Silly little ticks

[Regiomontanus]

I was just diagnosed with Lyme disease (not really a disease, a simple bacterial infection, cured with a 10 day dose of antibiotics) again. My 4th time! A risk for being in the woods, but totally worth it.

Stay Wild

 

[Eddi]

I wish you a speedy recovery!

Also, I thought this thread was going to be about Tourette's!

 

[libre]

Good luck with recovery.

Lyme disease treatment in Canada isn't so good, many go down south for treatment. Hope you have good access to what you need.

 

[Quagmire]

I was just diagnosed with Lyme disease (not really a disease, a simple bacterial infection, cured with a 10 day dose of antibiotics) again. My 4th time! A risk for being in the woods, but totally worth it.

Stay Wild

I hope the antibiotics knock it right out, @Regiomontanus.

I spend most of my time in the woods and ticks have been really bad this year: I found six on me in the space of about as many weeks earlier this year. In a typical year I might find two or three all year so that was pretty concerning.

Aside from using tick repellent, I also eat a lot of raw garlic. A few studies have found that eating raw garlic helps keep ticks from latching on to you in the first place, but and the second place there's also evidence that it can actually cure Lyme disease has effectively as antibiotics: Essential Oils From Garlic and Other Herbs and Spices Kill "Persister” Lyme Disease Bacteria | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

I'm not suggesting you should forgo the antibiotics btw, just thought I'd share that information with you.

Another thing I've started doing this year is using a homemade tick repellent for myself and for the area around my home, especially the wooded trail that I walk through every night. It's just a simple mixture of water and Tabasco sauce. Apparently the cayenne pepper that they use to make tabasco sauce kills and repels ticks. Since I've started using it I haven't seen one tick.

Edit: I use a couple of ounces of Tabasco sauce in a 16 oz spray bottle with water and just saturate the plants on either side of the trail.

 

[Revoltingest]

Aside from using tick repellent, I also eat a lot of raw garlic. A few studies have found that eating raw garlic helps keep ticks from latching on to you in the first place, but and the second place there's also evidence that it can actually cure Lyme disease has effectively as antibiotics: Essential Oils From Garlic and Other Herbs and Spices Kill "Persister” Lyme Disease Bacteria | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Consuming raw garlic also has the advantage
of keeping other people at bay.
I've had good results with buying clothing
infused with permethrin. (Kills ticks on contact.)
I also spray it on clothing. Alas, it doesn't repel
people.

Permethrin - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Quagmire]

Consuming raw garlic also has the advantage
of keeping other people at bay.
I've had good results with buying clothing
infused with permethrin. I also spray it on
clothing.

Permethrin - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I use permethrin on my shoes, but I don't like to go overboard with it because of how bad it is for the environment.

 

[Revoltingest]

I use permethrin on my shoes, but I don't like to go overboard with it because of how bad it is for the environment.

What do you know of this?

Spraying on clothing looks to be low impact to me.

https://ccmedia.fdacs.gov/content/download/3188/file/Permethrin%2520QA%25203-20-13.pdf

 

[ChristineM]

Hope those antibiotics kick those nasty bacteria out of you. Get well soon.

 

[Quagmire]

What do you know of this?

It's right there on the can.

I don't have it right in front of me but it says something about it being harmful to fish and cats in particular. Says not to use it around waterways, and I'm guessing it's harmful to cats because they clean themselves so often so they'd wind up ingesting it if they got it on themselves.

 

[The Hammer]

Also, I thought this thread was going to be about Tourette's!

You too? Heh

 

[Regiomontanus]

I hope the antibiotics knock it right out, @Regiomontanus.

I spend most of my time in the woods and ticks have been really bad this year: I found six on me in the space of about as many weeks earlier this year. In a typical year I might find two or three all year so that was pretty concerning.

Aside from using tick repellent, I also eat a lot of raw garlic. A few studies have found that eating raw garlic helps keep ticks from latching on to you in the first place, but and the second place there's also evidence that it can actually cure Lyme disease has effectively as antibiotics: Essential Oils From Garlic and Other Herbs and Spices Kill "Persister” Lyme Disease Bacteria | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

I'm not suggesting you should forgo the antibiotics btw, just thought I'd share that information with you.

Another thing I've started doing this year is using a homemade tick repellent for myself and for the area around my home, especially the wooded trail that I walk through every night. It's just a simple mixture of water and Tabasco sauce. Apparently the cayenne pepper that they use to make tabasco sauce kills and repels ticks. Since I've started using it I haven't seen one tick.

Edit: I use a couple of ounces of Tabasco sauce in a 16 oz spray bottle with water and just saturate the plants on either side of the trail.

Very interesting, thanks. I do love garlic! Will look into the tabasco (though on food I am more of a Chilula man myself ).

 

[Regiomontanus]

Good luck with recovery.

Lyme disease treatment in Canada isn't so good, many go down south for treatment. Hope you have good access to what you need.

Why the difference?

 

[Revoltingest]

It's right there on the can.

I don't have it right in front of me but it says something about it being harmful to fish and cats in particular. Says not to use it around waterways, and I'm guessing it's harmful to cats because they clean themselves so often so they'd wind up ingesting it if they got it on themselves.

The trick is to spray one's clothing,
not cats or fish. It appears very safe,
especially compared to tick borne
diseases.

 

[Quagmire]

The trick is to spray one's clothing,
not cats or fish. It appears very safe,
especially compared to tick borne
diseases.

I'm not against using it, and like I say I use it on my shoes which is half the battle anyway.

But I live right next to a creek, and there are also a lot of bobcats out here so I use it sparingly.

I just assumed that if it was bad for waterways it would be bad for the environment overall, but according to your wiki link I guess it's not as bad as I thought.

 

[libre]

Why the difference?

A friend of mine had it and was advised that American clinics are able to detect lime disease better.
Don't know why that's the case to be honest.

Lime disease is on the rise and we don't seem to be great at identifying it. From 2017: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/lyme-disease-canada-1.4262478.

 

[ChristineM]

This is what i use when i go into the forest or out hunting mushrooms...


And follow their advice.


The best way to protect yourself from lyme disease is to avoid being bitten by ticks. For this, it is advisable to :
- Wear clothing tightly closed around neck, wrists and ankles.
- Wear closed shoes.
- If you have long hair, tie it up or wear a hat.
- Avoid contact with low branches, ferns and tall grass.
- Walk if possible in the middle of paths.
- Apply Insect Screen anti-ticks.
- When returning from any walk in the forest or risk zone, it is essential to examine the skin and scalp very carefully to check that no tick has bitten and has remained hooked.
- In case of stings, do not put any product on the tick, it might regurgitate Borellia bacteria, present in its saliva, bacteria responsible for Lyme disease. Do not try to remove it with your nails.
- In case of erythema around the bite, consult a doctor immediately or at the latest within 24 hours after the bite.

 

[Quagmire]

A friend of mine had it and was advised that American clinics are able to detect lime disease better.
Don't know why that's the case to be honest.

Lime disease is on the rise and we don't seem to be great at identifying it. From 2017: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/lyme-disease-canada-1.4262478.

Testing for Lyme disease is kind of iffy overall.

"AI Overview

…
Lyme disease tests aren't foolproof, and their accuracy depends on how long the person has been infected. For example, antibody tests, which are the only FDA-approved laboratory test for Lyme disease, can be less sensitive in early stages of the disease when antibody levels are low. In the first three weeks after infection, these tests can only detect Lyme disease 29–40% of the time. However, they can be more accurate at later stages, such as when Lyme disease spreads to the neurological system (87% accurate) or causes arthritis (97% accurate)".

It looks like by the time detection is fairly reliable, a lot of the damage has already been done. That's probably why a lot of doctors here go ahead and prescribe antibiotics as soon as Lyme disease is suspected, before any testing is done.

 

[Revoltingest]

I'm not against using it, and like I say I use it on my shoes which is half the battle anyway.

But I live right next to a creek, and there are also a lot of bobcats out here so I use it sparingly.

I just assumed that if it was bad for waterways it would be bad for the environment overall, but according to your wiki link I guess it's not as bad as I thought.

I looked into it when I started using it.
Made from Chrysan....Crysantha....Chrysanthemem......from weeds.

Growing Guide for Pyrethrum - Chrysanthemum

From the Greek pyr, fire, probably with reference to fever, since the plant was used medicinally to assuage fever (Compositae). These hardy plants are

www.backyardgardener.com