Tick Bite! What to do? The Universal Approach to Caring for Tick/Vector Bites.

You're going to find all kinds of information on what to do when you get bit by a tick. But you it is really important to consider all the other other ways pathogens can get transmitted. Check out the Dr. Lynch's Pathogenic Transmission blog post. People should be just as concerned about other forms of transmission than just a tick bite. Use your head. Think for yourself. Take some saliva from your mouth and look at it on a slide under a high powered microscope. Do you see bacteria? Do you see spirochetes? Would you say that it may be possible to transmit saliva from one human to another containing the bacteria in their mouths? Or would just the saliva be swapped and the bacteria remains the owners mouth? What about a dog licking your face, mouth, eyes? Can Lyme disease pathogens be transmitted from a dog to a human? I'm not saying it can, because the CDC says there is no scientific evidence saying it can, and there may not be, but think for yourself. Something we need to do more of. Do you need scientific evidence to say you can't fly if you jump off a cliff? Come on now, let's go!

Tick Removal

So back to what to do when we get bit by a tick. First off, as soon as it is found, take it off using the recommended method. Then out it in a little plastic baggy and take it to your doctor to have it tested. If the tick comes back clean, it doesn't mean that it was. It could mean that it injected the bacteria that it had in you tissue. But it will most likely come back infected. Why wouldn't it. The human body is made up of 10 trillion cells, 1 trillion of the cells are the human body alone. The rest of the 9 trillion are microbes! We're like a mountain harboring life! 

Cleaning the Bite Area

Cleaning the tick or vector bite area is a sensible thing to do when getting bit by a tick, mosquito, flea, bed bug, tarantula hawk or other potential pathogenic injecting vector. This safe universal method can prevent infection. 

The Universal Approach

Wash the bite area with soap and water, then wipe with alcohol, then apply iodine or 30ppm Trace Brand colloidal silver to the cloth part of a bandaid and stick it on there. If the bite is rather large and an erythema rash presents, consider using a larger bandage. Remove at the end of the day and do it again the following day.