If you live in wooded areas or frequent these areas, ticks and fleas are already a part of your world whether you know it or not. A few years ago I found a tick in my ankle, yikes! A friend of mine, who happens to be a vet, said Lyme ticks are here. He had several dogs in his practice already coming in with ticks. He told me some great advise…once you take the tick out of your skin, put it in a baggie, take to your doctors and they will send away to see if the tick has the bacteria which causes Lyme, and then you would know to seek early treatment.
Knowledge is empowering, understanding how to prevent tick bites as well as how to handle a tick bite effectively is key to avoiding health consequences such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Tick Paralysis.
10 STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE TICK MANAGEMENT
- Wear strategic clothing: Before your adventure to the woods prepare by wearing clothing that makes it hard for ticks to tag along. Wear a hat, tie long hair back into a ponytail or bun. Wear light coloured clothing (helps you see ticks before they find skin), and tuck your shirt into your pants and your pants into your socks.
- Pack a lint roller.A link roller will pick up unattached ticks from clothing or pets. Carry one in your backpack and use it often.
- Be on active tick patrol. Before you come indoors after outside activities, shake out your clothing, brush out your hair and triple check your pets.
- Do Tick Checks.Ticks must feed for 36 to 48 hours in order to transmit Lyme disease, so regularly checking yourself for ticks after you’ve been in wooded areas is a hugely effective preventive measure. Look for tiny and foreign dark dots, especially in moist body creases in the armpits, groin, hairline, scalp, waistband and the backs of your knees.
- Upgrade Your Tick Removal Equipment.If you’re using tweezers to remove an attached tick from yourself or your pets, you’re doing it the hard way. Instead, try using small tick removal “spoons” such as the “Tick Twister” for little deer ticks or a “Ticked Key” tick remover for larger dog ticks. Look for them at pet stores or from online merchants.
- Maximize Natural Predators: Ticks have few natural predators however gineau hens and chickens make fast food out of these pests. In a study from South Africa, chickens were found to eat an average of 10 ticks per hour.
- Keep your yard tidy, grass cut. Ticks are most likely to find you as you walk through tall grass or hang out in shady, mulched areas. Open space makes poor tick habitat and acts a good buffer zone between your house and the wilder habitats preferred by ticks.
- Use natural tick deterrent products. If you venture into tick territory often consider using deterrent products. Covering the exposed skin with a greasy salve that contains essential oils such as geranium, eucalyptus citriadora, and lavender not only repels ticks due to its scent it stops the ticks from being able to attach to the skin.
- Support the immune system: Why is it that one individual recovers from a tick bite with no issues while another struggles with a negative health outcome? The answer is Immune System Strength. When the immune system is strong and resilient a parasitical attack on the body (aka a tick bite) is resolved quickly and without consequence. But when the immune system is compromised, sluggish or weak the consequences can be dire. Focus on all the building blocks of a healthy immune system so if a tick bite does happen your arsenal of defense is stocked and ready.
- Follow a tick removal protocol.If you do find an attached tick, remove it carefully and completely (very important) with tweezers or a tick removal tool, wipe the bite with an antiseptic, and circle it with a permanent marker. Check the bite location for changes such as a rash or other unusual inflammation, and promptly seek medical attention from a Lyme literate health professional if you see or experience any symptoms of Lyme disease. The disease is curable if treated in its early stages, but if you wait too long, you could be in for a long and difficult recovery.
Fields and Forest Spray, Barnyard Blends Formulated for animals ~ Safe for humans
This all natural Spray has many purposes, but was designed specifically to keep pesky,biting creepy-crawlies at bay. A vinegar base was chosen specifically for our furry friends whose bodies cannot break down certain essential oils. Your equine friends will thank you! (external use, but also great on salad!)
CAUTION – EXTERNAL USE. AVOID EYES
Organic Ingredients: Fresh Lavender flowers, Rosemary, Mint, Sage, Marjoram, Anise Hyssop, Garlic, Apple Cider vinegar.
Tick Salve, Author of Healing Lyme – STEPHEN HARROD BUHNER
Make an salve containg: Beeswax, Unbleached shea butter, Grapeseed oil, Calendula officinalis, Nepeta cataria, and 100% pure, ethically sourced essential oils of Pelargonium graveolens, Lavendula angustifolia, Melaleuca quinquenervia, Eucalyptus radiata, Eucalyptus citriodora & Origanum marjorama.
Uses: This easy to apply salve is specially formulated to deter ticks while you are out enjoying nature. While adult ticks are easier to see and remove from clothing or skin before they begin to bite, the juvenile nymph ticks are much smaller and harder to spot (about the size of the period at the end of this sentence). Both the scent and the physical barrier of this salve help to prevent infection or Lyme disease exposure from tick bites.
Caution: Consult a qualified Practitioner for any outstanding health concerns or if you are pregnant or nursing prior to use.
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