Prevent Lyme disease and other tick borne illnesses

Late Spring through Summer is the most active time for ticks here in Northern California. Make sure you’re prepared! To help prevent the spread of Lyme and other diseases transmitted by ticks, we like this acronym from the Global Lyme Alliance to help you remain tick AWARE:

A: AVOID areas where ticks live. Ticks thrive in places like wood piles, leaf litter, long grass, beach grass, bushy areas, stone walls, and perimeters where the lawn meets the woods. That being said, one of the many joys of living here in Humboldt is getting out into nature, so when you do, make sure to also...

W: WEAR light-colored clothing to spot ticks more easily. This includes having a long-sleeved shirt tucked in at the waist, long pants tucked into high socks, closed-toe shoes, and a hat with your hair tucked in.

A: APPLY tick repellent. Most conventional recommendations involve DEET and permethrin, which we agree with for clothing applications. When applying repellent to the skin, we like natural alternatives like oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, citronella, neem, and others (see the Sierra Club’s link below for more options).

R: REMOVE clothing upon entering the home; toss into the dryer at high temperature for 10-15 minutes to kill live ticks.

E: EXAMINE yourself and your children and pets for ticks daily. Feel for bumps paying close attention to the back of knees, groin, armpits, in and behind the ears, belly button, and scalp. Check everywhere – ticks love to hide where the sun don't shine.

If you do find an attached tick be sure to remove it and, if possible, save it for lab testing. Tickcheck.com offers free tick ID and will test for a variety of diseases that it could be carrying. There are some tick borne illnesses that can be transmitted with very short attachment time, so any tick bite should be considered infectious until proven otherwise. Monitor the bite site closely and contact your doctor if any symptoms arise. While a bulls-eye rash is most associated with Lyme disease, many individuals do not develop a rash or the appearance of the rash is not the classic bulls-eye.

If you suspect that you or a family member has contracted a tick borne illness, the doctors at North Coast Naturopathic Medicine are able to provide comprehensive testing and treatment. Call us today at 707-840-0556 for more information.

Additional Resources:

1) ILADS guide on how to handle a tick bite:

https://iladef.org/education/how-to-handle-a-tick-bite/

2) Global Lyme Alliance tick prevention:

globallymealliance.org/about-lyme/prevention/be-tick-aware/

3) Sierra Club DEET-free bug protection:

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/5-deet-free-ways-protect-yourself-bugs

4) CDC Lyme prevention tips:

https://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dvbd/media/lymedisease.html

5) Humboldt County tick testing: https://humboldtgov.org/DocumentCenter/View/1407/Tick-Collection-and-Testing-Lyme-Disease-Handout-PDF