YOU FOUND A TICK….. NOW WHAT?!?!

1. Pointed tweezers are the best.
2. Grip the tick as close to the head as possible at the bite area.
3. Pull upward firmly with a smooth, steady motion until the tick detaches. Squeezing or twisting the tick could increase the risk of infection. Spraying the tick with any substance could also increase your risk and make it impossible to test the tick for disease.
4. Place the tick in a sealed plastic bag. Consider sending it in for testing to see if it was infected. www.tickcheck.com or www.ticklab.org
5. Clean the bite with an antiseptic, such as alcohol, immediately after removing the tick.
6. Use the TickTracker app to identify the tick (most engorged ticks cannot be identified)

If you were bitten (the tick was attached to your skin), insist your doctor put you on antibiotics. They will likely argue as they are trained to treat symptoms, looking for the typical clinical signs of Lyme disease. Waiting for symptoms to present you miss the crucial opportunity to get the infection early. The longer you wait to start treatment, that allows microbes to disseminate deeper into the tissues, making antibiotic therapy less likely to be effective.

Studies show that within two weeks of entering the body, Lyme can enter the brain and spinal cord.

The current ‘standard protocol’ for most doctors when diagnosing Lyme and what’s wrong with it:

~History of a tick bite: Most people don’t recall a bite. And nymph ticks are rarely noticed as they’re the size of a poppy seed!

~Bull’s-eye rash: Less than 30% of those infected reported having a rash.

~Positive blood test for Lyme: IF you convince your doctor to test for Lyme, they typically use tests recommended by the CDC, which are false-negative more than half the time. Even the CDC admits that their criteria fail to diagnose 90% of Lyme cases!

Why ELISA and Western Blot (CDC tests) are not accurate:

~They measure the patient’s antibody response to the infection, not the infection itself. During the first 4-6 weeks of Lyme infection, these tests are unreliable because most people have not yet developed the antibody response that the tests measure. (Even after six weeks, testing is highly insensitive missing roughly half of those who have Lyme disease.)

~There are over 50 medical journal articles documenting active Lyme disease despite negative antibody tests.

~Also, conventional doctors will tell you ticks need to be attached 24-48 hours to cause infection. Research shows infection can happen in minutes. Tick saliva starts moving as soon as you’re bitten. not the cause.

Find a LLMD (Lyme-literate MD) who understands Lyme disease and how to treat it.

While no testing is 100% accurate, most LLMD’s find the most success with IgenX or Armin tests.

Common Early Symptoms of Lyme disease:
• Headaches
• Stiff neck
• Brain fog
• Heart palpitations
• Muscle & joint pain
• Fevers/chills/sweats
• Lymph node swelling/pain
• Sleep problems

Click here for more info on Lyme diagnosis/treatment.

There are many co-infections associated with Lyme. Click here for co-infections at a glance.

Take a deep breath. You got this!!

 

Sources: www.lymedisease.org, rawlsmd.com