May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH5-EU9iCKE

Thank you to Lisa for creating this video as a tribute to those of us that have been on this journey....the journey of Chronic Lyme Disease!

Please check back soon as I post other information and links during this month!!!!

How to keep yourself and your loved ones safe from a tick bite.

If you enjoy taking the dog for a walk, going on a hike, gardening in your backyard, playing in the park, camping, or if you have pets, you will want to take precautions against ticks.  It doesn't matter what country, state, or province you live in, ticks are everywhere.  


There are different types of ticks and not all ticks carry Lyme disease but they can carry other diseases such as Ehrlichiosis, Bartonella, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tick Paralysis, Tularemia, and Babesiosis to name a few.  


The black-legged tick (deer tick) which does carry Lyme Disease may also be co-infected with some or many of these other diseases.  Prior to feeding, these ticks look like a flat seed.  As they begin to feed, they become plump like a raisin and when full, they will fall off.  Whatever you do.....DON'T squeeze them!  Learn from my mistakes.  I thought it was a pimple on the back of my head.  


Ticks can be found in leaf litter, logs, grass, and long grasses.  They sit and wait for someone or your pet to walk by so they can hitch a ride and have a meal.  The nymph (baby) ticks can be the size of the period at the end of this sentence.   


Here is a list of precautions you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones:

• I know that I'm well known in my family for having the most beautiful eau de toilette!  NOT!  I never used it prior to my   journey of almost 10 years.  If you are scratching your head wondering what I am talking about....it is about spray or wipes that protect against mosquitoes and tick bites.  There are many brands on the market and I tend to choose those that are non-toxic and if you have children you need to really do your research and read the labels carefully.  I personally now use the Watkins brand which is more pleasing to the nose.  I ensure I am covered from the top of my head to the end of my toes.  If you have pets, you will want to ensure they are also protected (collar, topical solution, or spray).  You will have to check your vets to see what is available in your area.  
• wear light coloured clothing so you or others can see the ticks 
• wear long sleeves and pants tucked into your shoes or boots
• if you have long hair, make sure it is tied or braided
• walk in the middle of pathways away from brushing up against long grasses
• keep your lawns cut on a regular basis
• create a barrier between wooded and tall grassy areas and your yard
• be extra cautious if you have "nature" at your doorstep (deer, squirrels, chipmunks, rodents, etc) as these can be part of the life cycle for ticks
• if you must have a bird feeder, keep it far away from play and living areas of your yard!  Personally, this is one thing I refuse to have in my yard!
• when coming in from outdoors, always do a complete tick check.  Ticks like to crawl to warm, moist, cozy places on the body so make sure to check in every nook and cranny possible...belly buttons, armpits, under your breasts, in your privates, in your hair.  Ticks crawl up your body so if one is found in your hair they most likely started from your legs.
• If you have pets, make sure to check them carefully too.  The ticks like to go between toes, bellies, pits, ears, and head.
• if you do find a tick, please ensure you remove it very carefully  as soon as possible or have your health care practitioner or vet remove the tick.  Ensure you do not squeeze the gut of the tick or it will regurgitate it's stomach contents (ie. diseases if carrying) into your body.  I would suggest you use gloves.  Use fine pointed tweezers and grip close to the skin (around it's mouth parts).  Pull firmly and straight out.  There are now some tick removers on the market that would be beneficial for every household to have on hand.  Ensure you wash and disinfect the bite area and the tweezers or tick remover.  Place the tick in a plastic zippered bag with date, place, and where the tick was found (ie. back of head) for possible future reference.  I was always told to keep it in the freezer.  Personally, I was told my bite was a spider bite after returning from a camping trip and nothing else was done.  It was a couple of weeks after that I started having symptoms.  Unfortunately, I knew absolutely nothing about ticks.  Now I would insist on antibiotics or herbals of microbial strength for at least 30 days to ensure there was no transmission of bacteria into my body or my loved ones!  Remember you must be in charge of your own health and your life!  You will probably read somewhere that Lyme Disease is hard to get and easy to treat.  That is so far from the truth!  I have personally spent close to $100,000 to get to this point in my life that I can actually try to help others now.  

I will be back to expand on some of these....but it is dinner time ;)

This will be about my journey and what I have learned since 2005. I will create posts on different topics:

1) First and foremost, how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe from a tick bite.

2) What to do if you find a tick attached.

3) My journey with Lyme Disease and other tick borne infections and how my daughter saved my life.

4) Medical help and how to empower yourself.

5) The disconnect between what the research is showing and what some governments are or are not doing.

6) Links to research, documentaries, Lyme groups, etc.

7) My Healing Waters

8) What you can do to help!

I will post when I can and my hope is that you or your loved ones will never have to take this journey.