Ticked Off: Outsmarting Lyme Disease in 2025’s Big Tick Surge
The Ultimate Tick Defense Playbook: Prevent, Detect, Recover
Apparently, this year is a banner year for ticks, especially in the Nation’s Capitol. Unfortunately, cases of Lyme disease are up as well. (1)
Lyme disease is an acute illness caused by a spiral-shaped bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. And if it isn’t caught and treated early, this bacteria can set up shop in your body and cause lifelong chronic illness. (2)
So what do you do?
If you find a tick attached, don’t panic. (Seriously, you don’t want to get that blood pumping overtime and circulating any infectious bacterial strain.) Instead, grab the tweezers and remove the tick fully — head and all. With the tweezers, grab the tick as close to your skin as possible. Pull firmly yet gently directly out from your skin.
Once the tick is off you, check to make sure you got the head as well. You can look at the tick and check for any leftover specks where it was attached. You may need to go to a health provider to make sure the head was removed. Otherwise, the head will continue to burrow into your skin and feed, still with the potential to transmit or cause an infection.
Be sure to save the tick, best sealed in a plastic bag, in case you do experience symptoms of illness. If you keep the tick, then a health provider can run tests on it to rule out certain bacterial infections. In other words, if you have the tick and tests do not show the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi — the bacteria that causes Lyme — then you can rule that out. What a relief!
If you don’t have the tick for any reason — it detached naturally before you noticed, or you chose not to keep it — then you should treat any illness as a tick-borne illness, like Lyme Disease.
What is Lyme Disease?
Named for Lyme, Connecticut, where the first cases of Lyme disease appeared, Lyme is carried primarily by black-legged ticks, especially deer ticks. This tick-borne illness begins with flu-like symptoms, including fever, muscle aches, and stiff joints. The telltale bullseye rash appears in a majority of cases, and then — without treatment — will migrate and appear on other parts of the body. The initial symptoms may last for weeks or ebb and flow, but the bacteria will find other areas of the body to proliferate, causing more substantial problems months and years later. (2)
Please Note: It generally takes about 36 hours for an attached tick to transmit the bacteria into you. If you find an attached tick that isn’t engorged (so it’s still flat, not rounded from feeding on you), then you’ve likely caught it before the bacteria has gotten into you. Remain vigilant, watching for any signs of stiffness and illness. (3)
But the best takeaway is this: there are steps to take to help banish Lyme disease symptoms. (3)
Options for Lyme
First off, conventional Lyme disease treatment methods involve antibiotics. If the central nervous system is affected, your doctor may order an intravenous antibiotic as a Lyme disease treatment method. (4)
Furthermore, a Lyme disease treatment plan, such as improved diet, can help give your body the immune boost it needs. Other natural Lyme disease treatment methods involve giving your body the rest it needs. To learn more about Lyme disease treatment plans, read below.
Lyme disease causes a variety of early signs and symptoms. (5)
These will take place 3 to 30 days after tick bite:
Fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes
Erythema migrans (EM) rash — this is the bullseye rash or target rash
Rash begins at the site of a tick bite after a delay of 3 to 30 days (average is about 7 days)
Additionally, rash expands gradually over a period of days reaching up to 12+ inches or more (30 cm) across
Rash may feel warm to the touch but is rarely itchy or painful
Sometimes the rash clears as it enlarges, which results in a target or “bull’s-eye” appearance
The rash may appear on any area of the body
Later signs and symptoms, which could happen days to months after a deer tick bite, could include the following symptoms:
Severe headaches and neck stiffness
Additional EM rashes on other areas of the body
Arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling, particularly the knees and other large joints.
Bell’s palsy (this is a loss of muscle tone or droop on one or both sides of the face)
Intermittent pain in tendons, muscles, joints, and bones
Heart palpitations or an irregular heart beat
Dizziness or shortness of breath
Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord
Nerve pain
Shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet
Problems with short-term memory
The best way to prevent Lyme disease is to avoid areas where deer ticks live, especially wooded, bushy areas with long grass.
Read This Post for measures you can take to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease: Rediscover Summer with This Tick Prevention Guide.
Additional steps you can take to decrease your risk — tick-proof your yard: (6)
Clear brush and leaves where ticks live. Keep woodpiles in sunny areas.
Keep grass cut short — 3 inches or less — and line wooded areas with a nice swath of mulch (about 3 feet wide). Ticks avoid areas where they’re exposed to birds, so they’ll instinctively avoid short grass and mulched areas.
Sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth around the edges of wooded areas and gardens.
Since field mice can carry the bacteria that causes Lyme, try “tick tubes” to help reduce the tick population. Get some empty toilet paper rolls and glue cotton balls inside, making a small opening for a mouse to go through. Then apply a small amount of permethrin (a tick insecticide) to the cotton balls, which will brush up against the mice as they go through.
Don't assume you're immune: Remember, you can get Lyme disease more than once.
Remove a tick as soon as possible. After you've removed the entire tick, dispose of it (or save it if it was attached). Then, administer antiseptic to the bite area.
Here are 4 natural treatments for Lyme disease:
1. Improve Immune Function With The Right Foods
Boosting your immune system with the right foods can help you overcome chronic Lyme disease. Foods are the best Lyme disease treatment you can try. Some of the best foods for boosting immunity include:
High-antioxidant foods: Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. This especially includes leafy greens and other brightly colored veggies or berries. These help control free radical damage and inflammation, lower risk for nutrient deficiencies, and can protect you from complications that may arise from Lyme disease.
Probiotic-rich foods: Research published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology shows that probiotics can help reduce progression and symptoms of infectious diseases. Probiotic foods include kefir, as well as fermented vegetables like sauerkraut, kimchi and kvass. You should consume these items on a regular basis. They can help grow good bacteria in your gut. (7)
2. Supplements to Help Improve Cellular Function
After you’ve modified your diet, the next step in fighting Lyme disease is to improve your cellular function and protection. The Lyme disease bacteria can attack healthy cells. As such, consider adding the following supplements to your daily routine:
Vitamin D: Vitamin D3 naturally boosts immunity and plays a role in regulating inflammation. Take about 5,000 IU daily, especially if you’re vitamin D deficient. If you live in an area that doesn’t get a lot of sun, chances are, you are deficient in vitamin D.
CoQ10: CoQ10 can help protect your brain and nervous system from degradation. It also fights against inflammation. Furthermore, it can also lower symptoms like joint pain and aches. As such, it’s often used by patients with ongoing fatigue and autoimmune disorder symptoms, such as fibromyalgia. (7) Take 200 milligrams twice daily.
Medicinal mushrooms: Studies show that medicinal mushrooms, such as cordyceps, maitake, and reishi mushrooms, promote an adaptive immune system. This in turn helps control autoimmune reactions. You can find these mushrooms in supplement forms. (8)
B-Complex: B vitamins promote metabolic and cellular functions. Furthermore, they help fight infections as well as improve neurological health. This is especially important for those who suffer from Lyme disease, as well as those who deal with the effects of stress or fatigue in general.
Magnesium: Magnesium can help support nerve signaling, as well as reduce muscle aches. Did you know that many people are deficient in magnesium? And since stress creates a need for more of it, those with Lyme disease should ensure they are getting plenty of magnesium.
Turmeric: Turmeric by nature is anti-inflammatory. It can help reduce joint pain, treat headaches, and help repair damage to blood vessels or nerves.
Probiotics: On top of eating probiotic foods, take a probiotic supplement to help protect against Lyme.
3. Get Plenty of Rest & Manage Stress
Stress can weaken the immune system. As such, find ways to manage your stress in order to help fight against Lyme disease. (9)
For example, be sure to:
Schedule fun activities
Get plenty of rest
Meditate, join a support group, journal, or exercise
Use essential oils
Address past pain and try to forgive those who have wronged you
Try adaptogenic herbs, such as ashwagandha. It can help reduce the effects of stress, as well as balance cortisol levels.
4. Reduce Mold & Parasite Exposure
According to Lyme disease experts, environmental triggers are thought to play a major role in the development of autoimmune diseases. Parasites and exposure to mold can contribute to chronic symptoms of Lyme disease, as they can stress the immune system. (10)
These foods are a great Lyme disease treatment you should try, as they help address parasitic infections and toxicity:
Activated charcoal: This helps the body expel harmful substances
Bentonite clay: This can help rid of chemicals and heavy metals. Be sure to take it on an empty stomach.
Herbs: This includes wormwood, black walnut, oregano, garlic, Japanese knotwood, and grapefruit seed extract. (Most of these can be found in our exclusive formula: Remove Unwanted Guests.)
Zapping
Zappers are one of the most underutilized tools in the fight against Lyme disease and any parasitic infection. The pulse of a zapper disrupts the reproductive cycle of bacteria, eventually eliminating the problem because they can no longer multiply.
Begin with just 10 minutes holding the zapper on the location of the tick bite. Work slowly up to longer periods — maybe as long as 2 hours — and note any sensitivity to your skin.
Cycle on and off for at least 3 months. Two weeks on around the full moon, and one week off, or as you best tolerate it.
Could Stevia Be A Natural Solution?
Conclusion
With these strategies, you can avoid a tick bite and possible Lyme infection. But should you be infected, seek care and support your immune system, staying on top of the situation for at least a year.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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