Well this is a blog post that I wish I wasn’t writing, but since we treat so many people for parasites, here goes.
Because of our mild winter this year, the tick season has already started just south of the Canadian border. That means it probably is here in Ontario and Quebec right now. Ticks are insects whose bite can cause Lyme Disease. And getting this can be life altering in a very bad way.
The picture, from the Pediatric Associates of Conneticut shows what these nasty little creatures look like.
And for people living in the Ottawa Ontario area, be warned, deer ticks and deer go together! And there is an abundance of deer in our area. So be wary of their habitat right now. If there are deer in your area, or even in your backyard, you are in Tick Country!
If you go hiking in the woods, stay on the trails, keep out of tall grass and use an insect repellent with DEET. Yup, I said it, use DEET. When hiking, wear long pants, with your pant bottom tucked into your socks, and put your Muskol right on your clothing, as well as exposed skin.
After being in suspect areas, check for the ticks, and beware of the Lyme disease rash, shaped like a bull’s eye. It may not always be this shape, nor will a rash always appear. And that can make it hard to diagnose.
So in a nut shell:
I love the outdoors, but you do have to be aware of the risks.
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. ……… Bumpy Boobs
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The Intention Experiment with Lynn McTaggert
[...] How to Treat the Symptoms of Lyme Disease The different symptoms of lyme disease are categorized into three stages. The first stage is the early stage that happens within the first four weeks of tick bite. Normally, a red rash is seen on the skin, but it gets big each day. The signs that will be experienced are the flu-like symptoms. On the next stage, the infection starts to spread into the body. Alongside the spread of infection are the different symptoms of lyme disease like tiredness, additional skin rashes, weakness, fainting, poor memory, recurring headaches and many more. The last stage is when the infection has almost been spread in the whole body. Here, the symptoms of lyme disease are considered severe. The manifestations include numbness, chronic lime arthritis, severe fatigue, inflammation in the joints, neurologic changes and paralysis. Since patients are now aware of the symptoms it is also important to know the appropriate treatment to use. During the early stage of lyme disease, doctors normally give antibiotics. This is to kill the bacteria and allow recovery completely. The most common antibiotics give are cefuroxime axetil, doxycycline and amoxicillin. There are also cases of severe lyme disease where it affects the nervous system. In such case, intravenous (IV) is given that provide relief to some symptoms of lyme disease such as stiff neck, numbness, severe headaches and loss of memory. Oral antibiotics are also prescribed for chronic lynne arthritis, but for recurring cases, IV antibiotics will help. Some people believe that natural remedies are good to treat the symptoms of lyme disease. Though most of the remedies have not been tested yet, some people still use them. Some of the ingredients that are believed to be effective in treating the symptoms of lyme disease are aloe vera juice, Siberian ginseng, Echinacea, cat’s claw, garlic, skullcap, licorice, Gingko biloba and Omega 3. [caption id="attachment_119" align="alignnone" width="272" caption="symptoms of lyme disease"][/caption][caption id="attachment_118" align="alignleft" width="270" caption="symptoms of lyme disease"][/capt...] [...]
This was a very informative post. I had heard about Lyme disease but had never read about the symptoms or seen pictures of the rashes until now.
I use citronella oil on my body when I go hiking. It’s great for keeping mosquitoes and black flies from biting me. Would citronella oil work against ticks?
Personally, I wouldn’t use citronella oil. The experts recommend something with DEET for these guys, so make sure you cover up and spray the bug spray on your pants. You can even buy hiking clothes with DEET built into it. So that says to me that DEET is the way to go.