Summer has arrived and it seems to have brought along an abundance of mosquitoes and ticks with it. There are tons of information out there on tick removal and how to prevent ticks and Lyme Disease using essential oils. While I do use essential oils to make my own bug spray, and for treating tick bites, please keep in mind that if the tick bite starts showing signs up Lyme Disease, you need to be treated by a medical professional.
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Prevent Ticks and Lyme Disease Using Essential oils
First off I want to say that I am not a medical professional and only speaking on what has worked for me and my family when it comes to preventing and treating tick bites.
Recently upon returning home from our visit to the Outerbanks, I noticed I wasn’t feeling very well. I was feeling very nauseous and couldn’t figure out why. After being home for a couple days I discovered a deer tick that was attached while I was in the shower. This little guy had apparently been attached for a few days, but being that it was in the nymph stage of its life, so it was still very small. That’s when I did what any sane person would do…I jumped out of the shower in a panic and yanked that little bloodsucker off me! After it was said and done, I admit that a sane person WOULD NOT do that, but seeing a deer tick put me in a panic. Now obviously because of my panic, I didn’t remove the tick correctly. However, I did follow up the removal with essential oils blends that I knew would help fight off infection.
Bug Repellent Using Essential Oils
When it comes to tick prevention, I prefer to make my own version of bug spray. I’ve used this recipe for a couple years now and seems to be pretty effective in keeping the mosquitoes and ticks away.
How common is Lyme Disease really?
As most of us already know, the media is known for making things seem worse than they really are. While we always hear that Lyme Disease is very common, that isn’t actually the case. In fact, the risk of acquiring a tick-borne infection is quite low. Keep in mind that not all ticks have been infected and the general rule of thumb for most cases is that the tick needs to be present 24-36 in order to even have a chance to spread infection.
What not to do if you discover a tick that’s attached.
1. There is no need to run to the emergency room for them to remove the tick. Yes, this really does happen, or in my case it did. No, I have never panicked that bad when finding a tick, but my mother did. She couldn’t get me to the emergency room fast enough when she discovered a tick on me as a child. Talk about expensive tick removal.
2. Secondly, you don’t need to run out of the shower screaming in a panic because you discovered a deer tick (yep, I did that). Having four kids, there’s little that bothers me. Especially after two boys, but there is just something about a parasite that gives me the hibbie jibbies.
3. Last and certainly not least, please for the love of all that is good and holy, DO NOT… let me repeat that… DO NOT try to smother the tick with essential oils. While this sounds like a wonderful idea, and I’m sure many have seen this floating around the internet. This is a terrible idea, and not the correct way to remove a tick.
Best way to remove a tick
If you do find a tick on yourself, your child or your pet, stay calm. Keep in mind that not all ticks are infected and if they are, there’s still a very low chance that you can get the infection. Here’s what to do.
1. Remove the tick as soon as you can using fine-tipped tweezers.
2. Grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
3. Pull firmly outward. Do not jerk, twists or puncture the tick.
4. Dispose of a live tick by putting it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, or flushing it down the toilet.
5. Wash your hands really.
6. Clean the bite.
Here’s where the essential oils come into play
Once you remove the tick and wash your hands, immediately apply tea tree essential oil and clove essential oil to the wound. Keep in mind that clove is considered a hot oil, so be sure to dilute it by using the 1% dilution method.
If you tend to swell and/or bruise after a tick removal, you can apply lavender neat to the spot every 5 minutes until you reach a total of 10 applications. This has proven to help me tremendously. In the past, I always end up with some swelling and bruising. Using this method after the last tick removal, I had no problems.
For several days after the tick removal, I used a roller blend 2 times a day on the spot. The roller blend consisted of:
10 drops Lavender
10 drops Tea tree
10 drops Frankincense
Top the bottle off with a carrier oil.
I also chose to also add a capsule using essential oils. I took this capsule 3 times a day for 3 days. The capsule consisted of:
4 drops Lemon
2 drops Thieves
2 drops Tea Tree
2 drops Frankincense
2 drops Oregan
Why I chose these particular oils
Clove Essential Oil is capable of treating borrelia, which is the Lyme-causing bacteria, and bartonella, which is the co-infection bacteria. These are the two that are commonly found in Lyme disease.
Oregano Essential Oils has anti-bacterial properties and can help fight off the Lyme-causing bacteria. Oregano is a hot oil, so be sure to dilute it using the 1% dilution method before using it on the skin.
Tea Tree Essential Oil, best known for its bacteria-fighting qualities, has been shown to effectively fight against many infections. With one of those being Lyme Disease. It has been known to be more effective when combined with clove essential oil.
Frankincense Essential oil is awesome when it comes to relaxing muscles and has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Not only that, but it has also been shown to help support the immune function.
Cinnamon Essential oil which is present in Thieves can help stop the spread of bacteria within two weeks of beginning to take the oil orally on a daily basis.
Within 24-36 hours after I removed the tick, my nausea went away. I am still in the window that I need to keep an eye out for the Lyme Disease though. Usually Lyme Disease symptoms will start to present themselves anywhere from 3-30 days after the tick bite.
