What to Do if You’re Bitten by a Deer Tick

Bitten by a deer tick?

The proper way to remove a tick is to use a set of fine tweezers and grip the tick as close to the skin as is possible. Do not use a smoldering match or cigarette, nail polish, petroleum jelly (eg, Vaseline), liquid soap, or kerosene because they may irritate the tick and cause it to behave like a syringe, injecting bodily fluids into the wound.

The proper technique for tick removal includes the following:

• Use fine tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible.
• Pull backwards gently but firmly, using an even, steady pressure. Do not jerk or twist.
• Do not squeeze, crush, or puncture the body of the tick, since its bodily fluids may contain infection-causing organisms.
• After removing the tick, wash the skin and hands thoroughly with soap and water.
• If any mouth parts of the tick remain in the skin, these should be left alone; they will be expelled on their own. Attempts to remove these parts may result in significant skin trauma.

Recommendations from herbalist, Sarah Preston of Herbs from the Labyrinth, LLC

After the tick has been removed & the site washed, saturate a cotton ball with Echinacea tincture & affix it to the site on the skin with an adhesive bandage.  Leave in place for 24 hours.  This will help to sanitize the area, and also to kill any pathogens that might be there.

Take 3-5 pellets of Ledum homeopathic remedy 3 times a day for 3 days.  Ledum is used for punctures, including bites. I learned about using it for tick bites from Kate Gilday, years ago, and I think it’s an excellent suggestion.

Watch the site of the bite for any redness or rash, and be aware of any possible symptoms of Lyme disease.  Many people never have a “bulls eye rash”, so don’t rely on the presence or absence of that symptom.  Headache, especially at the base of the skull, is a common occurrence.  Watch for flu-like symptoms, aching joints, sensitivity to light, and “brain fog”.  If any of these appear, see your doctor.  A 30-day course of antibiotics has been shown to clear many cases of Lyme.

Copyright Sarah Preston, Herbs from the Labyrinth. LLC

I put this together to give as a handout at my shop and think it might be useful here on the website too. Feel free to copy it, but please keep my copyright statement at the bottom. I’ll also post a list I made of herbs that can be helpful in dealing with Lyme Disease.