Tick Bites: Prevention and Treatment

By Rebecca Steiner, Naturopathic Medical Assistant and Certified Health Coach

Tick Bite Prevention

The best medicine is prevention. To prevent a tick bite:

• Avoid tall grassy areas

• Avoid logs and wood piles

• Avoid leaf litter

• Do regular tick checks of yourself and your pets

• Wear protective clothing

• On hikes, walk in the middle of the trail 

• Use essential oils of lemon and eucalyptus  

More Details: 

• To prevent a tick bite, especially during the warmer months, it is best to avoid tick habitats, such as grassy areas, leaf litter, logs and wood piles. 

• If you do engage in outdoor activities where you might be exposed, protect yourself by wearing light colored clothing, long sleeved shirts and pants and tucking your pant legs into your socks. 

• It may also be helpful to rub essential oils of lemon and eucalyptus into the skin as a natural tick repellent. 

• Finally, do a thorough tick check during and after your activities. Scan your whole body, check your scalp and behind your ears. 

• Don’t forget to check your pets! When you return home, take a shower and wash your hair. 

Tick Removal:

If you are bitten by a tick, there are specific steps you can take to minimize the risk of the transmission of Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections:

• Purchase pointy tweezers or a “Tick Key”

The only safe way to remove a tick is with a “Tick Key” (which can be purchased online) or with pointy-tipped tweezers. Do not use standard household tweezers with blunt edges. Purchase one of these tick removal tools to have on hand, in your home, and to carry on hikes, camping, and other outdoor activities. 

If you are bitten, remove the tick by placing your tweezers (or tick key) as close to the skin as possible and around the head of the tick. Pull firmly, slowly, steadily and directly up. Try to avoid breaking the tick. 

Never attempt to remove a tick with matches, nail polish remover, or other substances. Do not twist or squeeze the tick.  

Once you have removed the tick, disinfect the area of the bite with soap and warm water and wash your hands.  

Tick Testing:

Contrary to popular belief, a tick does not have to be attached to the skin for an extended period of time to transmit infection to a human host. Once the tick has attached, there is a risk of infection. 

• Have your tick tested through Tick Report

Place the tick in a ziplock bag along with a moist cotton ball, tissue, or green leaf. DO NOT freeze the tick. It is recommended to put the ziplock bag inside a second ziplock bag as ticks have been known to escape. 

Send your tick to the laboratory for testing.  

Go online to order your test and receive shipping instructions: https://www.tickreport.com   

You must order the “Comprehensive Package,” which tests for more of the infections ticks carry in our area.  The cost of testing the tick is $200. 

See a Doctor:

• Contact our clinic immediately for a “Tick Check” appointment

After a tick bite it is essential to be seen by a Lyme literate doctor as soon as possible, as you will need to be evaluated. Prophylactic treatment or testing will be administered, if needed. Do not wait for the results of your tick report. You do not have to have a Bull’s Eye rash to have contracted a tick-borne illness from a tick bite. By seeing a doctor you are preventing the dissemination of infection and avoiding the risk of long-term, chronic illness.