New York State is at the epicenter of Lyme Disease and a variety of tick borne diseases (TBD) which is spread by ticks who feed on deer, mice and other small mammals. In their nymph stage, deer ticks are shockingly tiny, though not invisible—if you are looking for them. They are about the size of a period mark in an email. Bites can be prevented by using a repellent effective against ticks. Though most mosquito products contain DEET and are good at preventing mosquito bites, they are not entirely effective at repelling ticks. Please read the this study undertaken by Consumer Reports:

For clothing only: permethrin sprays are good for treating clothing and last even after several washings. We use Sawyer products available at Dick’s Sporting Goods and on Amazon. You treat the clothing with a good soaking and let fully air dry prior to wearing. It is a plant based spray and is considered a natural repellent, but again, only for clothing. You can purchase pretreated clothing and blankets that are reportedly good at repelling. Insect Shield is one such brand.

If outdoors, in any grassy area, checking to see if a tick has hitched a ride on you is a good idea. That includes playing fields, grassy walkways, brush or bushes along sidewalks you might rub against, shady, damp and leafy areas are particularly attractive to ticks. If you sat down in the grass most anywhere, check yourself. Look everywhere – it’s no time to be shy. If you can’t see the back of your legs or anywhere else, have someone look for you. Check frequently when outdoors as Lyme and other tick borne infections can be transmitted faster than the commonly held belief of 24 – 48 hours, now known to be transmitted in as little as six hours. 

If you find a tick, it must be removed completely with fine point tweezers with a steady, straight out pulling action (there’s plenty of how-to advice on the web). Do not use anything to dislodge it (like alcohol or a hot match stick) as the tick may regurgitate its bacteria into you. If in doubt, go to a doctor’s office or walk in health care facility but make certain they know the proper procedures.

Once you have a tick removed, save it! This is key. [See instructions below] This is the smoking gun. Identification of whether or not it is a deer tick can be done by local health departments. They can possibly also tell you whether the tick is engorged or not and give a very rough estimate of how long the tick has been feeding. Save it in a ziplock bag or small, fully sealed container with a small piece of moist paper towel to keep it fresh.

Most health departments will not test a tick, that has to be done be a specialized lab. A lab can test the tick for Lyme as well as for other diseases ticks carry. We recommend IGenex in California and is considered the top lab by Lyme professionals. But ultimately, seek qualified medical help and advice from a doctor very familiar with the most up-to-date procedures and protocols. 

There are Lyme specialists called LLMDs (Lyme Literate Medical Doctors) who are well versed in treatment options not commonly known by most physicians. Please keep in mind, there’s no such thing anymore as a simple tick bite. In some areas of NY state, including our own, 40% of adult ticks now carry some form of disease.

An excellent source of additional information iswww.ilads.org, the web site of the International Lyme & Associated Diseases Society. You will find plenty of information on prevention (such as tucking in your long pants into your socks while wearing light colored clothing to better spot the ticks) and treatment for not only Lyme, but also other tick-borne diseases, as well as information about The Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education and Research Act of 2015.

A Western Blot test is a common method of detecting Lyme, but is faulty if your immune system isn’t strong enough to produce the antibodies necessary for measurement. IGenex is the best testing procedure for humans as well but not covered by insurance. I highly recommend it and N.Y. State recently approved that labs in the state can draw blood for testing when previously you had to travel out of state. 

Treatment needs to be begin immediately once the tick has been identified and tested as positive. Persons bitten should be tested approximately 10 – 14 days after infection preferably via the IGenex protocol. There are many misconceptions and disagreements about what antibiotics should be used, when, and for what duration. Presently Lyme specialists are advocating for a minimum of 30 days up to 60 days if caught and diagnosed immediately. Advance stages of the disease are treated for much longer periods using a wide variety of medications, supplements, etc. The CDC is a flawed resource for information on tick borne diseases.  The most alarming tick borne disease is Powassan virus which can be transmitted by an infected tick in just a few minutes and can be fatal. Dutchess county reported an incident last year. And here’s a Consumer Reports story recently published worth a read.

Enjoy the outdoors but vigilantly watch for ticks and you’ll have a happy, healthy time!

As an herbalist, I have been training myself to look at the world as a healer would. From this perspective, I see there is deeper ecological relevance to everything in that seems scary or wrong in the world. When things get out of balance, nature responds with her own checks and balances. I’m constantly in awe of the way nature offers medicine to ease all our aches and woes – under our very noses!
Think about this: the regions in North America that have the biggest problems with ticks and tickborn illnesses also happen to be the regions in which Japanese Knotweed grows in overabundance. Why is this interesting? Well, because knotweed is one of our go-to plants for Lyme disease treatment. We see this so often that where there is disease, so often there is also the cure, growing somewhere within reach.

For me, dealing with Lyme disease was an initiation into plant medicines as well as other healing arts. Chronic and acute illnesses can be such a drag, but they can also be a call to tune in, or tune out, to slow down and listen within. To take more care. I have to have compassion for the scary little buggers that have helped teach me these hard lessons. ❤️ 🕷❤️

Audrey is a community herbalist, counselor and hypnotherapist. She teaches workshops and does individual counseling and herbal consultations through her private practice in Saugerties NY.

Www.audreygilbert.com
Instagram @hypnoherbalist