7 Tips About Ticks And Lyme Disease You Should Know

Tip 1
Despite what you may have heard, deer ticks are not the only carriers of Lyme disease; mosquitoes, fleas, mites and gnats are also carriers.

Tip 2
A tick that carries lyme disease may prompt a bulls-eye rash, but this infamous rash shape appears in fewer than half of all cases of the disease. This is just one of the reasons why Lyme disease is so difficult to diagnose.

Tip 3
Some aromas that will repel ticks and other bugs include lavender essential oil, citronella, cedar oil, rose geranium oil, American pennyroyal oil (also called tickweed), eucalyptus oil and tea tree oil. (If you are searching for a good source of essential oils, contact us. We'd be happy to help.)

Tip 4
We've also heard that eating garlic or taking garlic pills will help keep ticks away. A garlic regimen may repel ticks, but it may also repel your friends and loved ones.

Tip 5
The Center For Disease Control claims on their website that many local health departments, parks, and cooperative extension services have information about the areas most infested with ticks. If you are in a tick-infested area, walk in the center of the trails to avoid contact with vegetation. Wear light-colored clothing, which allows you to see ticks that are crawling on your clothing. Tuck your pant legs into your socks so that ticks cannot crawl up inside of your pant legs. Always check yourself and your children for ticks after being outdoors, even in your own yard.

Tip 6
Some of the more common diseases that you can get from a tick bite include: babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Q-fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Southern tick-associated rash illness, tick-borne relapsing fever and tularemia. Other diseases that you can get from a tick in the United States include anaplasmosis, Colorado tick fever, and Powassan encephalitis. Early tick removal may reduce the risk of infection of some tick-borne diseases.

Tip 7
If you come down with flu symptoms in the summertime, that's a red flag for Lyme disease and you should see a doctor immediately. Other symptoms include unusual joint and muscle pain, stiff neck, confusion, severe headaches and heart palpitations.

Have a safe and tick-free summer!