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All you loyal readers know that before you go outside to hike, garden or just play, you have to protect yourself from the sun with sunscreen. But you might not be quite as vigilant when it comes to protecting yourself from another outdoor threat this season: ticks.

Protecting yourself against ticks isn’t just to avoid the “ick factor” of carrying a bug around on your skin while it sucks your blood (although that in itself is pretty awful!) – they can carry serious illnesses, like Lyme disease.

Lyme disease can be transmitted to you through the bite of an infected tick. A tick can remain attached to you for several days while they feed. And the longer they’re attached, the greater the risk they will pass the Lyme bacteria into your bloodstream; and from there the bacteria will start spreading throughout your body.

Common Lyme disease symptoms include a fever, headache, and fatigue, which may clear up without any treatment. Some people get a skin rash around the site of the tick bite – it may appear as an ordinary red area or it can look like a bull’s eye shape with a darker edge.

If a bull’s eye-shaped rash appears, it’s a strongly suggestive sign of Lyme disease. You should seek medical treatment right away. If Lyme disease is left untreated, the infection can spread to your joints, heart and nervous system.

Over time, if Lyme disease goes untreated, you can have more serious symptoms including joint pain and swelling; tingling and numbness in your hands, feet and back; a chronic lack of energy; trouble focusing; poor memory; or even weakness or paralysis of facial muscles.

You can prevent tick bites by knowing where to expect ticks – they live in moist, humid environments and typically in or near grassy or wooded areas. You can also come into contact with them outside around your home or when walking through shrubs. Avoid them altogether by walking in the center of trails and avoiding tall vegetation.

In addition, you can apply a bug and tick repellent with DEET to your clothing, shoes and socks before going outside. What you wear helps too – wear long sleeves, tuck your shirt into your pants and your pants into your socks or shoes.

And when you come inside, check your clothes for ticks and wash them. Then, check yourself and anyone else who was outside with you, including your dog, to make sure no one has any ticks on them. If you think you might have been exposed to a tick, take a shower and wash your hair.

If you do find a tick on yourself, remove it immediately using fine-tipped tweezers. It takes time for an infected tick to transmit the infection to you, and newly attached ticks can be easily removed before transmitting the disease to you.

And don’t freak out if you do find a tick attached to you. Since it takes time for a tick to transmit Lyme disease to you not all tick bites should be treated, only if Lyme disease symptoms develop. After a tick bite, be on the lookout for a rash or fever or any of the other issues we listed before. And remember, despite the sensational stories on the web, most cases of the disease can be successfully treated with a short course of antibiotics.

Go ahead, get outside, have fun, but be smart and safe. When in doubt call your health care provider for advice about Lyme and ticks.

Alfred Casale To Your Health
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_casale2.jpg.optimal.jpgAlfred Casale To Your Health

By Alfred Casale

To Your Health

Dr. Alfred Casale is chairman of surgery for the Geisinger Heart Institute, co-director of the Cardiovascular Service Line for the Geisinger Health System and Associate Chief Medical Officer for the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center. Readers may write to him via [email protected].