By Dr. Elisheva Neffinger
With the warm weather, we all enjoy spending more time outdoors. But with spring and summer also comes tick season. Bloom Natural Health can help you to manage any tick encounters, with assessment, treatment, and advice for prevention.
If you have found a tick, read on for guidance about next steps.
"How to Prepare for Tick Season: a Tick Q&A with Dr. Elisheva Neffinger"
Bloom Natural Health will offer a free webinar on “How to Prepare for Tick Season: a Tick Q&A with Dr. Elisheva Neffinger” on Thursday, May 27th at 3:30pm to answer all of your tick-related questions. If you’d like, you may email your questions in advance to Dr. Neffinger.
Find more information here.
Join the Zoom webinar here. (Passcode: "ticks")
Dr. Elisheva Neffinger recently joined the practice at Bloom Natural Health. She spent three years researching tick-borne illnesses at the Laboratory of Medical Zoology at UMass Amherst as an undergraduate, before graduating with honors from the University of Bridgeport, where she earned her doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine.
You Found a Tick, Now What?
Step 1: Remove the Tick
If you see the tick crawling on your body, lift the tick away with a piece of sticky tape, an easy way to remove it without accidentally dropping it.
If the tick is attached, disinfect the area with rubbing alcohol before removal. A pair of
pointy tweezers (or a tick remover tool such as Pro Tick Remedy) should be used to
grab the tick as close to the skin as possible. Pull the tick straight out, firmly, and don’t
worry if a small piece of the tick remains. Disinfect again after removal. Save the tick in a small baggie or container for tick assessment.
Step 2: Tick Assessment
Contact our office and let us know that you have a tick that you would like to have assessed.
Dr. Neffinger will identify the species, life stage, and the approximate risk that the tick may pose to you for certain infections. This information will be invaluable in determining next steps for testing or treatment.
Step 3: Monitor Yourself for Signs of Illness
Check your whole body carefully for the characteristic bullseye rash. A rash can appear
anywhere on your body, not just where the tick bit you. Over the next two weeks keep an
eye out for any symptoms, including: rash, fever, fatigue, chills, headache, and aching joints. Let
your doctor know if you experience symptoms so that she can determine next steps.
Step 4: Prevention
Check back for our next tick-related blog post: How to Prevent Tick Bites!