The Two Best Natural Tick Repellents to Help Prevent Lyme Disease

By Julia Thompson
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Spring is here and summer has almost arrived! While it is so wonderful to enjoy the flowers and opening up the windows again, with the sunshine comes the season of deer ticks and unfortunately most have us need to think about how to prevent Lyme Disease.

​One out of every four or five deer ticks carry the dreaded disease, and many of us may even know someone who has been affected. It’s scary, especially for parents! The CDC estimates that 30,000 people are infected each year, but many other estimates are higher, with some being even ten times higher. While we don’t want anyone to avoid enjoying the outdoors, we DO wish to see you stepping outside wisely.  And so we’ve provided some methods below which will help in preventing Lyme Disease.

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Lyme Disease

We have all heard the horror stories about the disease. I was personally affected by the disease when my twin sister, Jen Thompson, almost died due to heart complications. She was hospitalized, misdiagnosed and eventually treated by a specialist on the proper dosages and length of antibiotics. After this, she spent years trying to recover her energy and strength.
 
As a homeopath, naturopath, and former nurse, it is my passion to find natural and holistic alternatives to support wellness. Keep in touch with WellSeekers to access content that will go on to explain the natural therapies and remedies Jen used to come back to her vibrant self. 
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A Natural Solution to Prevent Lyme Disease

The best solution is to prevent ticks from latching on to your body in the first place. Next, your best bet in terms of prevention is a speedy removal of the tick, since the length of latched time matters in the transmission of the disease. Check your body and hair daily, even if you haven't been outside, because pets can bring them in, or you may have missed one the day before. From a homeopathic standpoint, to prevent bug bites, take staphysagria 30ch and ledum 30ch once a week throughout the spring and summer seasons.  Some other tips are as follows:

1. Wear as many clothes as you can tolerate and pull your socks up over your pants. Use natural repellent (see below).
2. Perform tick checks and immediately remove the  tick using tweezers if one is found on the skin. As you are looking from head to toe, use a flashlight since nymphs are pinhead sized.
3. Save the tick itself in a jar and get the tick analyzed for disease, since the diagnosis for Lyme is tricky due to its complicated life cycle in your body. Analysis is sometimes done at universities, so don’t stop at the doctor for that. You can talk with your local environmental health scientists for information on where it is done in your area.

If you are like me and enjoy wearing flip-flops and shorts for a romp in the woods or playing in the grass, the latest research has suggested a combination of these safe for skin essential oils to prevent ticks embedding into your skin.

Below are two of my favorite recipes for essential oils known to repel ticks and prevent Lyme Disease and other tick-borne illnesses naturally, without the use of deet.

Recipe 1:
●      20 drops Lemon Eucalyptus Essential Oil
●      20 drops Citronella Essential Oil
●      15 drops Rose Geranium Essential Oil
●      10 drops Tea Tree Oil

Recipe 2:
●      15 drops Patchouli Essential Oil
●      15 Drops Cedarwood Atlantica Essential Oil
●      10 drops geranium bourbon essential oil
To 2 ounces of witch hazel and stir.

For both combinations, add the essential oils to 2 ounces of witch hazel and stir. Then add 2 ounces of water and shake. It helps to put it in a spray bottle, but any bottle will do!

For photos on the exact size of and how to identify deer ticks, please look here: https://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/about-lyme/tick-vectors/photos

​We hope you enjoy the sunshine this summer in a safe way & keep checking back for more great content and tools to help yo live life well in simple and accessible ways!

​Posted In: WellBody, WellFun, WellNews