at 5% per quarter.
Dark America Theory
A 2013 sniper attack on a California substation disabled 17 transformers with about 120 rifle shots and drained 52,000 gallons of coolant. The case remains unsolved, and repairs took 27 days (NYT).
Federal regulators modeled that disabling nine substations across the three US grids could black out the country. Wait times for large power transformers have climbed from under a year to 128 weeks since 2021, with some reaching five years.
Domestic plants make only 20% of transformers used here, and single units cost up to $14 million. Roughly 77 AM stations serve as federal emergency broadcast points, equipped with generators and reaching 90% of the population.
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3 Low calorie sauces to lose weight
Restaurant sauce is where a clean meal goes to die. These are Greek yogurt based, mix in one bowl, and keep a week in the fridge.
Big Mac Sauce (26 cal per 2 tbsp): 3/4 cup 0% Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup light mayo, 2 tbsp yellow mustard, 2 tbsp sugar-free ketchup, 1 tbsp pickle juice, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp paprika, salt.
Smoky Chipotle (37 cal): same yogurt and mayo base, plus 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tsp lime juice, 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp chili flakes, salt, pepper.
Garlic Sauce (30 cal): 1 cup 0% Greek yogurt, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, salt.
Whisk smooth, thin with water if needed.
How drawing can reset your nervous system
Your brain cannot spiral and track a line at the same time. Drawing pulls attention, vision, sensory processing, and motor coordination onto one task, which anchors you in the present and shifts the body toward the parasympathetic state where stress actually drops.
The output does not matter. A neurologist at Tufts Medical Center says the calming effect comes from sustained attention and repetitive movement, not from making something good. Lines, squiggles, and geometric shapes work.
Five to 20 minutes is enough to interrupt racing thoughts and lift mood. Pen, receipt, meeting margin. Nobody has to see it.
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A costly home repair is never expected
Even well-maintained homes can face expensive breakdowns as heating, cooling, plumbing, and kitchen appliances age. While homeowners insurance covers many unexpected events, it generally isn't designed for normal wear and tear.
American Home Shield can help cover eligible repairs or replacements, and for a limited time, new customers can save 30% on select plans.
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