This article is offered by Dr. Nicole Gansemer, ND, one of the few experts we have in central Oregon who can diagnose and treat both acute and chronic Lyme disease.

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. It is also the time of year where ticks start to wake up from their winter dormancy. Contrary to popular belief, Lyme disease does exist in Oregon, and I have successfully diagnosed and treated dozens of cases of both acute and chronic Lyme in people living all over the state. So, as we all start to hang up our ski boots and slip into our hiking boots, I wanted to share some tips for preventing and managing tick bites as well as some common myths about Lyme disease.

Tick Bite Prevention Tips:

  • If you are planning on consistently recreating or working in areas where tick bites may be likely, consider taking astragalus tincture or capsules daily to help to boost the immune system. The late Stephen Harrod Buhner, a well-known Lyme expert and herbalist, recommends a loading dose of 3,000mg daily for 30 days and then 1,000mg daily thereafter.1
  • Consider using tick repellents while out in the woods. Options include Permethrin-treated clothing, Picaridin, DEET, or, preferentially, non-toxic essential-oil based products like Cedarcide or Nature’s Cloak.
  • Stay on-trail and away from tall grasses and shrubs whenever possible.
  • Wear light-colored clothing that covers your arms and legs and pull your socks up over your pants.
  • Consider compression garments that cover areas that ticks like to attach such as groins, armpits, and the navel.
  • Keep dogs on a leash and on trail and check them for ticks after each outing.
  • Take off clothing outside of the house and throw in the dryer on high for 15 minutes.
  • Always have another person do a thorough tick check after your adventure.
  • If you have property: keep grasses cut short, consider placing tick tubes around your property, or consider keeping ginny fowl, chickens, or turkeys which are known to eat ticks.

What To Do If You Get a Tick Bite

  • Safely remove the tick by gently grabbing the tick with some tweezers as close to the skin as possible without crushing it. Once you have a good grasp, gently pull away from the skin being careful not to pull too hard and detached the tick’s body from the head. Gently and patiently keep pulling the tick away from the skin and wait for it to back itself out. Fellow Lyme Literate ND, Jill Crista, has a great instructional video here. You want to ensure the entire tick has been removed. If the head breaks off and gets stuck in the body, please go to your nearest urgent care immediately to have the head removed. Do not squeeze the tick, put Vaseline over it, or hold a match to it as this may increase the chance of transmitting disease.
  • Once the tick has been removed, place it into a plastic bag with a small piece of moistened paper towel and send the tick off for testing. I recommend testing through tickreport.com or tickcheck.com (no affiliation). I generally recommend the comprehensive panels if finances allow or if any symptoms develop.
  • Clean the bite with alcohol and apply a poultice of green clay and Andrographis tincture to the area of the bite extending 1-2 inches around the bite. Leave on for 30 minutes. Wash off and reapply if a rash occurs.
  • Make an appointment with a Lyme Literate Physician as soon as possible to discuss prophylactic treatment or treatment of acute infection with herbs or antibiotics. This is especially important if you develop a rash of any kind or any symptoms such as flu-like illness, joint pain, headache, or shortness of breath. Early treatment is the key to preventing the development of disseminated or chronic Lyme disease.

Common Myths About Lyme Disease

MYTH: There is no risk of Lyme disease in Oregon

Data suggests that 3-8% of ticks in Oregon carry Borrelia Burgdorferi (Lyme).2 However, ticks carry many other organisms that are known to cause disease in humans such as other Borrelia species, Babesia, Bartonella, Rickettsia, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, and viruses.

MYTH: Everyone with Lyme disease gets a bullseye rash

The CDC reports that 70-80% of patients with Lyme disease have a bullseye rash. However, a 2014 study of 3,090 Lyme patients showed that only 39.3% of participants reported having a rash when they contracted the disease.3 org reports that as little as 9% of people diagnosed with Lyme disease remember ever having a true bullseye rash.

MYTH: A single dose of doxycycline after a tick bite will prevent or treat Lyme disease

It is very important to seek care from a Lyme Literate Physician who is well trained in treating Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. It is common practice for practitioners not trained to treat Lyme disease to give a single dose of doxycycline for the prevention of Lyme disease or for the presence of a bullseye rash. This is unlikely be efficacious in preventing Lyme disease and may lead to antibiotic resistance, disseminated or chronic Lyme disease, and difficulty diagnosing Lyme disease with antibody testing in the future.4

MYTH: I’ve never had a tick bite, so I couldn’t possibly have Lyme disease

The majority of Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections are transmitted by nymph ticks. These ticks are about the size of a poppy seed and can feed and release without you knowing it. Studies show that <30% of patients diagnosed with Lyme in the US never remember getting a tick bite!5 Furthermore, it is hypothesized that Lyme disease could be transmitted by other vectors such as mosquitos, fleas, and biting flies, but data is currently lacking in this area.

MYTH: Lyme cannot be transmitted if a tick has been attached for less than 24 hours

Several animal studies have documented that, although the risk is low, it is possible for Lyme to be transmitted with tick attachment times under 24 hours.6

References

  1. Buhner Lyme protocol: Lyme herb protocol buhner healing lyme Q & A. Buhner Healing Lyme Q & A | An herbal protocol for lyme and co-infections. July 11, 2017. Accessed May 9, 2023. https://buhnerhealinglyme.com/the-protocols/?fbclid=IwAR0YMUx0UDeKolOJpf0974wj8FnL2sjgedApbysWMQz6-iGET6Z-ZdEhYbQ.
  2. Locher L. How to protect yourself from ticks. OSU Extension Service. January 26, 2023. Accessed May 9, 2023. https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/techniques/how-protect-yourself-ticks.
  3. Johnson L, Wilcox S, Mankoff J, Stricker RB. Severity of chronic lyme disease compared to other chronic conditions: A Quality of Life Survey. PeerJ. 2014;2. doi:10.7717/peerj.322
  4. Cameron DJ, Johnson LB, Maloney EL. Evidence assessments and guideline recommendations in lyme disease: The clinical management of known tick bites, erythema migrans rashes and persistent disease. Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy. 2014;12(9):1103-1135. doi:10.1586/14787210.2014.940900
  5. Hengge UR, Tannapfel A, Tyring SK, Erbel R, Arendt G, Ruzicka T. Lyme Borreliosis. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2003;3(8):489-500. doi:10.1016/s1473-3099(03)00722-9
  6. Cook M. Lyme Borreliosis: A review of data on transmission time after Tick Attachment. International Journal of General Medicine. Published online 2014:1. doi:10.2147/ijgm.s73791