Tick Bite Treatment in Michigan
Hi, thank you for coming back for the latest edition of Beyond Primary Care’s blog- Tick Bite Treatment in Michigan. In Beyond Primary Care blogs we highlight healthcare news, advice for medical conditions, and how membership for care works! Beyond Primary Care is an insurance free, membership based family medicine clinic. Beyond Primary Care is the highest rated Direct Primary Care clinic serving patients in Ann Arbor and throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, and Wayne counties giving families and employers peace of mind about healthcare costs by providing affordable and accessible primary care services.
The primary purpose of the blog is to introduce healthy lifestyle concepts and answer common questions I receive from patients that I believe are important. I want to start discussions that will help educate, benefit, and improve your well-being.
In this blog post, I wanted to educate my patients and any prospective patients about: Tick Bite Treatment in Michigan
Ticks on the Rise
Spring has sprung. Unfortunately ticks are jumping too- onto us. Every year we seem to feel this year is worse. While we love visitors in Michigan, unexpected tick tourists who are often here to stay are not as welcome.
Ticks prefer to reside in shady, moist areas in wooded and grassy locations. Be vigilant in warmer months (April- September). In Michigan, the five most common ticks include:
American Dog Tick (76%)
Blacklegged Tick (15%)
Lone Star Tick (5%)
Woodchuck Tick (3%)
Brown Dog Tick (1%)
Some great pictures and discussion of tick diseases can be researched more in detail courtesy of ticktalk.org.
Tick Bite Complications
Ticks can carry a host of tick-borne diseases, as this unfortunate man in Oregon found out last month. Diseases such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Bourbon virus, Colorado tick fever, Powassan disease, ehrlichiosis, tularemia, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever can also occur.
The most common complication from tick bites is Lyme Disease. This is an illness caused by the spirochete bacterium Borrelia Burgdorferi. In the midwestern and eastern U.S, this disease is transmitted to people and animals by the bite of an infected backlogged tick. Studies of Lyme disease have shown that a tick infected with B. Burgdorferi must be attached to a host for 36-48 hours for the bacteria to be transmitted. Prompt removal of ticks is the best method to decrease the chance of infection.
Erythema Migrans
Look for an expanding red “bull’s eye” rash within 7 to 14 days. However, the majority of Lyme disease rashes are uniformly red or reddish-blue. With or without the rash, symptoms can also include fatigue, muscle and joint pain, and fever. Prolonged infection can cause arthritis, debilitating fatigue, neurologic or cardiac problems.
How to Protect Yourself from Tick Bites
Prevention techniques listed below are a great way to keep ticks off, a thorough tick check after spending time outdoors is an important way to also remain tick-free.
Prevention techniques include:
Wear long pants tucked into your socks.
Use a repellant on sin and /or clothing- usually with no more than 30% DEET.
Use products with 0.5% permethrin - which is an insect repellent- on clothing. Do NOT use this on bare skin.
Treat your pets for ticks.
Bath, look, and feel for ticks after leaving a habitat where tickets may be present (eg- a wooded area, places with high grasses)
Tumbling clothes in the dryer on high heat for 30 minutes will kill ticks.
Showering can help remove unattached ticks.
What To Do If You Find A Tick On You
If you discover a tick on yourself or a pet, follow these steps to safely and successfully remove the tick. You can also watch a youtube video here.
Don’t panic
Gently pull back any hair from around the tick to expose the skin near the bite
Remove ticks with thin-tipped tweezers, grasping them close to your skin, pulling straight upwards. Do not twist or wiggle the tick.
Save for identification by placing in a sealed container or bag for testing if you are concerned it bit you or do not know how long it was attached.
Disinfect skin with rubbing alcohol or another disinfectant.
Tick Bite Treatment
Tick-borne diseases can be treated with antibiotics, and prompt diagnosis can help prevent complications. Doxycycline- what Dr. Jeff affectionately refers to as ‘antibiotic bleach,’ is the most effective treatment of virtually all tick-borne illnesses, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and anaplasmosis. It is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for patients of all ages.
Affordable and Accessible Healthcare
Tick bites and the associated complications are urgent medical conditions that require your attention and prompt action. The modern physician’s training must be eclectic to recognize parasitic bites and symptoms and seek out affordable diagnosis and management when possible. At Beyond Primary Care, we strive to create the time and space your health deserves.
Thank you for reading.
Dr. Jeff O’Boyle with Beyond Primary Care
