PREVENTION IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST METHOD TO DEFEAT LYME DISEASE!

Here is a list of some extremely important and necessary prevention techniques so that you don’t have to worry about being infected with Lyme Disease and co-infections while enjoying the outdoor activities that you love the most.  These precautions are especially recommended during the months between May through the end of September.  There is false information floating around out there that ticks need to be attached to your skin for 24 hours to transmit Lyme.  This is completely FALSE!  It can take a matter of minutes for the bacteria to start free flowing throughout your system once a tick has attached to your skin.

Giving up your favourite outdoor adventures shouldn’t even be an option as long as you are careful to take the necessary precautions.  Even though it can be a bit of a hassle at times it is completely worth it in the long run and you won’t be putting your health at risk.  I would like to thank the United States Department of Health and Human Services for providing these Lyme prevention guidelines:

• Definitely avoid tick infested areas – If you are not sure which areas are infested contact your local public health office or if you have pets talk with your veterinarian as I have found them to be very knowledgeable concerning which areas to avoid due to tick exposure.
• Wear light colored clothing so that ticks are more noticeable and preferably clothes made of smooth materials as it will be harder for ticks to latch on.
• Wear long sleeved shirts, pants and a hat and closed shoes and socks.  Also be sure to tuck your shirt into your pants and your pant legs into your socks or shoes.  I know this may not be the most fashionable statement you can make but compared to falling ill with a tick borne disease this pales in comparison.
• Apply insect repellent to all of your clothing and any exposed skin.  Deet is the most common repellent but there is much controversy over it being a potential neurotoxin which means it can be toxic to the nervous system when absorbed through the skin.  In order to be effective, Deet needs to be applied directly to the skin.  If you do choose to use Deet to repel ticks remember to wash the areas where it was applied (after it served its purpose) as soon as possible with soap and water.
• Permethrin is a repellent used exclusively to spray your clothing and footwear which in turn kills ticks on your clothing before they have a chance to bite you.  It is not intended to be applied directly to the skin or taken internally as it can be toxic if not used correctly.  Permethrin is said to be nontoxic when used in low concentrations and poses no health threats to humans, just to ticks.  I am not certain of its availability in the prairie provinces but camping and hunting supply stores should have something similar to Permethrin.
• Health food stores usually carry a nice selection of natural bug repellents.  I have picked up a really good that I am quite happy with.  This particular repellent is completely Deet-Free plus water and sweat resistant.  If you are looking for an alternative to the usual products that contain Deet (which I highly recommend as I believe they are much safer than exposing your body to unwanted toxins)  I suggest taking a trip to your favourite health food store.  Carefully read the ingredients on the labels as some stores may carry a vast selection of bug repellents.  Some great and highly effective ingredients to look for are:  Citronella Oil, Soybean Oil, Peppermint Oil, Cedar Oil and Lemongrass Oil.  These ingredients in particular have had a well known reputation for many years as being successful in deterring unwanted critters.
• Another safe, very effective and all natural repellent to try is Avon Skin So Soft Mosquito, Flea and Deer Tick Repellent.  It can be used for children and by pregnant women since it only contains natural, non-toxic ingredients. Recently, I noticed that Costco is carrying a Watkins Bug Repellent which could be promising.  I can’t recall the ingredients as I was in a mad rush that particular day so I can’t be sure if it is of the more “natural” variety or not.  I was just so thrilled to see it!  I will definitely check it out again next time I make a Costco run and let you know the ingredients.
• Peppermint oil can be diluted and applied directly to the skin as a safe method of tick protection.  A sure fire method to repel ticks and any other biting creatures is to eat a plentiful amount of garlic before you go outdoors.  Garlic can be taken in capsules or added to meals in generous amounts to give peace of mind that ticks won’t attach to you while outdoors.
• Avoid walking in overgrown grass and stick to the center of hiking trails.
• Once indoors remove, wash and dry all your clothing.  Also if possible, take a hot shower and use a brush on the skin.
• Inspect your body thoroughly and carefully remove any attached ticks.  Don’t forget to check pets and young children.  Deer ticks can be extremely small and therefore hard to notice.  Their size compares to the period at the end of this sentence so be very thorough with your examination.
• If you find a tick, don’t panic because if you use the right measures of removal there should be no problems.  Tug gently but firmly with a blunt, fine point tweezers near the head of the tick until it releases its hold on the skin.  Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull straight out.  To reduce the risk of infection, do not crush the tick’s body or handle it with bare fingers.  Never, Never, Never try to dislodge ticks by using heat or chemicals because this can result in the tick injecting the bacteria and other harmful organisms into your skin.
• In the case that you have been bitten by a tick, swab the area immediately and thoroughly with an antiseptic to help prevent bacterial infection.
• For further prevention measures, I highly recommend a two week course of the antibiotic Doxycycline if you have unfortunately been bitten by a tick.   It is the most effective treatment against Lyme and co-infections when in its early stages.  You can never be too safe and a two week course of antibiotics is completely safe compared to years of complex treatment if you are indeed infected with Lyme or co-infections.

TIPS FOR SAFE TICK REMOVAL

• If you happen to notice a tick on you try to determine if it has bitten and attached itself to your skin.  If not or if it is only on your clothes you can flick it aside with either your finger or some sort of tool.  A really helpful trick is to apply tape to the tick and then lift the tape away from your body.  If the tick is attached to your skin, take a cotton ball and put a drop or two of liquid soap on it.  Place the soaked cotton onto the tick and rotate gently but vigorously for about 20 seconds.  This should cause the tick to release immediately.
• Remember to not touch the tick with bare fingers.  Place the tick into an empty pill bottle or Ziploc bag and hold onto it so it can be tested for the Lyme bacteria and co-infections if necessary. If possible, label the container with the location and date that you were bitten.  Ideally, the tick should be kept alive and it is recommended that the head of the tick still be attached to its body.  Although, whichever condition the tick is in, save it because it might be the only useful source of information if you are to develop an illness later on.  Contact your doctor’s office or Public Health Agency so the tick can be sent to a lab for testing.
• Remember to swab the bite area of your skin as already mentioned.
• Very importantly, never attempt to crush ticks during the removal process.  This can cause them to break apart and leave parts embedded in your skin or cause them to release infectious fluids into your skin.

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