By Sean Foss, ND

Being bitten by a tick is a common experience, especially if you live on Cape Cod, the Islands, and New England. Recent polling on Cape Cod indicates an average of 50% of adult deer ticks are infected with the Lyme bacteria; 15% are infected with babesia; 15% with anaplasma; and 3% with the bacteria that causes relapsing fever. Here are some tips on what to do and what not to do when you get a tick bite.

Do

1. Remove the tick with fine point tweezers.

2. Grip the tick as close as possible to the skin.

3. Pull the tick straight up with steady even pressure.

4. Disinfect the bite area and wash your hands. There are anti-microbials that can be used on the skin to help reduce transmission.

5. Call a Lyme literate doctor and get tested for Lyme Disease and Co-infections. Several types of ticks carry a host of infectious organisms including those that cause Lyme Disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis and others.

6. Save the tick in a small bottle or plastic bag. Some tests for tick-borne illnesses can be unreliable and may produce a false negative. Testing the tick may help you avoid unecessary antibiotic treatments or help you get the treatment you need sooner. UMass Amherst has resources to help you navigate getting a tick tested. Resources: Tick Testing Resources | Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment at UMass Amherst

Don’t

1. Try to pull the tick out with your fingers.

2. Use any essential oils or other products on the tick to get it to come out on it’s own.

3. Don’t use heat or flame to remove the tick

4. Leaving tick parts in the skin is not advised.