Tick Info

So you found a creepy crawling tick crawling on you...or worse - latched on you or a loved one. 

EEP! 

All this Lyme and co-infections talk, it’s EASY to be creeped out and down right panicky. 

No need! Let’s combat the panic with action steps you can take, both for tick prevention AND removal. 

Firstly, preventing ticks CAN be done very effectively in a natural, nontoxic manner. Remember, using harmful chemicals/toxins to keep ticks off can also work, BUT comes at a cost. A precious cost to your health. 

Chemicals like DEET and permethrin are recommended for tick prevention, but are known to cause skin irritation, headaches, dizziness, breathing problems, and seizures, to name a few side effects. I, personally, had an allergic reaction to permethrin, so it’s not even an option for me to be using. 

These chemicals are also DEADLY to aquatic animals and other, “helpful” bugs, such as bees. Essentially, DEET and permethrin are poison...poisoning YOU too when you are using them on or even just around you. 

So what are you to do for tick prevention then? Well I’ve explored the world of natural options and compiled a helpful list HERE of some of my FAVORITE products for tick prevention...and it even includes exactly what you need should you sadly have to deal with a tick bite (hint: the tools you need are SO basic and simple!). 

Say you DO get a bite. The sooner you get a tick off of you, the better, so here are some tips to keep your cool and excel at tick removal right from the start!

Firstly, DO NOT use anything on the tick to try to get it to “come off” of you other than TWEEZERS. Oils, rubbing alcohol, petroleum products, and other “irritants” to a tick can actually cause it to regurgitate MORE saliva into you, and consequently can worsen your chance of infectious transmission. No bueno! 

Instead, all you need is a pair of good tweezers. You want to firmly grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, trying to get the whole head, and firmly pull it out in the same direction it attached itself. Do not twist or jerk. Just pull firmly and steadily. 

Ideally, you want to remove the whole head and all mouth parts. There are times that is harder to do than it looks. In that case having a pointy pair of tweezers can be helpful to grab anything that may remain behind. 

Then, it is a good idea to clean the area with non-toxic soap and water, and maybe even a little rubbing alcohol. We also add some of our favorite healing essential oils around the bite site - Frankincense and Ledum are favorites! 

That’s it! Bye, tick!

At this point, we send our discovered ticks in for testing in order to report them and also check them for some of the more common tick-borne diseases. If you’d like to do this as well, check the ILADS.org website or Google for a list of tick test sites in your area. 

If you found this helpful, or if you are impacted by Lyme disease or other chronic illnesses, you may also like my community group over on Facebook.

I have had Lyme, co-infections, and autoimmune conditions more than half of my life now. While I would never consider myself an expert, I've learned some tidbits along the way that may be helpful to those wondering where to turn next if they have reason to be concerned for Lyme themselves. 

To continue to expand a bit on what I mentioned in my last post, let’s talk about Lyme and co-infection related issues and what to do if you have concern or diagnosis and don’t know where to turn. 

You can easily find out TONS about Lyme through many reliable resources via Google, etc. There are suggested “stages,” symptoms, treatment regimens, and more out there. But the bottom line is, any good Lyme Literate MD (LLMD) will tell you that a) a lot of the current Lyme info for providers is outdated, unreliable, and not patient-centric and b) that Lyme testing is relatively unreliable, but the most reliable tests we have are worth doing and treating any unusual symptoms (especially in the presence of a tick bite) is paramount.

What are symptoms? 

This is important - as I listed in THIS POST, nearly ANYTHING *could* be a symptom because Lyme can literally “attack” any body system, and it can fluctuate over time. Symptoms can be neurological (often mimicking many different types of autoimmune and other neurological conditions), mental health related, skin issues (yes, some people get a bullseye rash, but not everyone does, and other rashes or skin issues can happen too), gut issues, certainly pain and flu-like symptoms, fevers, exhaustion, cardiac arrhythmias and multiple other heart-related issues, numbness, memory issues and brain fog, arthritis...the list truly could go on and on. 

I consider this both hopeful AND helpful - I/you are NOT crazy, and yes, no matter what the test says, if you were bitten ever and certainly if you are at all symptomatic, you should be treated by a specialist. Know that you can find a variety of treatment recommendations out there, and my BEST advice when it comes to that topic is to do your research and work with a LLMD (and preferably a functional medicine provider too, if you can) to tailor your treatment to YOU. It is NOT one-size-fits-all. 

So what to do if you’d like to tackle Lyme head-on:

• Find a LLMD in your area. Check out ilads.org to help you with that if needed. They should be able to work with you on natural option vs antibiotics to treat Lyme. Standard treatment is antibiotics, but some LLMDs believe in treating with herbals only, and some use both herbals and antibiotics for treatment (mine does). 

• Get proper testing done for Lyme and co-infections. Typical ELISA and Western Blot tests are what MOST providers may use, but they are VERY unreliable, historically. In fact, no blood test is perfectly full proof, and a good LLMD will treat symptomatically if you've had a bite no matter what the test results conclude. However the IgeneX is what I currently know to be the most comprehensive testing at this time. And it can be pretty darn helpful, when in the hands of a LLMD. Testing should ideally be done around 4-6wks after a tick bite. Treatment should be ongoing prior to testing, especially if symptomatic. 

• Start supporting your body holistically NOW. Don’t wait, even if you opt not to be treated right away. There are lots of easy steps you can take immediately to change your health long-term. Boost your immune system, raise the vibrations of your cells and body, get savvy about gut health, prioritize nutrition (look into anti-inflammatory ways of eating and ditching sugar if you don’t know where to start), find ways to manage your stress, tend to your emotional health, get rest, drink gobs of water to flush your detox system, consider detoxing gently and naturally, and ditch all toxins in your life ASAP.  (I’ll be blogging more about all of these things, and touching on them in my Facebook group if you’re wanting to run with these ideas)

• Get knowledgeable on some treatment basics. HERE is a very quick and helpful article about the latest research in herbals for Lyme disease treatment. The ILADS guidelines for treatment can be found HERE. Bear in mind that co-infections (which are OFTEN present with Lyme) can change the treatment course up a bit, and is another reason why working with a LLMD is SO important. 

• Get your bloodwork done outside of Lyme labs - find out more about your health from the inside out. (Bonus: this helps you tailor your treatment approach too!) Consider checking all of your body systems. A good LLMD should easily help with this. 

• Work on your mindset - know that you CAN do this and practice ditching a poverty or “lack of” mindset for an ABUNDANCE mindset! That right there is SUPER healing! 

Ready to start your healing journey NOW? Here’s a great resource I created to help you get started! It's FREE! 

Be WELL! 


**Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional here to diagnose, treat, cure, or otherwise influence your medical journey outside of the guidance of a medical professional. I am simply sharing my own journey and what I have learned along the way. Please find a doctor you trust and discuss any medical concerns or treatments with them. Also, please know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases through my site at no extra cost to you.