As spring and summer season strategy and we spend extra time outdoors, we additionally threat encountering ticks. Sadly, ticks aren’t simply biting bugs (technically, they don’t chew -they sting). However they’re additionally infamous vectors for diseases like Lyme illness and Rocky Mountain noticed fever.
Understanding find out how to forestall tick bites is essential for staying secure throughout outside adventures. Right here’s find out how to keep away from tick bites and benefit from the nice outdoor worry-free.
Are Tick Bites Harmful?
In a phrase, sure. A minimum of, they definitely will be! Many people are conscious of the seriousness and widespread epidemic of Lyme illness, which is now extra widespread than breast most cancers. Whereas it’s potential 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 widespread 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 potential to get tick-borne encephalitis, aka, mind irritation.
Many of those infections trigger the identical signs as Lyme illness. Though these are much less widespread than Lyme, they’re accountable for a number of thousand circumstances of tick-related sickness in the US every year.
Lyme illness may cause all kinds of signs. Some individuals develop a persistent fever, rashes, or complications. Others have power joint ache and swelling which may be misdiagnosed. Those that are particularly delicate could have allergic reactions to the micro organism. Some could even develop extreme or debilitating neurological problems.
Lyme illness is an particularly troubling situation as a result of it may be tough to diagnose. Dr. Jay Davidson explains extra on this podcast.
The place Are Ticks a Drawback?
Instances of tick-borne illness are inclined to cluster across the northeastern United States. Nevertheless, in keeping with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), a minimum of one case of Lyme illness has occurred in each state. Try this map of circumstances reported by the CDC from 1990 by 2021.
Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maine have the very best incidence charge of Lyme circumstances. Information from 2022 exhibits a median of about 200 circumstances per 100,000 individuals occurred in these three states. Midwestern states are additionally experiencing elevated circumstances in recent times.
However Lyme isn’t restricted to the Northeast and the Midwest. As of 2015, nearly half the counties in the US reported the presence of black-legged ticks. The CDC continues to watch the upward development.
Lyme illness is continuous to unfold to different states, so be proactive and do what you possibly can to scale back your possibilities of tick bites. The spring and summer season are the very best threat, as ticks are busy hatching and searching for their subsequent meal.
Tips on how to Verify for Ticks
Engorged ticks are straightforward to identify, however some will be as small as a pinhead. They like to cover in heat, moist, lined areas of the physique.
First, bathe off to take away any unattached ticks. Then, rigorously examine for ticks by completely inspecting the hair and again of the neck, utilizing your fingertips. Listed below 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
Fairly than play naturalist, I’ll level you to the very best tick identification device I’ve discovered. This useful chart that includes pictures of ticks lets you type by area, sort, maturity levels, feeding levels, and even by the illnesses varied varieties of ticks could transmit. The deer tick (black-legged tick) is the principle 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 number of extra youngsters, I nonetheless don’t like coping with ticks, however I’ve discovered what to do once I encounter one. In case you’re a seasoned mum or dad or have pets, you’ve doubtless confronted this case earlier than. Nevertheless, if you happen to haven’t, right here’s what to do:
Verify to see if the tick is hooked up. In case you spot a small, flat tick crawling in your garments, pores and skin, or ground, it’s an excellent signal, because it doubtless hasn’t bitten anybody or fed not too long ago. Nevertheless, if you happen to 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 particular person within the dwelling.
If unattached, don’t attempt to kill it. If the tick is unattached, resist the urge to crush, burn, or destroy it. (It’s exhausting, I do know.) Don’t contact the tick together with your naked arms. As a substitute, use tweezers or a bit 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 hooked up, right here’s what to do (and to not do):
How NOT to Take away a Tick
There are many dwelling treatment options for tick elimination, however these could do extra hurt than good. Burning the tick, utilizing important oils, or greasing it with petroleum jelly could 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 could actually vomit the contents of its abdomen (pathogens included!) into the pores and skin. That’s precisely what we don’t wish to occur!
For years, the correct tick elimination code has been to make use of a pair of fine-tipped tweezers and pull it straight out. Whereas this will work, it could actually additionally go away the tick’s head or mouth-parts embedded within the pores and skin.
(Sidenote: I can not inform you the variety of instances I’ve felt an invisible tick crawling on me whereas penning this put up!)
What to Do As a substitute: Secure Tick Elimination
As a substitute, use a tick-removal gadget 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 hold one on my keychain throughout tick season.
Not like the tweezer technique, this gadget is more likely to end in a clear elimination. The prongs on both aspect assist make sure the tick mouth doesn’t bend too far to the aspect and snap off whereas rotating.
In case you don’t have a tick elimination device, use tweezers, however make sure to seize the tick as near the pinnacle/mouth as potential.
Tips on how to Take away a Tick
- First, attempt to ignore the super-mom adrenaline pumping by your physique!
- Method the tick from the aspect with a tick gadget or tweezers.
- Slide the notched tick elimination gadget 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 potential.
- With a agency, slight lifting movement, gently spin the tick remover till the tick detaches itself. If utilizing tweezers, pull up firmly however constantly. 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.
- Be sure that there are not any tick components 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 chew space with cleaning soap and water and apply an antimicrobial, like rubbing alcohol, to the world. 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 steadily inaccurate. The ELISA check sometimes run by healthcare suppliers in native clinics usually comes again detrimental when different exams present an an infection. In actual fact, it could miss over half of all Lyme circumstances. A Western Blot check could also be extra correct, however solely when interpreted by totally 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 diseases. One instance is ehrlichiosis, which targets white blood cells. One other is babesiosis, which impacts crimson blood cells. In addition they check for infections like anaplasmosis and Rocky Mountain noticed fever. These co-infections can manifest signs much like Lyme illness.
For a extra budget-friendly different, there’s Vibrant Wellness. Whereas corresponding to Igenex, it comes at a decrease price. Vibrant Wellness presents complete Lyme panels. They’ll detect totally different borrelia species in addition to co-infections widespread with Lyme illness. These corporations permit sufferers to request a house check or ship the tick (useless or alive) to have it examined for infections.
Chances are high doubtless that each one shall be nicely 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
Based on the CDC, potential 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 chew website (known as erythema migrans)
The bullseye rash doesn’t at all times happen, so it’s crucial to test for different signs. Youngsters will typically develop tick paralysis, which causes momentary numbness and tingling. For a whole record 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.
In case you suspect tick-related sickness, seek the advice of with a physician straight away, as early intervention could assist. Dr. Davidson recommends taking Ledum palustre, a homeopathic treatment, as a pure first help. Another choice is to use andrographis tincture on the recent chew to assist forestall illness transmission all through the physique.
Tick Prevention Is the Finest Treatment (for Now)
You’ll be able to take some preventative measures to keep away from ticks within the first place, decreasing your threat of tick- and different insect bites. The choices for battling ticks aren’t excellent (particularly if you happen to choose to keep away from chemical substances, as I do), and I can solely hope we now have extra choices for controlling the Lyme outbreak on the horizon.
Till then, listed below are a few of the steps we are able to take at the moment to let our children 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 scale back ticks. Whereas many corporations tout this as “secure,” if it kills ticks, it in all probability isn’t good to your pets or children, not to mention the atmosphere and different innocent bugs in your yard.
There are fairly a number of logical (and pure) steps to discourage ticks:
- Preserve the grass brief. Ticks are generally present in lawns, notably in areas with tall grass, dense vegetation, and leaf litter. Preserve your garden well-maintained by mowing commonly 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 choose shaded, humid environments, so rising 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, attempt mulching the perimeter of your yard with cedar chips or between your yard and grassy areas to discourage them from crossing.
- Attempt including nematodes. Nematodes are microscopic worms which might be pure tick predators. You should purchase 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 helpful bugs like ladybugs. However they could be a huge assist in controlling tick populations.
- Take into account Tick Tubes: Tick tubes are cardboard cylinders full of handled cotton that mice deliver again to their nests. The handled cotton kills ticks on the mice, decreasing the chance of ticks attaching to people.
- Get yard chickens! In addition to offering recent eggs, they eat ticks! Chickens are pure foragers and can peck at bugs they encounter, together with ticks. They may also 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 secure choice at decrease concentrations, it’s not really useful for pregnant ladies or youngsters underneath six months. Many research additionally level to potential unintended 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 severely, 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 not see in a tick test. 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 could 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 knowledgeable Stephen Buhner recommends adults take 1,000 mg of Astragalus every day to beat back ticks.
3. Verify for Ticks Each day
I do know it’s not enjoyable, however, with apply, it turns into a behavior. Put a full-length mirror within the lavatory, and/or educate children to test themselves and one another. The black-legged tick nymph most frequently transmits Lyme illness, and it’s solely concerning the dimension of a poppy seed. That is essentially the most complete record I’ve discovered for find out how to conduct a full tick test.
I do know it’s not straightforward to get children 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 arms/brush enamel step. This website has a free exercise e-book for educating younger youngsters find out how to test 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 mountain climbing, tenting, and simply being outdoor in the summertime. Be good when mountain climbing and comply with the following pointers for avoiding ticks:
- Put on protecting clothes: Put on long-sleeved shirts when mountain climbing in a high-tick space and tuck pants into socks. This apply may also help forestall ticks from crawling onto uncovered pores and skin. Mild-colored clothes additionally helps make ticks extra seen.
- Select excessive boots fairly than athletic footwear: Once more, you’ll wish to keep away from simply accessible pores and skin.
- Put on a wide-brimmed hat: Huge-brimmed hats can hold 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 really 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 value 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 test: Verify 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 mountain climbing 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 potential after mountain climbing. Be certain to take action inside 2 hours of coming inside.
It would appear to be an odd household exercise, however we hold robes within the mudroom! That manner, we are able to strip off after mountain climbing, throw the whole lot within the dryer, and head proper for the showers.
5. Defend Pets
Pets are additionally vulnerable to tick-borne illnesses, and it’s usually more difficult to find ticks due to all that fur. Verify canines and cats completely earlier than permitting them in the home. You can too attempt making use of a number of drops of geranium important oil round a canine’s collar however don’t use this technique (or any important oils) on cats.
Last Ideas
Whereas these strategies may also help cut back your threat of tick bites, it’s nonetheless vital to do common tick checks, particularly throughout peak tick season (Could by August). In case you discover a tick hooked up to your pores and skin, take away it straight away –the best manner– to scale back your threat of tick-borne illnesses. In case you do develop signs, like rash, fever, or muscle aches, search medical consideration instantly.
Have you ever ever had a tick chew? What did you do? Do you’ve gotten different concepts to forestall them?
