Few things are as frightening as finding a tick on your body, or worse yet, finding one on your small child.  Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses are terrifying, under reported and for many incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to treat.  Chronic Lyme disease can cause an endless list of ailments from joint pain to sever fatigue and neurological problems.  Lyme literate doctors are incredibly difficult to find and they are expensive!  And, there is a lot of misinformation on the web and shared in medical settings.  So, what is one to do….

Locking yourself in the house or apartment for the rest of your life is not a realistic option and spending lots of time outdoors is great for you body and mind.  So the next best alternative is learning everything there is to know about ticks and have an active game plan for prevention and natural treatment in the event of a bite.  I will take you through everything you need to know below!

First, the most important thing to appreciate about a tick bite is that Timing is EVERYTHING.  

You may have heard that a tick needs to be engorged or attached for 24-48 hours for bacteria that causes Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium) and other bacteria to be transmitted.  This is NOT TRUE!  See chart below.  Bacteria can be transmitted within minutes of a tick bite, however, this is very unlikely.  The longer the tick is attached the greater the chance of transmission.  Between 24 hours and 48 hours the chances increase from less than 10% to more than 30%.  Knowing this, you will understand why nightly tick checks are critical for preventing a tick-borne illness (see below).

(Chart from lymedisease.org)

Preventing a Tick Bit

Preventing a tick bite in the first place is the best strategy.  This includes a combination of tick control on your property, tick repellent and making the right choices when visiting a tick prone area!  Before we dive in, its important to know where ticks live, bread, get the Lyme bacteria, etc.  I will keep it short!

Ticks have 3 blood meals during their life cycle.  First as Larva they feed on small rodents and birds (this is where they contract Lyme disease).  If you get bit by a Larva tick, you are safe!  These typically do not bite humans, but I did find one on my child and have read about others finding them on their children.  After the first meal, they drop off and change to the Nymph phase.  Most cases of Lyme come from Nymphs because they are very small to see and so often go unnoticed.  Once the Nymph has a blood meal, it drops off and changes to the Adult phase.  Adult ticks have a third blood meal and then lay eggs.  The ticks we usually see / notice are adults.

Ticks cannot survive well in sunny open areas, they dry out.  This is why they tend to be in long grass, woods, and edges of the lawn.  To feed, they climb onto a tall blade of grass or leaf on a bush, stick out their front legs and wait for you to walk by to grab onto.  They detect the CO2 you release and if they are not already waiting in hunting position, they race to do so when you enter the area.  Note, ticks do not jump and they do not fall out of treas.  They crawl onto you either from the ground or more likely a bush or grass you brush against.  IMPORTANT NOTE:  While ticks are most active in Spring through Fall, they are also out and about in the winter!  As long as temperatures are above freezing, ticks may be active.

Tick Control on Your Property 

• Tick Tubes are the most promising form of tick control.  I have read claims that they can reduce the tick population by as much as 90% (I cannot verify if this claim is true).  These are tubes filled with Permethrin soaked cotton balls that you leave around your property.  Mice take the cotton balls to make their nests and the Permethrin kills the ticks on the mice thus breaking the life cycle.  This is by far a better approach then just spraying your yard.  It will cover a much wider territory, beyond your property, and stop the “baby ticks” where sprays may not be able to reach them. Tick Tubes are very expensive to buy, but cheap and easy to make.  All you need is Permethrin (diluted to 7.4%), gloves, cotton balls and used paper towel or toilet paper rolls.  Put on gloves, soak the cotton balls, lay them out to dry (keep out of sun & do not use the Permethrin near bees), stuff the tubes (not too much) and spread around your property 10-20 feet apart.  Repeat every 4-6 weeks.  Best to apply April & July.  And, best is to make lots and distribute them to your neighbors!
• Wondercide Tick Control is a good “natural” spray for tick control.  Apply to your yard or hire a natural / organic tick control company to do it for you.  If your yard is infested, you should spray at least 1-2 years in a row in addition to Tick Tubes, and then continue with Tick Tubes for maintenance.
• Spread diatomaceous earth everywhere.  I do not have a specific brand recommendation.  NOTE, do not breath in the powder it can hurt your lungs!  Do this in addition to the spraying especially if your yard is infested.  DE works by breaking down the tick’s exoskeleton and then they dry out and dye.
• Clear all leaves off of your property, keep grass cut short, clean up wood piles, keep lawn furniture & kids toys and play equipment away from wooded areas and bushes, and create a 3 foot barrier between the woods and your yard using rocks or cedar mulch.  (Note, some will say that mulch provides a good place for ticks and rodents to live in so I am not sure if this is the right advice.  We have considered using mulch, but have yet to do so.  Please do your own research on this!)
• DO NOT feed wildlife (inclusive of bird feeders).  Ticks are spread to your yard by chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, mice and basically any animal you see in your yard.  They may be cute, but do you really want them dropping ticks on your lawn!
• Encourage opossum to spend time on your property!  Apparently, ticks love them and attach to them readily.  Then the opossums spend much of their time picking the ticks off of their bodies and eating them!  In the fight against ticks, opossums are definitely your friends.
• Free range chickens and better yet Guinea Keets on your property will go a long way towards tick control.  Note, Guinea Keets are LOUD!

Tick Repellent & And Other Measures to Take Outdoors 

• Use a natural tick repellent.
• Wear light colors and long sleeves in tick infested areas and check yourself thoroughly before getting into the car or going into the house!
• Your pets can and do bring ticks into the house where they can later attach to you!  You need to be checking your pets regularly and using tick repellent on them outdoors.

Nightly Tick Checks Are Critical!!! 

If you live or spend time in tick prone areas, the #1 Most Important Thing To Do is nightly tick checks (in addition to quick checks after being outside in tick prone areas).  EVERY SINGLE NIGHT you need to check EVERY SINGLE INCH of your body and your children’s bodies.  This is important whether you were in the woods or not.  You and your pets can bring ticks into your home or car and they can find you and latch on days later!!!  So, whether you live in the city and visit the woods once in a while or live in wooded suburbs, nightly tick checks are critical!

When doing a tick check, use your eyes on easy to see obvious areas and your hands to feel for ticks in hair and parts of your body you cannot see.  If a tick is attached it will feel like a small hard scab or pimple (or bigger if engorged..fed for many days).  Run your fingers across the scalp in multiple directions a few times and do not forget to check behind the ears and along the hairline.  On the body, be on the look out for actual ticks and for red areas.  The red area may be easier to spot than a small tick.  Unless the tick just bit you, chances are the area around the bite will be slightly red.  See a few examples below.

Ticks are incredibly small, do not forget your glasses!

If You Find a Tick…Proper Tick Removal is Next! 

If the tick is crawling on you and not attached, count your blessings, place the tick in a plastic Ziploc bag and plot its death!  But first, do a thorough tick check on yourself and your family.  Where there is one there may be others.  And, continue to check well for a few days/week!

If the tick is attached, you must remove it properly to prevent infection.  NEVER use the suffocation method (applying oil, alcohol, etc. to make the tick come out on its own).  And, only use tweezers as a last resort.  You should own a Tick Spoon and if you do not, stop everything you are doing and buy one now!  You will thank me if you ever have to use it.  The cost is $7-10 for 3 of them and often you can pick one up for free at outdoor fairs.  These are a new favorite giveaway for veterinarians and dog organizations.  To remove a tick, simply slide the cut out wedge under the tick, from the back of the tick forward and scoop it out.  It will come out 100% intact and alive every time.  Save the tick in a Ziploc bag for testing just in case you choose to do so later (read below).  Disinfect the bite with colloidal silver, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, diluted tea tree oil, diluted oil of oregano or another disinfectant of your choice.  (Keep reading on what to do next!).

The reason tweezers are not recommend for tick removal is because there is too much room for error.  Chances are you will pull out the body and leave the head behind, or even worse squeeze the body.  Even if you have lots of experience removing ticks with tweezers, don’t take the risk.  Suffocation method is BY FAR the WORST because you risk the tick regurgitating its bacteria into your body on its way out.  If you do not have a tick spoon on hand, you can recreate the concept easily by cutting out a small slit in a piece of paper, paper plate or plastic cup.  I have seen great review on Tick Twister products as well, but have not yet used one myself.

You Got Bit By a Tick, Now What!

Symptoms are your best guide!

Lyme disease is typically transmitted by Nymph ticks, the size of a pin.  Most people never recall a bite and many do not notice significant symptoms after contracting Lyme.  And, the Lyme causing bacteria is not the only microbe to worry about!  If the immune system is strong, you can harbor the bacteria for years or even indefinitely.  However, when illness occurs and the immune system is suppressed, symptoms may emerge!  Also, as discussed below, the blood tests are not accurate.  Symptoms should be your number one guide when considering Lyme as a possible diagnosis for your symptoms…not blood work, not seeing the tick attached and not the bull’s eye rash!

• Short Term
  • **The bull’s eye rash only appears in as few as 30% of Lyme Infections!  (Some sources say more like 50%, but even that is small!)
  • **Most people never see the tick / tick bite!
  • Early Symptoms:  Fever, fatigue, joint pain, muscle pain, malaise, rash, bull’s eye rash
• Long-Term
  • Fatigue, brain fog, restless sleep, pain / aching all over, burning / tingling, aching joints or muscles, pain or swelling in the knees, shoulders, elbows, and other large joints, decreased short-term memory or ability to concentrate, speech problems, and more
  • Some people have marginal pain and for others its debilitating.  This disease is ugly!  If you have been struggling with the above symptoms for a long time with no relief, it may be time to see a Lyme literate doctor or to start researching and implementing natural treatments for Lyme!

Have a Game Plan in the Event of a Bite!

1. If you caught the tick early, watch for symptoms.  If symptoms arise, proceed with treatment (see below).  You need to establish your own comfort zone for what early means.  For me its within 24-36 hours of bite.  You will know if the tick has not been attached long if it removes very easily or if you are confident on the timing of the tick bite based on your outdoor activities.  The images below will give you some additional guidance on how long the tick may have been attached and feeding.  You can see more images here.

2.   If the tick is engorged, you will need a different plan!

• If you experience any symptoms or test positive for Lyme, start antibiotics ASAP.  Antibiotics are often recommended for 2-3 weeks.  This is not long enough!   Most Lyme literate doctors recommend longer, up to 6 weeks.  IN ADDITION to the antibiotics you MUST follow a natural protocol!  Signs of Lyme disease may disappear immediately following antibiotic treatment but re-emerge many months or years later!  Antibiotics will not eliminate all of the bacteria.  Antibiotics kill most of the bacteria to give the immune system a chance to fight the rest.  So, your immune system needs to be working at 200% while you are taking antibiotics.  Once Lyme has set in (chronic infection), antibiotics will not work and may even drive the bacteria deeper into the tissue.  And I repeat, antibiotics ARE NOT enough, you MUST do more to ensure you eradicate Lyme early.
• If no obvious symptoms, get blood work done 6 weeks after the bite to see if there is an infection.  You can get this test as early as 2 weeks, but chances for a false negative at that point are high, wait the 6 weeks.  Standard tests are highly unreliable with high false negative rates.  Igenix is the gold standard for testing tick-borne diseases, however, it is expensive and you will likely have to pay out of pocket.  And, even Igenix can get it wrong!  My advice is to get the standard blood test which will hopefully be covered by insurance.  If the test is negative and you have obvious symptoms of Lyme, then the Igenix test may be worth while.  However, ultimately symptoms are your best guide.  If you get negative results from either test or both, and Lyme or other tick-borne disease symptoms persist, seek out a Lyme literate doctor or start researching and implementing natural treatments for Lyme on your own!
• You can send the tick in for testing. This is expensive!  Some towns / states may offer this service for free or at a discount, so do some local research. If the tested tick does not have Lyme or other bacteria, you can rest easy.  If it does, wait the 6 weeks and get tested, watch for symptoms and/or start treatment right away.  I do not see a ton of benefit to getting the tick tested other than getting peace of mind that the tick is not infected.  If it is, you should still let symptoms or blood test be your guide on treatment.
• If Lyme symptoms persist after an initial dose of antibiotics, or reemerge weeks/months later, find a Lyme literate doctor or start your research on treating Lyme naturally and proceed accordingly!

Natural Protocols 

Below are some protocols to research for natural Lyme treatments.  Note, this is not a replacement for antibiotics after a first bite.  This is IN ADDITION to the antibiotics and for treating chronic Lyme disease (Lyme disease that persists after first dose of antibiotics).  Repeated antibiotic treatments have not been shown to help with chronic Lyme.  As noted above, antibiotics may cause symptoms to disappear only to come back weeks, months or years later.  To ensure 100% success you need to go above and beyond!  Chronic Lyme is MUCH harder to eradicate so do not take any chances.  The goal in fighting Lyme, as with any other bacterial infection, is to help your body by killing as much of the bacteria as possible with natural or pharmaceutical antibiotics (they will not kill all of the bacteria) and then to strengthen the immune system so that it can finish the job.  I hope in the future to post more details on each of these protocols, but for now, my goal is to pointing you in the right direction to do more research.

• #1 is to strengthen the immune system.  This is no different than how you would address the common cold or any infection/illness.  Top on my list is raw garlic, vitamin c (capsules, camu camu powder, sodium ascorbate), Thorne D3/K3, cod liver oil (Sonnie’s, Nordic Naturals, Dropi), ginger, turmeric, probiotics (Bio-Kult, Klaire Labs), magnesium, elderberry syrup (buy berries, make your own), etc.
• Homeopathy (Ledum)
• Herbal Remedies (Astragalus, Andrographis, Cat’s Claw, Sarsparilla, Berberine, Allisure AC-23 Garlic, etc)
• Protocols for Chronic Lyme Treatment & Resources (I have ZERO personal experience with any of these, but they come strongly recommended by people that have suffered through chronic Lyme.)
  • Stephen Harrod Buhner (the father of healing Lyme with herbal remedies)
  • Cowden Protocol for Lyme Disease
  • Dr. Rawls’ Herbal Protocol
  • Dr. Daniel Cameron
  • Dr. Ray Jones (pediatric Lyme)
  • Dr. Zhang’s Chinese Herbs
  • Results RNA
  • International Lyme and Associated Disease Society