Well the ticks are well and truly out in full force again! Some of the bite sites I’m seeing lately have been pretty full on; large, red, swollen and inflamed marks, accompanied by swollen lymph glands, headaches and lethargy, not to mention extreme irritation and itchiness.
Once upon a time it would just be on bush walks, camping trips and land care excursions that I would need to worry about tick prevention; these days it seems I can’t even wander out to the back garden or to the clothesline without collecting one on me somewhere. What exactly is causing the increase in tick population and their encroachment on suburbia, I’m not certain. One thing I do know though, is that with the rising cases of Lyme’s and its associated co-factor diseases (and our deepening understanding of these insidious conditions) tick bites really need to be taken seriously and attended to quickly.
So, how to deal with these darstedlies...? Well, prevention, of course, is the best method. Tucking trousers into socks and shirts into pants, wearing underpants!, and generally limiting exposure to skin surfaces is a good start. A friend of mine makes up a solution of aloe vera gel and rose geranium oil, which she swears by as a bush regeneration contractor. She recommends applying it to ankles, wrists, neck and head; not only to skin surfaces but also to the outside of clothing of these areas.
It seems as though almost everyone you speak to about this subject matter has their own ‘tried and true’ method of removing embedded ticks, but I find what works best for me is freezing them with a sports first aid product (such as Elastoplast Cold Spray), and waiting 5 minutes before pulling them out with either
tweezers or those forked tick removers you get from the vet. Once removed, dabbing on some Tea Tree, Lavender or Kunzea essential oil protects the site from further infection, and also aids in reducing the subsequent reaction. I always have a homeopathic remedy on hand (Ixodes, Ledum & Arsenicum) as a first-line defence in the instance of receiving a tick bite, shortly followed by a few doses of herbs; an anti-bacterial, anti-biotic, anti-microbial and immune-boosting herbal formula.
Stephen Harrod-Buhner, author of “Healing Lyme” has spent years researching, documenting and devising his herbal protocol for treating Lyme Borreliosis and its co-infections Chlamydia and Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis. There are many of us Northern Rivers Herbalists who follow and practice Harrod- Buhner’s methodology. In a nutshell, the basis for treatment is focused around looking at these infections from the perspective of the microbe, and not ours. These infections are very complex; they alter the immune system within minutes of the infection process beginning, leading to inflammation dysregulation, severe neurological and cognitive shifts, arthritic and muscular disorder, and extreme emotional upset.
Some of the actions of herbs we look for when treating tick-borne infections are: immune modulating, cytokine modulating, endothelial protective, anti-microbial and nervine tonics. In addition, lymphatic and liver support herbs are given, to aid the lymphatic and hepatic systems in detoxification.
Herbs and homeopathics work effectively as remedies to soothe and treat the effects of tick bites. However, if you suspect you have been infected with a more sinister tick-borne bacteria, then heading straight to the doctor for a script of Doxycycline (an anti-biotic specific for treating Lyme’s and its associated co-factors) is highly recommended; an immediate course of this anti-biotic may just save you a lifetime of suffering, as any Lyme’s patient will tell you! Be sure to follow this up with a trip to your local Herbalist, who will put you on the right path for long term and holistic health care.
Stay safe out there in ticklandia folks; and be sure to have some remedies on hand should you require them.
Blessed Be!