Full disclosure, I'm an avid fan of TRHOBH!!! What is TRHOBH you ask!? No, it's not a new exercise move, it's none other than The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, duh! It's the perfect DVR selection for those mindless moments on the treadmill, and those intense dramatic scenes have gotten me thru plenty a tough HIIT session! It's all fun and games til someone gets accused of breaking their sobriety and then the "B" word starts flying around the room faster than a hair extension hand flip followed by an eye roll (now do you understand why it helps the workout go faster!?... there are many nefarious problems to workout during my workout). In all seriousness, thru watching this show I was exposed to something I was not really familiar with until now (no, not botox and filler you silly goose), it's Lyme Disease. Yolanda Foster, one of the stars on the show, contracted Lyme Disease last season and has struggled mightily. She has been very open about her disease and has done a lot of good for public awareness. I applaud her efforts and bravery in sharing her journey. I have two major hikes coming up this year, I'm climbing Pikes Peak in Colorado in August and the Inca Trail in October. I am looking forward to both with great enthusiasm, but have to admit that Lyme Disease was a factor that crossed my mind as never before. So when I had the chance to receive a Insect Shield shirt and Bandana from www.insectshield.com I jumped at the chance. Surely I will feel much more relaxed on my excursions knowing I am protected as well as familiarizing myself with the 10 prevention tips as listed in this article.
May is Lyme Disease Awareness month and a good time to share information about staying protected from ticks in the coming spring/summer months.Lyme disease has now become one of the fastest growing epidemics to date. The CDC estimates the number of cases in the US to be about 300,000 cases a year.Here are a few good things to know in order to stay protected.~
TOP TEN FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TICKS
10. Ticks crawl up Ticks don't jump, fly, or drop from trees onto your head and back. If you find one attached there, it most likely latched onto your foot or leg and crawled up over your entire body.
9. All ticks (including deer ticks) come in small, medium and large sizes
8. Ticks can be active even in the winter That's right! Deer Ticks in particular are not killed by freezing temperatures, and will be active any winter day that the ground is not snow-covered or frozen.
7. Ticks carry disease-causing microbes Tick-transmitted infections are more common these days than in past decades. With explosive increases in deer populations, extending even into semi-urban areas in the eastern and western U.S., the trend is for increasing abundance and geographic spread of deer ticks and Lone Star ticks; and scientists are finding an ever-increasing list of disease-causing microbes transmitted by these ticks: Lyme disease bacteria, Babesia protozoa, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and other rickettsia, even encephalitis-causing viruses, and possibly Bartonella bacteria. Back in the day, tick bites were more of an annoyance but now a bite is much more likely to make you sick.
6. Only deer ticks transmit Lyme disease bacteria. The only way to get Lyme disease is by being bitten by a deer tick or one of its "cousins" found around the world.
5. For most tick-borne diseases, you have at least 24 hours to find and remove a feeding tick before it transmits an infection Even a quick daily tick check at bath or shower time can be helpful in finding and removing attached ticks before they can transmit an infection. Lyme disease bacteria take at least 24 hours to invade the tick's saliva.
4. Deer tick nymphs look like a poppy seed on your skin And with about 1 out of 4 nymphal deer ticks carrying the Lyme disease spirochete and other nasty germs in the northeastern, mid-Atlantic, and upper mid-western U.S., it's important to know what you're really looking for. They're easy to miss, their bites are generally painless, and they have a habit of climbing up (under clothing) and biting in hard-to-see places.
3. The easiest and safest way to remove a tick is with a pointy tweezer Using really pointy tweezers, it's possible to grab even the poppy-seed sized nymphs right down next to the skin. The next step is to simply pull the tick out like a splinter.
2. Clothing with built-in tick repellent is best for preventing tick bites An easy way to avoid tick bites and disease is to wear clothing (shoes, socks, shorts or pants, and shirt) with Insect Shield® tick repellent built-in. http://www.insectshield.com/
1. Tick bites and tick-borne diseases are completely preventable. There is really only one way you get a tick-transmitted disease and that's from a tick bite. Reducing tick abundance in your yard, wearing tick repellent clothing every day, treating pets every month and getting into a habit of doing a quick body scan are all great actions for preventing tick bites.
Insect Shield Tick Repellent Apparel Insect Shield’s EPA-registered technology converts clothing and gear into effective and convenient insect protection. The repellency is long-lasting and appropriate for use by the entire family with no restrictions for use.Products include apparel, gear and even equestrian and pet products.
Quick Facts:
• Repellency is in the clothing and gear – not on your skin
• Lasts through 70 launderings
• No restrictions for use
• Appropriate for the entire family
• No need to re-apply
• Repels mosquitoes, ticks, ants, flies, chigger and midges including those that can cause Lyme disease, malaria and other dangerous insect-borne diseases.
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