As spring and summer season method and we spend extra time exterior, we additionally threat encountering ticks. Sadly, ticks aren’t simply biting bugs (technically, they don’t chunk -they sting). However they’re additionally infamous vectors for sicknesses like Lyme illness and Rocky Mountain noticed fever.
Understanding how one can stop tick bites is essential for staying protected throughout outside adventures. Right here’s how one can avoid tick bites and benefit from the nice outside worry-free.
Are Tick Bites Harmful?
In a phrase, sure. Not less than, they definitely will be! Many people are conscious of the seriousness and widespread epidemic of Lyme illness, which is now extra frequent than breast most cancers. Whereas it’s doable to contract Lyme in different methods, black-legged ticks are overwhelmingly accountable. Lyme illness comes from spirochete (spiral-shaped) micro organism known as Borrelia burgdorferi.
Different much less frequent tick-borne infections embody noticed fever rickettsiosis (together with Rocky Mountain noticed fever), anaplasmosis, and babesiosis. There’s additionally ehrlichiosis, Colorado tick fever, and tularemia. It’s even doable to get tick-borne encephalitis, aka, mind irritation.
Many of those infections trigger the identical signs as Lyme illness. Though these are much less frequent than Lyme, they’re liable for a number of thousand circumstances of tick-related sickness in america annually.
Lyme illness may cause all kinds of signs. Some folks develop a persistent fever, rashes, or complications. Others have persistent joint ache and swelling which may be misdiagnosed. Those that are particularly delicate might have allergic reactions to the micro organism. Some might even develop extreme or debilitating neurological issues.
Lyme illness is an particularly troubling situation as a result of it may be troublesome to diagnose. Dr. Jay Davidson explains extra on this podcast.
The place Are Ticks a Downside?
Instances of tick-borne illness are likely to cluster across the northeastern United States. Nevertheless, based on the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), no less than one case of Lyme illness has occurred in each state. Take a look at this map of circumstances reported by the CDC from 1990 via 2021.
Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maine have the best incidence fee of Lyme circumstances. Information from 2022 reveals a median of about 200 circumstances per 100,000 individuals occurred in these three states. Midwestern states are additionally experiencing elevated circumstances lately.
However Lyme isn’t restricted to the Northeast and the Midwest. As of 2015, virtually half the counties in america reported the presence of black-legged ticks. The CDC continues to observe the upward development.
Lyme illness is continuous to unfold to different states, so be proactive and do what you possibly can to cut back your probabilities of tick bites. The spring and summer season are the best threat, as ticks are busy hatching and searching for their subsequent meal.
How one can Examine for Ticks
Engorged ticks are straightforward to identify, however some will be as small as a pinhead. They like to cover in heat, moist, coated areas of the physique.
First, bathe off to take away any unattached ticks. Then, rigorously examine for ticks by totally inspecting the hair and again of the neck, utilizing your fingertips. Listed here are another locations ticks like to cover out:
- Behind arms
- Behind the knees
- In or across the ears
- Stomach button
- Between the legs
- Across the waist
Relatively than play naturalist, I’ll level you to one of the best tick identification software I’ve discovered. This useful chart that includes photographs of ticks lets you type by area, kind, maturity levels, feeding levels, and even by the illnesses numerous sorts of ticks might transmit. The deer tick (black-legged tick) is the primary one to look out for, however it’s not the one one which causes issues.
What to Do If You Discover a Tick
I’ll always remember the day I leaned in to take a look at a darkish spot on my child’s head, solely to discover a TICK feasting on her scalp. I want I might say I remained composed and knew precisely what to do, however that wasn’t the case in any respect…
After a couple of extra youngsters, I nonetheless don’t like coping with ticks, however I’ve realized what to do after I encounter one. When you’re a seasoned dad or mum or have pets, you’ve seemingly confronted this case earlier than. Nevertheless, for those who haven’t, right here’s what to do:
Examine to see if the tick is connected. When you spot a small, flat tick crawling in your garments, pores and skin, or flooring, it’s an excellent signal, because it seemingly hasn’t bitten anybody or fed just lately. Nevertheless, for those who encounter a big tick with a swollen, spherical physique, it’s extra regarding as it could have already fed and indifferent from a pet or individual within the house.
If unattached, don’t attempt to kill it. If the tick is unattached, resist the urge to crush, burn, or destroy it. (It’s laborious, I do know.) Don’t contact the tick together with your naked palms. As a substitute, use tweezers or a chunk of tape to seize it. Put the tick in a sealed plastic bag or small jar within the freezer. This each kills the tick and preserves it for identification if signs of Lyme illness develop.
If connected, right here’s what to do (and to not do):
How NOT to Take away a Tick
There are many house treatment options for tick elimination, however these might do extra hurt than good. Burning the tick, utilizing important oils, or greasing it with petroleum jelly might sound like good concepts. Nevertheless, these methods can irritate the tick, making issues worse.
I don’t care a couple of tick’s emotions, but when the tick is irritated, it might vomit the contents of its abdomen (pathogens included!) into the pores and skin. That’s precisely what we don’t need to occur!
For years, the right tick elimination code has been to make use of a pair of fine-tipped tweezers and pull it straight out. Whereas this could work, it might additionally depart the tick’s head or mouth-parts embedded within the pores and skin.
(Sidenote: I can not let you know the variety of instances I’ve felt an invisible tick crawling on me whereas penning this submit!)
What to Do As a substitute: Secure Tick Removing
As a substitute, use a tick-removal machine like this one. It resembles a spork. You insert it between the tick and the pores and skin, then twist gently till the tick releases. I maintain one on my keychain throughout tick season.
Not like the tweezer methodology, this machine is more likely to lead to a clear elimination. The prongs on both facet assist make sure the tick mouth doesn’t bend too far to the facet and snap off whereas rotating.
When you don’t have a tick elimination software, use tweezers, however make sure you seize the tick as near the top/mouth as doable.
How one can Take away a Tick
- First, attempt to ignore the super-mom adrenaline pumping via your physique!
- Strategy the tick from the facet with a tick machine or tweezers.
- Slide the notched tick elimination machine beneath the bottom of the tick head and the pores and skin. If utilizing tweezers, apply them firmly as near the mouth/pores and skin as doable.
- With a agency, slight lifting movement, gently spin the tick remover till the tick detaches itself. If utilizing tweezers, pull up firmly however repeatedly. Don’t jerk or twist.
- Put the tick in a sealed bag, mark it with the date, and put it within the freezer. This kills it and saves it for identification if Lyme signs come up.
- Make it possible for there aren’t any tick elements left embedded within the pores and skin. If there are, pulling it out with tweezers like a splinter or utilizing a drawing salve will be useful.
- Wash the chunk space with cleaning soap and water and apply an antimicrobial, like rubbing alcohol, to the realm. Diluted lavender or this germ-fighting important oil mix are additionally good choices.
How/The place to Ship a Tick For Testing
Testing for tick-borne sickness in people is ceaselessly inaccurate. The ELISA take a look at sometimes run by healthcare suppliers in native clinics typically comes again detrimental when different assessments present an an infection. In reality, it could miss over half of all Lyme circumstances. A Western Blot take a look at could also be extra correct, however solely when interpreted by completely different requirements than the CDC’s.
Some of the trusted laboratories for Lyme illness testing is Igenex.. Along with Lyme, in addition they display screen for different tick-borne sicknesses. One instance is ehrlichiosis, which targets white blood cells. One other is babesiosis, which impacts pink blood cells. Additionally they take a look at for infections like anaplasmosis and Rocky Mountain noticed fever. These co-infections can manifest signs much like Lyme illness.
For a extra budget-friendly various, there’s Vibrant Wellness. Whereas similar to Igenex, it comes at a decrease price. Vibrant Wellness affords complete Lyme panels. They will detect completely different borrelia species in addition to co-infections frequent with Lyme illness. These corporations enable sufferers to request a house take a look at or ship the tick (lifeless or alive) to have it examined for infections.
Chances are high seemingly that each one can be effectively if the an infection is caught early and dealt with correctly. However that stated, right here’s what to search for:
Signs of Tick-Borne Sickness
In keeping with the CDC, doable signs of a tick-borne an infection are:
- A relapsing fever and chills (flu-like signs)
- Achy joints or muscle aches
- Headache
- Fatigue
- A big round rash that appears like a bullseye across the chunk web site (known as erythema migrans)
The bullseye rash doesn’t at all times happen, so it’s essential to verify for different signs. Youngsters will generally develop tick paralysis, which causes short-term numbness and tingling. For a whole listing of signs, see the CDC’s tick web page.
Dr. Jay Davidson provides {that a} sore sternum (the bone over the breast) could also be one other signal of contracting Lyme.
When you suspect tick-related sickness, seek the advice of with a health care provider immediately, as early intervention might assist. Dr. Davidson recommends taking Ledum palustre, a homeopathic treatment, as a pure first support. An alternative choice is to use andrographis tincture on the contemporary chunk to assist stop illness transmission all through the physique.
Tick Prevention Is the Finest Treatment (for Now)
You may take some preventative measures to keep away from ticks within the first place, lowering your threat of tick- and different insect bites. The choices for battling ticks aren’t good (particularly for those who desire to keep away from chemical substances, as I do), and I can solely hope now we have extra choices for controlling the Lyme outbreak on the horizon.
Till then, listed here are a few of the steps we will take at present to let our youngsters go adventuring with out fear:
1. Tick-Proof Your Yard
It’s in all probability no shock that I don’t advocate skilled chemical sprays for the yard, even to cut back ticks. Whereas many corporations tout this as “protected,” if it kills ticks, it in all probability isn’t good on your pets or youngsters, not to mention the setting and different innocent bugs in your yard.
There are fairly a couple of logical (and pure) steps to discourage ticks:
- Preserve the grass brief. Ticks are generally present in lawns, significantly in areas with tall grass, dense vegetation, and leaf litter. Preserve your garden well-maintained by mowing recurrently and eradicating tall grass, brush, and leaf litter.
- Prune dense landscaping. Trim again overhanging branches and prune shrubs to permit extra daylight to succeed in the bottom. Ticks desire shaded, humid environments, so growing daylight publicity could make the garden much less hospitable for them.
- Mulch with cedar chips. Research present ticks and cedar oil don’t combine. Since ticks crawl and don’t fly, strive mulching the perimeter of your yard with cedar chips or between your yard and grassy areas to discourage them from crossing.
- Strive including nematodes. Nematodes are microscopic worms which can be pure tick predators. You should buy them on-line or at backyard shops and introduce them into your yard, backyard, or surrounding wooded areas whereas watering. Don’t fear — They’re non-toxic and don’t hurt useful bugs like ladybugs. However they could be a huge assist in controlling tick populations.
- Take into account Tick Tubes: Tick tubes are cardboard cylinders stuffed with handled cotton that mice carry again to their nests. The handled cotton kills ticks on the mice, lowering the probability of ticks attaching to people.
- Get yard chickens! In addition to offering contemporary eggs, they eat ticks! Chickens are pure foragers and can peck at bugs they encounter, together with ticks. They might help cut back ticks within the areas surrounding your own home.
2. Use Pure Bug Repellent
Though the EWG (Environmental Working Group) concludes DEET is a moderately protected choice at decrease concentrations, it’s not advisable for pregnant girls or youngsters below six months. Many research additionally level to doable negative effects from utilizing DEET and different insect repellents like permethrin, together with dizziness, complications, and even seizures.
Whereas I take ticks and the specter of Lyme illness significantly, I favor utilizing pure bug repellents, particularly since research present important oils like citronella will be as efficient as DEET. My pure bug spray recipe makes use of a number of important oils proven in research to repel ticks: geranium, citronella, and lemon eucalyptus.
Pure bug repellent is particularly helpful (and efficient) for repelling these tiny nymph ticks you can’t see in a tick verify. In spite of everything, it’s higher to be distasteful to ticks so that you don’t get bitten within the first place!
Taking sure herbs as a complement might assist from the within out. Astragalus is an herb from Conventional Chinese language Medication which will assist repel ticks whereas supporting the immune system. Lyme professional Stephen Buhner recommends adults take 1,000 mg of Astragalus every day to thrust back ticks.
3. Examine for Ticks Every day
I do know it’s not enjoyable, however, with observe, it turns into a behavior. Put a full-length mirror within the toilet, and/or educate youngsters to verify themselves and one another. The black-legged tick nymph most frequently transmits Lyme illness, and it’s solely concerning the measurement of a poppy seed. That is essentially the most complete listing I’ve discovered for how one can conduct a full tick verify.
I do know it’s not straightforward to get youngsters to cease what they’re doing and sit nonetheless, so we construct it into the routine earlier than lunch, dinner, and bedtime, together with the wash palms/brush enamel step. This web site has a free exercise e-book for instructing younger youngsters how one can verify for ticks.
4. Follow Good Climbing Hygiene
Ticks love wooded trails, tall grassy fields, and areas with dense brush.
However I refuse to let ticks spoil our love for mountaineering, tenting, and simply being outside in the summertime. Be sensible when mountaineering and comply with the following pointers for avoiding ticks:
- Put on protecting clothes: Put on long-sleeved shirts when mountaineering in a high-tick space and tuck pants into socks. This observe might help stop ticks from crawling onto uncovered pores and skin. Gentle-colored clothes additionally helps make ticks extra seen.
- Select excessive boots reasonably than athletic footwear: Once more, you’ll need to keep away from simply accessible pores and skin.
- Put on a wide-brimmed hat: Huge-brimmed hats can maintain ticks from crawling from tall brush onto the again of your neck or hair.
- Take into account permethrin clothes: I don’t love the concept of utilizing chemical substances, however I like the concept of Lyme illness even much less! Permethrin is an artificial model of a pure insecticide present in chrysanthemum flowers. It kills ticks on contact and could also be price contemplating for these adventuring in high-risk areas.
- Keep on the paths: Ticks love the comb and tall grass. They’re simply ready so that you can enterprise off into the rugged terrain!
- Do an after-hike tick verify: Examine for ticks earlier than getting within the automotive after a hike, or use a sticky lint curler on garments to catch tiny ticks.
- Head to the laundry room! Take away mountaineering garments and put them instantly within the dryer for 10 minutes on excessive warmth to kill ticks.
- End up with an excellent soak: Bathe or bathe as quickly as doable after mountaineering. Make sure to take action inside 2 hours of coming inside.
It would seem to be a wierd household exercise, however we maintain robes within the mudroom! That means, we will strip off after mountaineering, throw every part within the dryer, and head proper for the showers.
5. Shield Pets
Pets are additionally prone to tick-borne illnesses, and it’s typically tougher to find ticks due to all that fur. Examine canine and cats totally earlier than permitting them in the home. You may as well strive making use of a couple of drops of geranium important oil round a canine’s collar however don’t use this methodology (or any important oils) on cats.
Closing Ideas
Whereas these strategies might help cut back your threat of tick bites, it’s nonetheless vital to do common tick checks, particularly throughout peak tick season (Could via August). When you discover a tick connected to your pores and skin, take away it immediately –the proper means– to cut back your threat of tick-borne illnesses. When you do develop signs, like rash, fever, or muscle aches, search medical consideration instantly.
Have you ever ever had a tick chunk? What did you do? Do you’ve different concepts to forestall them?