Tick Bites: Prevention and Safe Removal

As spring and summer time method and we spend more time outside, we additionally risk encountering ticks. Unfortunately, ticks aren’t simply biting bugs (technically, they don’t chunk -they sting). But they’re additionally infamous vectors for sicknesses like Lyme illness and Rocky Mountain noticed fever.

Understanding how to forestall tick bites is essential for staying safe during outside adventures. Here’s how to steer clear of tick bites and benefit from the great open air worry-free.

Are Tick Bites Dangerous?

In a phrase, yes. At least, they actually may be! Many of us are conscious of the seriousness and widespread epidemic of Lyme illness, which is now more frequent than breast most cancers. While it’s attainable 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.

Other 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 attainable to get tick-borne encephalitis, aka, mind irritation.

Many of these infections trigger the identical signs as Lyme disease. Although these are much less frequent than Lyme, they’re answerable for a number of thousand instances of tick-related sickness within the United States every year.

Lyme illness could cause a wide range of signs. Some people develop a persistent fever, rashes, or complications. Others have continual joint ache and swelling which may be misdiagnosed. Those who’re particularly delicate might have allergic reactions to the micro organism. Some might even develop extreme or debilitating neurological problems.

Lyme illness is an particularly troubling situation as a result of it may be troublesome to diagnose. Dr. Jay Davidson explains more in this podcast.

Where Are Ticks a Problem?

Cases of tick-borne illness are likely to cluster across the northeastern United States. However, based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at the very least one case of Lyme illness has occurred in each state. Check out this map of instances reported by the CDC from 1990 by 2021.

Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maine have the very best incidence charge of Lyme instances. Data from 2022 reveals an average of about 200 instances per 100,000 individuals occurred in these three states. Midwestern states are additionally experiencing elevated instances lately.

But Lyme isn’t restricted to the Northeast and the Midwest. As of 2015, virtually half the counties within the United States 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 may to cut back your probabilities of tick bites. The spring and summer time are the very best risk, as ticks are busy hatching and searching for their subsequent meal.

How to Check for Ticks

Engorged ticks are straightforward to identify, however some may 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, fastidiously examine for ticks by completely inspecting the hair and back of the neck, utilizing your fingertips. Here are another locations ticks like to cover out:

Behind arms
Behind the knees
In or across the ears
Belly button
Between the legs
Around the waist

Rather than play naturalist, I’ll level you to the very best tick identification device I’ve discovered. This handy chart that includes pictures of ticks lets you type by area, sort, maturity phases, feeding phases, and even by the illnesses varied varieties of ticks might transmit. The deer tick (black-legged tick) is the primary one to look out for, but it surely’s not the one one which causes issues.

What to Do If You Find 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 seek out 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 few more kids, I nonetheless don’t like coping with ticks, however I’ve discovered what to do once I encounter one. If you’re a seasoned dad or mum or have pets, you’ve probably confronted this example earlier than. However, if you happen to haven’t, right here’s what to do:

Check to see if the tick is hooked up. If you notice a small, flat tick crawling in your garments, pores and skin, or ground, it’s a good signal, because it probably hasn’t bitten anybody or fed not too long ago. However, if you happen to encounter a massive tick with a swollen, spherical physique, it’s more regarding as it could have already fed and indifferent from a pet or particular person within the home.

If unattached, don’t attempt to kill it. If the tick is unattached, resist the urge to crush, burn, or destroy it. (It’s arduous, I do know.) Don’t contact the tick along with your naked palms. Instead, use tweezers or a piece of tape to grab 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 Remove a Tick

There are lots of home treatment options for tick removing, however these might do more hurt than good. Burning the tick, utilizing important oils, or greasing it with petroleum jelly might sound like good concepts. However, these techniques can irritate the tick, making issues worse.

I don’t care about a tick’s emotions, but when the tick is irritated, it might probably 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 correct tick removing code has been to make use of a pair of fine-tipped tweezers and pull it straight out. While this could work, it might probably additionally go away the tick’s head or mouth-parts embedded within the pores and skin.

(Sidenote: I can’t inform you the quantity of occasions I’ve felt an invisible tick crawling on me whereas penning this post!)

What to Do Instead: Safe Tick Removal

Instead, 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 hold one on my keychain during tick season.

Unlike the tweezer methodology, this machine is way more prone to end in a clean removing. The prongs on both facet help make sure the tick mouth doesn’t bend too far to the facet and snap off whereas rotating.

If you don’t have a tick removing device, use tweezers, however be sure to grab the tick as close to the top/mouth as attainable.

How to Remove a Tick

First, attempt to ignore the super-mom adrenaline pumping by your physique!
Approach the tick from the facet with a tick machine or tweezers.
Slide the notched tick removing machine beneath the bottom of the tick head and the pores and skin. If utilizing tweezers, apply them firmly as close to the mouth/pores and skin as attainable.
With a firm, 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.
Make sure that there are no 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 may be useful.
Wash the chunk space with cleaning soap and water and apply an antimicrobial, like rubbing alcohol, to the world. Diluted lavender or this germ-fighting essential oil blend are additionally good choices.

How/Where to Send a Tick For Testing

Testing for tick-borne sickness in people is frequently inaccurate. The ELISA check sometimes run by healthcare suppliers in native clinics typically comes back adverse when different exams show an an infection. In truth, it could miss over half of all Lyme instances. A Western Blot check could also be more correct, however solely when interpreted by completely different requirements than the CDC’s.

One of probably the most trusted laboratories for Lyme illness testing is Igenex.. In addition to Lyme, in addition they display for different tick-borne sicknesses. One instance is ehrlichiosis, which targets white blood cells. Another is babesiosis, which impacts crimson blood cells. They additionally check for infections like anaplasmosis and Rocky Mountain noticed fever. These co-infections can manifest signs much like Lyme illness.

For a more budget-friendly different, there’s Vibrant Wellness. While similar to Igenex, it comes at a decrease value. Vibrant Wellness presents complete Lyme panels. They can detect completely different borrelia species in addition to co-infections frequent with Lyme illness. These firms permit sufferers to request a home check or ship the tick (useless or alive) to have it examined for infections.

Chances are probably that each one might be nicely if the an infection is caught early and dealt with correctly. But that mentioned, right here’s what to search for:

Symptoms of Tick-Borne Illness

According to the CDC, attainable 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 website (known as erythema migrans)

The bullseye rash doesn’t at all times happen, so it’s crucial to examine for different signs. Children will generally develop tick paralysis, which causes short-term numbness and tingling. For a full listing of signs, see the CDC’s tick page.

Dr. Jay Davidson provides that a sore sternum (the bone over the breast) could also be one other signal of contracting Lyme.

If you watched tick-related sickness, seek the advice of with a physician instantly, as early intervention might help. Dr. Davidson recommends taking Ledum palustre, a homeopathic treatment, as a natural first assist. Another option is to use andrographis tincture on the recent chunk to help stop illness transmission all through the physique.

Tick Prevention Is the Best Cure (for Now)

You can take some preventative measures to keep away from ticks within the first place, decreasing your risk of tick- and different insect bites. The choices for battling ticks aren’t good (particularly if you happen to desire to keep away from chemical compounds, as I do), and I can solely hope we now have more choices for controlling the Lyme outbreak on the horizon.

Until then, listed here are some of the steps we are able to take at the moment to let our children go adventuring without worry:

1. Tick-Proof Your Yard

It’s most likely no shock that I don’t advocate skilled chemical sprays for the yard, even to cut back ticks. While many firms tout this as “safe,” if it kills ticks, it most likely isn’t good on your pets or children, not to mention the setting and different innocent bugs in your yard.

There are fairly a few logical (and natural) steps to discourage ticks:

Keep the grass short. Ticks are generally present in lawns, significantly in areas with tall grass, dense vegetation, and leaf litter. Keep your garden well-maintained by mowing repeatedly and eradicating tall grass, brush, and leaf litter.
Prune dense landscaping. Trim back overhanging branches and prune shrubs to permit more daylight to succeed in the ground. Ticks desire shaded, humid environments, so growing daylight publicity could make the garden much less hospitable for them.
Mulch with cedar chips. Studies show 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.
Try including nematodes. Nematodes are microscopic worms which are natural tick predators. You can purchase them online or at garden shops and introduce them into your yard, garden, or surrounding wooded areas whereas watering. Don’t fear — They’re non-toxic and don’t hurt helpful bugs like ladybugs. But they are often a large help in controlling tick populations.
Consider Tick Tubes: Tick tubes are cardboard cylinders crammed with handled cotton that mice carry back to their nests. The handled cotton kills ticks on the mice, decreasing the probability of ticks attaching to people.
Get yard chickens! Besides offering recent eggs, they eat ticks! Chickens are natural foragers and can peck at bugs they encounter, together with ticks. They can help scale back ticks within the areas surrounding your home.

2. Use Natural Bug Repellent

Although the EWG (Environmental Working Group) concludes DEET is a reasonably safe option at decrease concentrations, it’s not really useful for pregnant ladies or kids below six months. Many research additionally level to attainable unwanted side effects from utilizing DEET and different insect repellents like permethrin, together with dizziness, complications, and even seizures.

While I take ticks and the menace of Lyme illness severely, I favor utilizing natural bug repellents, particularly since research show important oils like citronella may be as efficient as DEET. My natural bug spray recipe makes use of a number of important oils proven in research to repel ticks: geranium, citronella, and lemon eucalyptus.

Natural bug repellent is particularly helpful (and effective) for repelling these tiny nymph ticks you can’t see in a tick examine. After all, 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 help from the inside out. Astragalus is an herb from Traditional Chinese Medicine that will help repel ticks whereas supporting the immune system. Lyme expert Stephen Buhner recommends adults take 1,000 mg of Astragalus each day to thrust back ticks.

3. Check for Ticks Daily

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 children to examine themselves and one another. The black-legged tick nymph most frequently transmits Lyme illness, and it’s solely in regards to the measurement of a poppy seed. This is probably the most complete listing I’ve discovered for how to conduct a complete tick check.

I do know it’s not straightforward to get children to stop 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 tooth step. This website has a free activity e-book for educating younger kids how to examine for ticks.

4. Practice Good Hiking Hygiene

Ticks love wooded trails, tall grassy fields, and areas with dense brush.

But I refuse to let ticks spoil our love for mountain climbing, tenting, and simply being open air in the summertime. Be good when mountain climbing and observe the following tips for avoiding ticks:

Wear protecting clothes: Wear long-sleeved shirts when mountain climbing in a high-tick space and tuck pants into socks. This observe can help stop ticks from crawling onto uncovered pores and skin. Light-colored clothes additionally helps make ticks more seen.
Choose high boots slightly than athletic sneakers: Again, you’ll need to keep away from simply accessible pores and skin.
Wear a wide-brimmed hat: Wide-brimmed hats can hold ticks from crawling from tall brush onto the back of your neck or hair.
Consider permethrin clothing: I don’t love the thought of utilizing chemical compounds, however I like the thought of Lyme illness even much less! Permethrin is a artificial model of a natural insecticide present in chrysanthemum flowers. It kills ticks on contact and could also be price contemplating for these adventuring in high-risk areas.
Stay 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 examine: Check for ticks earlier than getting within the automobile after a hike, or use a sticky lint curler on garments to catch tiny ticks.
Head to the laundry room! Remove mountain climbing garments and put them instantly within the dryer for 10 minutes on high warmth to kill ticks.
Finish up with a good soak: Bathe or bathe as quickly as attainable after mountain climbing. Be sure to take action inside 2 hours of coming inside.

It would possibly look like a unusual household exercise, however we hold robes within the mudroom! That means, we are able to strip off after mountain climbing, throw the whole lot within the dryer, and head proper for the showers.

5. Protect Pets

Pets are additionally inclined to tick-borne illnesses, and it’s typically more difficult to find ticks as a result of of all that fur. Check canines and cats completely earlier than permitting them in the home. You may also attempt making use of a few drops of geranium important oil round a canine’s collar however don’t use this methodology (or any important oils) on cats.

Final Thoughts

While these strategies can help scale back your risk of tick bites, it’s nonetheless important to do common tick checks, particularly during peak tick season (May by August). If you discover a tick hooked up to your pores and skin, take away it instantly –the fitting means– to cut back your risk of tick-borne illnesses. If you do develop signs, like rash, fever, or muscle aches, search medical consideration instantly.

Have you ever had a tick chunk? What did you do? Do you’ve got different concepts to forestall them?