Spending time outdoors can be fun, as long as we are careful to take measures to keep us safe for ticks !

Many people are squeezing in the last bit of summer by enjoying the outdoors through walks, hiking on trails, biking, camping, outdoor sports, and picnics in parks and forests. Unfortunately, these activities – sometimes even in our own backyards – increase our risk of being exposed to ticks and the diseases they carry.

 
Ticks are a nuisance. No one wants anything on their body that drinks their blood or – worse than that – also give you a disease. Most people are familiar with Lyme disease, but not the many other equally serious diseases that ticks carry. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now lists 14 diseases that ticks in the United States can transmit and cause human disease. Some of these disease include Powassan Virus, Babeosis, Rocky Mountain Fever. The diseases that ticks carry can cause various types of long term effects that can shut down the body and even cause death.

 
My family and I were reminded several weeks ago of the health threat from ticks when my cousin went on a camping trip. My cousin returned home tick-free, but his wife found three small deer ticks embedded in his skin. So far, he is fortunate that he has not shown any symptoms of Lyme disease, but his physician has scheduled a blood test because Lyme disease is common in our area. So my cousin’s ordeal with ticks is not over yet.

 
What can you do to avoid ticks and the risk of diseases they carry for the rest of this summer? The CDC has suggestions on steps everyone can take to avoid ticks on themselves, their pets, and in their yards. Here are a few things you can do:

• Learn what ticks and tick diseases are common in the area where you live or where you are going on vacation.
• Avoid direct contact with areas where ticks are normally found, such as wooded areas with bushes and high grass, weeds, and leaf litter.
• If in areas with ticks, frequently give yourself full-body checks for ticks. If you find a tick remove it immediately and correctly
• Consider using tick repellents on clothing. You can effectively treat boots, pants, shirts, socks, and tents with products containing 0.5% permethrin.
• Spray your property very thorough every month with permethrin based sprays which eradicate ticks properly and effectively
• Keep yourself informed about ticks and diseases caused by ticks and check out our website for all types of information on tick control at http://www.alternativeearthcare.com