Whether you are walking in the woods, working, golfing or playing in your yard, you may be at risk for coming into contact with a tick. One tick bite can cause many diseases, known as co-infections. Patients with early Lyme need prompt diagnosis/appropriate treatment to prevent development of Chronic Lyme, a controversial area. Different ticks carry different diseases, and diagnosis and treatment are complex. It is important for everyone to have lyme disease awareness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 300,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease in the US every year. That’s 1.5 times the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer, and six times the number of people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS each year in the US. However, because diagnosing Lyme can be difficult, many people who actually have Lyme may be misdiagnosed with other conditions. Many experts believe the true number of cases is much higher.
Use Repellent on Exposed Skin -preferably natural repellent with organic ingredients. JCW offers a great variety of natural tick repellents.
Check for Ticks -When outdoors, take some time to inspect your clothing and skin for ticks. Brush off those that aren’t attached and remove any that are.
Take a Shower – Right away! This will wash away unattached ticks and offer a good chance to thoroughly inspect yourself. Feel for bumps that might be embedded ticks. Pay careful attention to hidden places(groin, armpits, back of knees, belly button and scalp). Make sure to check you children!
Hot Dryer – Throw your clothes in a hot dryer for 10 minutes before you wash them will kill any ticks that may be there.
Always Protect Your Pets -Ticks can infect dogs and cats, too. Also, their fur can act like a “tick magnet,” carrying ticks inside your home. Call us today and we can inform you of some natural options to keep your pets tick-free.
Click here to read one local woman’s brave account of her battle with Lyme Disease.
And click here to read Dr. Stephen Petteruti’s latest blog on Lyme Disease.
Have a happy and healthy Summer!
4 thoughts on “Lyme Disease Awareness”
Why do you recommend organic repellents – do they work better than chemical repellents?
Great question. Tick repellents whether chemical or natural do not provide 100% protection from ticks or the diseases they can spread. They both have been shown to “repel” ticks for up to 4 hours. The natural repellents are less toxic than many of the chemical ones. Proper prevention and protection is necessary to help you enjoy the outdoors. Long pants, tightly closed at the bottom and a thorough body inspection as soon as you are coming inside are also a very important part of enjoying the outdoors.
I’ve heard about a new ultraviolet machine called the UVLRx that’s being used for Lyme patients. It uses a fiber optic thread which is inserted directly into the vein and the treatment lasts for an hour, so all the blood is treated. Has anyone tried this?
Thanks for your comment. We are unfamiliar with the UV machine used to treat Lyme patients. If you learn anything more on this, we would love to hear from you!