We frequently get asked about natural methods for keeping ticks off of people and animals and also about how to prevent contracting Lyme disease when there is a tick bite. This article will give you some tips on those topics.
Keeping ticks off. Your best bet is a clothing barrier and throwing clothes in the wash when you come in from outside. Include a hat too. The deer tick nymphs are the size of a poppy seed and are carried on the wind. No tick repellent will keep them off of you once they are airborne; they just land where they land. Yes, the nymphs can also carry tick-borne infections.
Spray Repellent: For adult ticks, again, clothing is your best prevention, but unless you want to wear a wetsuit all summer, you might need some additional help. You can make your own essential oil spray. Use witch hazel as a base and include several drops of cedarwood, lemongrass, rosemary, peppermint, thyme, clove and geranium – or ANY combination of those. Use a glass spray bottle because essential oils degrade plastic pretty quickly. You may need to reapply somewhat frequently as essential oils are volatile and tend to evaporate.
Stinky: There is some evidence to support the use of garlic for tick (and flea/fly) prevention. Of course, eating lots of garlic or taking garlic pills may keep more than just the bugs away! This seems to work for pets and horses too.
Removal: If you do find a tick attached, you want to safely remove it. I have had good results with putting one drop of peppermint essential oil on the tick and having it back out on its own. There are also some tick removing gadgets on the market, but you’d have to have that handy. This cotton swab technique is pretty impressive. Be sure to disinfect the bite afterwards with tea tree oil.
Tick Bite Trio: We have had success in our office with having people take three remedies in combination as soon as they find a tick attached (or a bullseye rash – which occurs less than 40% of the time). We like Berberine, Bacteria-Chord (or Bacteria-Tox or LymeStat), and Lymph Tone One in frequent doses for the days following the tick bite.
Preventative: It may be helpful to simply take a dose of Berberine and a dose of Bacteria-Chord (or Bacteria-Tox or LymeStat) every day during tick season. Children over one year old can be dosed at one drop per 5 lbs. of body weight. Pets may be dosed in their water.
Getting Support: We see several clients with Lyme disease every week. While it is rewarding to work with them, we’d prefer that no one contracted Lyme or its many coinfections. If you suspect (or know) that you have Lyme, please check out our Holistic Strategies for Lyme Disease page.
Purchases: We carry (or can order) all of the products in this article. Please let us know if you need anything.
The information presented here is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prescribe for any disease or condition. Please consult your healthcare provider when making wellness choices.
Be aware that deer flies and other biting insects can carry lyme and the many coinfections that are often contracted with the same bite.
Indeed! There is also evidence that it is transmitted sexually and also through the placenta and possibly breast milk. It’s aggressive stuff! Thanks for your comment!
The movie, Under Our Skin…available on Amazon Prime is a MUST! It now has a sequel. It explains everything about Lyme.
I love the flavor of garlic in my food, but since being swarmed by lone star ticks (we moved to Arkansas from Florida – never had a tick on me there), I have developed almost a craving for it.
After exhibiting mild hives following eating any beef, a few years after the first wave of bites, the reaction was approaching anaphylaxis, which led to the ultimate discovery of the cause. And it’s not just beef, it’s any mammal meat.
During the winter it subsides. Finally was tested for alpha-gal IGE and found to have a red meat allergy brought on by multiple, continuing lone star ticks (our yard is infested with them, and I love my garden).
Back to garlic, I crave it. I put it on my toast. I put it on my eggs. I put it on my veggies. And even though wearing (HA! BATHING IN) insect repellent with deet does not keep ticks off of me, I seem to be getting less bites now, although I still get large swellings and intense itching from them if I’ve been eating ANY mammal-sourced product (dairy, jello, even otc meds in gel-caps).
I know this is just anecdotal, but maybe someone can do something with the info. I am 74, White/Asian/Hawaiian, with type O blood, if that helps. Please someone figure this out for the world: How to prevent and/or control alpha-gal IGE. Friend of mine became very ill because her doctor didn’t think to warn her that beef is not the only mammal people eat. She ate venison.