Oh my goodness, this is a HORRIBLE year for tick bites. 😭
A woman on our Facebook PTC Lyme Connection group said she's had twenty bites this year...I would argue that means she is not taking measures to PREVENT bites. Which is CRITICAL. Go the to Lyme Basics page on LymeLivesHere.com for prevention tips.
But what if you are doing everything right and YOU STILL GOT BIT? That is the topic of this post.
I was fortunate enough to catch the DrTalks Healing Lyme Summit this month and want to pass along some wonderful information shared by Dr. Myriah Hinchey, a Naturopath that has been studying and treating Lyme for decades. Below are her step by step directions for how to handle a new bite.
DO NOT smother the tick with Vaseline! This is because most of the infective microbes inside the tick are in their salivary glands. So when a tick pulls it's head out of your skin by itself it will regurgitate the contents of it's salivary glands into the host. YOU! This is precisely what we do not want.
Use tweezers and get down as close as you can to the skin, pinch the head if possible, or the neck. DO NOT TWIRL IT, or FLIP IT.
Pull with a steady force - your skin will tent up. After 1-2 mins the tick will let go. This prevents the head from being left behind. DO NOT SQUEEZE THE BODY OF THE TICK, as that might push the contents of it's stomach into your bite.
3. Place the tick in a baggie. Label the bag with a date, and location of the bite (arm pit, etc)
4. Clean the area. Use soap and water or hydrogen peroxide.
5. Make a poultice to place on the area of the bite: THIS IS IMPORTANT AS IT WILL DRAW OUT THE MICROBES THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN INJECTED BY THE TICK. Much like a snake bite is best treated with immediate suction to pull out the poisonous venom, we want to draw out and kill the microbes as much as possible.
Use Bentonite clay (a drawing agent) and Andrographis (an antimicrobial) and make a wet paste of both on a cotton ball. Tape the cotton ball over the bite. Transdermal penetration will occur and will begin to kill anything bad that was transmitted. Change out this dressing regularly.
I would argue that any drawing agent would be okay, such as Epsom salt and/or activated charcoal for drawing potential. Use what you have! Dr Stephen Buhner has researched Andrographis for years and finds it to be the best antimicrobial. However, at the very minimum put triple antibiotic on it: Neosporin, etc.
7. You have some options now. As a previous severe Lyme patient, I immediately begin my antivirals (in case of a new Tickborne Encephalitis Virus infection) along with 10 days of doxycycline. WHILE I WAIT for the tick testing to come back.
This most recent tick bite we sent our tick to Tickreport.com. Because we know our farm's ticks have carried upwards of 5 coinfections, in addition to Lyme, we paid for the full $200 test. There are much more affordable options if you only test for borrelia, etc.
8. Watch the area closely for ANY unusual symptoms. A rash of any kind, severe itchiness, etc. Also watch for flu-like symptoms in the coming weeks. Both are indicative of an infection now being present that requires attention. Others suddenly present with IBS, stroke-like symptoms, or sudden migrating joint pain. It does not take long for these infections to become chronic and INCREDIBLY HARD TO TREAT. remember, I lost the ability TO WALK within 60 days. Do not delay treatment.
Choosing a doctor for medication and initial testing:
This could be an entire post by itself, but I will touch on it.
Urgent care or GO MED can order a western blot test and prescribe doxycycline. Do not leave without at least ten days worth while you wait for tick testing.
****If they try to give you only 1 tablet of doxy, tell them the research that supported that is dated 2001 and far more current research has shown a minimum of 10 days is required. Some would argue 30 days.
The Western Blot test misses 60-70% of cases, so if you remain symptomatic pursue care with a LLMD (Lyme Literate MD) to get better, more accurate testing.
Consider these OTC (over the counter) options, particularly if you are symptom free but want to cover your bases:
Zenmen Tick Immune Support - available on Amazon. Contains several herbs such as Japanese Knotweed, Cat's Claw, Chinese Skullcap, Cryptolepis Sanguinolenta, and Sweet Wormwood. Some cross the blood brain barrier to prevent brain infection, others are wonderful anti-parasitics.
John Hopkins Study found these 7 herbals KILL Lyme Bacteria: Cryptolepis, Japanese knotweed, cat’s claw, Chinese skullcap, artemisia, black walnut, Cistus incanus, which is actually more of an essential oil, Andrographis, stevia, grapefruit seed extract, and monolaurin. Pick a couple. See the full article in link box below.
The best antivirals I know: ivermectin, colloidal silver 500ppm, oregano oil. Start at least one of them. JUST IN CASE.
Most importantly, TRY NOT TO PANIC:
Having a plan in place, with my Tick Kit ready to treat and test has given me some peace of mind.
Happily, I can report our last tick report came back without ANY infective agents in the tick. I was happy to be reminded that not every tick hosts these things. ❤️
Blessings and stay safe.
K
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