Naturopathic Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention and First Aid
Prevention During Deer Tick Season
• Deer tick season = anytime temperature above 28F.
• Body checks for ticks every night after a day of possible tick exposure. Remember that ticks love warm moist areas.
• Put your clothes in the dryer (skip washer) on high for 6 minutes after coming indoors after possible tick exposure.
• Tick Shield by Cedarcide: natural repellant spray of cedar oil. Safe for humans and dogs over 20 pounds. Apply every 1-2 hours.
• Permethrin
– 100% tick kill rate; toxic to our skin when wet.
– Treatment of shoes, socks and gear: Find permethrin at a hardware store or online to do-it-yourself; treatment lasts only 6 weeks; mark your calendar and re-apply every 6 weeks.
• Go to www.tickencounter.org to watch video on how to apply safely: permethrin is toxic when wet.
– Treatment of clothing, blankets, etc: Go to www.insectshield.com to buy permethrin-treated clothing or to send your clothes away to be treated; treatment lasts 70 washes.
– Tick tubes: Go to www.ticktubes.com to buy permethrin-treated tick tubes to kill ticks on mice. Place 6 tubes per 1/8 acre of mouse habitat. Decreases tick population by 93%. Watch how to make them with Dr. Chesney here.
• Herbal Support
– Deer Tick Bite Formula: ½ teaspoon in water 30 min before breakfast, lunch & dinner daily during possible tick exposure (dosage is for adult weight). Substitute appropriate formula for type of tick in your area.
Tick Testing for Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease
The University of Massachusetts has an academic research laboratory called the Laboratory of Medical Zoology that houses Tick Report. Go to www.tickreport.com. Send your tick to be tested for a fee. There are many testing options.
– For $50, the lab tests for DNA of the most common deer tick-borne diseases: Borrelia general species, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Borrelia miyamotoi, Borrelia mayonii, Babesia microti, Ehrlichia muris-like agent, Anaplasma phagocytophilum.
– Receive results via email within one week.
– Alternative to www.tickreport.com is www.ticknology.com
Preventing Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases by Alexis Chesney ND
Available at Sojourns, Amazon and your favorite local bookseller! This comprehensive book will review the nine species of ticks that transmit diseases in North America and how to identify them; symptoms of tick-borne diseases; how to prevent tick bites; what to do if you get bitten by a tick; prophylactic herbal formulas to take after being bitten by a tick; treatment of acute tick-borne diseases. Find here.
Tick Bite Preparedness Kit
As described in Preventing Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases, this first aid kit includes: a Tick Twister by O'Tom, small ziplock bag, andrographis tincture, homeopathic Ledum palustre 30C, homeopathic Apis mellifica 30C and deer tick bite formula. Purchase at: https://shop.lymecore.com/shop/dr-chesneys-tick-preparedness-kit/
What to Do if You Get a Deer Tick Bite
• Use an O’Tom Tick Twister to remove tick.
• Put andrographis or tick bite formula on the bite.
• Save tick and mark date on the calendar.
• Identify the tick: go to www.tickencounter.org to help you.
• Test the tick: go to www.tickreport.com. (See reverse side.)
• Use homeopathics:
– For a tick bite that is not hot and swollen:
• Ledum 30C: 3 pellets under your tongue 3x daily for 3 days. Take 15 minutes away from food/drink.
– For a “bull’s eye” rash or hot, swollen bite:
• Apis 30C: 3 pellets under your tongue 3x daily for 3 days. Take 15 minutes away from food/drink.
– Homeopathic first aid does not replace proper treatment of a tick bite.
• Begin *herbal protocol:
Protocol #1:
– 30 day treatment for tick bite without rash or symptoms:
• *Deer Tick Bite Formula (Cat’s Claw/Knotweed/Cryptolepis/Houttuynia): 1 teaspoon in water 30 min. before breakfast, lunch & dinner (dosage is for adult weight). You may substitute with appropriate formula per type of tick bite you received.
• Serrapeptase: 1 capsule 30 minutes before breakfast & dinner daily.
Protocol #2: (child friendly by weight, dosage stated is for adult weight 120-150 pounds)
– 30 day treatment for tick bite without rash or symptoms:
· Samento: 30 drops in water 30 min. before breakfast, lunch, dinner (anti-Lyme spirochete and cyst).
· Mora or Enula: 30 drops in water 30 min. before breakfast, lunch, dinner (anti-Babesia).
· Houttuynia: 30 drops in water 30 min. before breakfast, lunch, dinner (anti-Anaplasma / Bartonella).
· Serrapeptase: 1 cap twice daily on an empty stomach 30 min. before breakfast and dinner (biofilm).
• Consider diet change: no sugar, yeast and alcohol because these food feed pathogens; drink 2-3 liters of water daily.
• Watch for symptoms especially over the next 30 days from a deer tick bite: “bull’s eye” or other rash around tick bite, fever, flu-like symptoms, joint pain or swelling, muscle pain, headaches, neck pain, facial palsy, lymph node swelling, palpitations, night sweats, air hunger or non-exertional shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, cough, sore throat, confusion, disorientation, difficulty breathing or speaking, loss of coordination, seizures, lethargy, paralysis, body rash.
If you develop symptoms, you are no longer treating an asymptomatic tick bite. It is essential to make an appointment with your tick-borne disease literate practitioner, go to the emergency room or urgent care. You may have active tick-borne disease which requires further evaluation and treatment.
*If you received a bite from tick other than a deer tick, take the formula appropriate for the type of tick.
Note: Known side effects, drug interactions and contraindications of the herbs contained in deer tick bite formula and serrapeptase are noted Preventing Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases. Consult with a health care provider before starting any herbal protocol.