Skip to main content

Lyme Disease Transmission

Lyme Disease
Lyme disease (LD) is normally transmitted by ticks, usually Ixodes scapularis, the black-legged tick; but other ticks, mosquitoes, and horse flies have been known to also transmit it. If not interrupted, ticks feed for four or more days. They become engorged within a day of biting, but stay about the same size although they continue to feed for several more days.

Transmitting the Bacteria

Blood is composed of only 40% blood cells, and those are about 90% water. Thus, about 95% of what the tick removes from the host has no nutritive value for the tick. In order to prevent itself from exploding from excess water, the tick removes nutrients and proteins (albumin and hemoglobin) from the blood and vomits the liquid back into the host: repeatedly sucking fresh blood, removing the nutrients, and spitting the liquid back.

If the tick is infected, the bacteria are injected while the tick is regurgitating. This usually does not happen until the tick has become engorged with blood – about 36 hours or more after attaching, but some have contracted LD from ticks that were imbedded less than 10 hours without becoming engorged. Removing a non-swollen tick usually means the person will probably not be infected unless the tick is squeezed or caused to regurgitate before releasing its bite, but a doctor should always be informed about tick bites.

Removing Ticks

A plastic card with a v cut at one end removes ticks easily, but a fine tweezers or removal tool may also be used. The card or tool is slipped under the tick with the point of the v at its head (the part with feet sticking out) and pushed toward the tick's rear. If the tick is newly imbedded, it usually pops out. If the jaws of the tick, or even its head might break off and remain in the skin, a doctor should remove the tick to prevent infection. The area should be flushed with an astringent mouthwash or alcohol, and the tick killed in the same liquid. If a tick cannot be removed easily, a doctor should remove it.

Ticks must not be removed by trying to:
  • Heat them with a cigarette. They will vomit immediately.
  • Burn them. They will vomit and die.
  • Cover them with petroleum jelly. They only breathe a couple of times an hour and will not suffocate.
  • Squeeze them. Any bacteria they have will be regurgitated.
  • Flood them with alcohol or mouthwash. They vomit and die.

Preventing Tick Bites

Just because a tick crawls onto a person does not mean it will feed. Once on a potential host, the tick may drop off or crawl to the body and imbed, often in hair, sometimes against a barrier such as belted clothing. Standard methods of preventing tick bites are to:
  • Tuck pant legs inside socks.
  • Use insect repellent on clothing and skin.
  • Check for ticks after every session outside.
  • Wear light colored clothing.
Even the most rigorous attention to these methods does not always protect against bites. Some individuals are more prone to being bitten than others. A less "orthodox" addition to the above techniques is to:
  • Take two 500 mg garlic capsules and 1000 mg of fish oil daily.

Those who have tried it, find the combination even more effective in reducing the number of bites. People who were once "tick magnets" almost immediately find very few ticks on them once adding these oils to their diets. Thus, the combination of garlic and fish oil is highly recommented to repel ticks for people who are not allergic to them. Garlic powder is touted by several animal feed stores as an excellent way to keep pets and domestic animals free from ticks. But dosing pets with huge amounts of garlic can be fatal to them. Like all medications, moderation is the rule.

buy steroids germany

Popular posts from this blog

Avoid White Sugar and Fructose

White refined sugar is the primary cause of degenerative disease in our contemporary society. Sugar taken every day in processed foods produces a constantly over-acidic condition in your body, requiring more and more vitamins and minerals from deep in your body attempting to correct the equilibrium. After years of having this continual, over-acidic condition, as well as vitamin/ mineral depletion, it is highly improbable that some form of degenerative disease will not present itself. During the process of permanent sugar consumption , especially with today’s processed foods, excess sugar is stored in the liver in the form of glucose until the complete capacity of the liver to do so is reached. During this process, the liver becomes rather enlarged, and excess glucose is returned to the blood in the form of fatty acids , which are stored in the dormant muscular areas of the body. This is everywhere that people gain weight (stomach, buttocks, breasts, thighs, etc). When t...

Brush Your Teeth to Beat Heart Disease

It is a fact that keeping up with your day by day dental hygiene helps you avoid heart attacks. The links between gum disease and heart problems have been getting a brush up recently, and now it’s been proved. Cleaning your teeth twice a day reduces your risk by 70%. Poor oral hygiene increases bacteria that causes soreness in the body responsible for pump disease . So avoid heart problems and develop a Hollywood grin with just two brushes a day and you will have a pretty and healthy smile.

Treadmill Workout

Here is an example of 30-minute treadmill session for a full-body workout The heavy walk - Drop the treadmill to a slow speed. Walk for 60 seconds with a kettlebell or another weight overhead. Aim for 3 reps, with a minute’s jog between each. The arm-y run - Perform intervals of runs and dips. Set the treadmill to interval mode for 15 minutes. During the low intensity phases, grab the treadmill handles and do 5 dips then go back to the run. The power stride - Grab two dumbbells and set the treadmill to a power-walk with varied inclines for 9 minutes and do alternating biceps curls and overhead presses.