On Healthy Living

Where I live, and in most of the country where there are woods and grasslands, ticks are a problem. Between the heat, the ticks and the snakes, I don’t do a whole lot of hiking in the summer.

But I know there are lots of people who can’t resist the woods, even in the heat, and even with the bugs.

If you live in a part of the country that has deer ticks, the primary spreaders of lyme disease, you’ll want to take a few precautions before heading out into the woods:

–Wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. I know it’s murder in the heat to have long sleeves on, but light-colored, light-weight clothing is a big proector against these ticks.

–Tuck you pants into your socks. Ticks love to crawl into your socks and other warm, dark places, so don’t give them the chance.

–Use a commercial tick repellent like Permanone (Repel) or Permethrin. Be careful, though, to only spray these on clothing, not on bare skin.

–Try aromatherapy. Rose geranium and pennyroyal are the most effective tick repellents. Make your own repellent with two tablespoons of vegetable or nut oil and 10 to 25 drops of rose geranium or American pennyroyal essential oil. This is safe to apply on skin or clothing, but pennyroyal is not reccomended for use by pregnant women.

–Perform a tick check. As soon as you’re off the trail, check for ticks. Remember, they like dark places, so just because you were wearing clothing doesn’t mean you’re protected.

–Take a shower. If you can, take a shower as soon as possible after possible tick exposure. Scrub well and check again for any little specks that aren’t freckles.

If you’ve been exposed to ticks, watch out for strange rashes, particularly those that look like a bull’s-eye. If you have a fever or joint pain, consult a doctor who knows a lot about lyme. It can be treated with antiobiotics. Left untreated you can have bouts of arthritis-like weakness, potentially for years to come.

Go out there and enjoy it, but stay safe and watch for creepy-crawlies!

Sarah White wrote this on July 20th, 2005 and filed it under Healthy Living, Diet & Exercise, Women's Health, Men's Health |