What Lyme Disease Is and What to do If You Find a Tick

Lyme disease gave everyone a scare a few years back - do you remember? People still cringe a little more than before when looking at a tick... who can blame them?

Lyme disease can be a tricky foe - because it has no one set of symptoms, it can go unnoticed for far too long. With quick treatment, those who contract Lyme disease can go on just fine. However, if left untreated, Lyme disease can have disastrous ends.

In the US, the deer tick is the most common carrier of Lyme disease, although the Lone Star tick has been identified as a possible carrier.

You probably have nothing to worry about if a tick simply jumps on your arm or leg, though; the longer the tick is on you, the higher chances you have of contracting Lyme disease, and most figure the minimum a tick has to be on you is 24 hours.

Because a tick is in it's nymphal stage when it carries Lyme disease, many times a person can't notice it's bite; and if there is no rash to accompany the disease symptoms, it can go untreated.

Lyme disease can also be transmitted from an infected mother to fetus - this can sometimes result in still birth. The risk can be minimized greatly by the use of antibiotics that are safe for both mother and child.

How To Prevent Lyme Disease

The only true-blue way of preventing Lyme disease is to avoid the areas where ticks are most commonly found - stay away areas that are very grassy, or too woody.

If you're out romping in the woods, though, it's a good idea to strip and do a good once-over yourself in a full length mirror. Be sure to check ankles, under your arms, and really take care to check your hair.

While a very small percentage of people bitten by an infected tick actually contract Lyme disease, it's still very good practice to be wary!

Removing a Tick

A lot of people toss around 'ideas' to remove a tick; like that you need to burn it with a cigarette, so the tick removes it's head from you, or that you need to grasp the body and 'unscrew' the head from your skin.

You shouldn't listen to anything like this; if you attempt to 'unscrew' the head, it's likely the tick will throw it's insides into you, and that means you're more likely to contract any virus the tick might be carrying.

Instead, nab a pair of tweezers and grasp the tick by it's head. Don't dally - just yank the sucker out. Don't touch it, or let it crawl around. You can flush it down the toilet afterwards - if you toss it in the garbage, you risk it still being alive.

If the head isn't removed, call your doctor right away, as a local infection can result.

Make sure to always be careful when tromping through the grass and woods, and remove a tick as soon as you find one; Lyme disease is very serious, and can effect anyone.