Tick Bites

"I've been bitten by a tick. What should I do?"

Ticks are small. We are most at risk of bites from nymph and adult ticks. Nymph deer ticks are the size of a poppy seed. If you find a tick on you …

1. Remove it carefully and without agitating it. Do not use a match, alcohol, petroleum jelly, or soap as the tick may regurgitate more pathogens as a result. If you use tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull it straight upward. If you use a tick-twisting tool, slide the twister over the tick from the side with the tick held between the two tines, and rotate the twister and tick, gently pulling up. The mouthpart is covered with barbs, so the removal can be somewhat difficult and time-consuming. Try to avoid squeezing or breaking the tick.

2. Once the tick is removed, put it in a Ziplock bag with a moist cotton ball to keep it from drying out.

3. Wash your hands thoroughly and disinfect your tick-removal tool. Apply first aid to the bite site. Suggestions for this include Andrographis tincture, cat’s claw, Japanese knotweed, Ledum, oil of oregano, nano silver, rubbing alcohol, or antibacterial cream. Check yourself for other ticks.

4. Have the tick tested for pathogens. Suggested labs include: Tickreport.com, Tickcheck.com, Ticknology.org, and iGenex.com.

You may also choose to make an appointment with a Lyme Magnetic Protocol Practitioner to test for pathogens.