Tick bites are normally not dangerous, but the Center for Disease Control and Prevention warns that tick bites have been known to cause babesiosis and Lyme’s Disease in the North East, Mid West and South Eastern parts of USA as well as ‘Rocky Mountain Fever’ in the Rocky Mountains and east coast of the country.
Here, we will discuss a few ways to treat tick bites as well as a few home remedies that can heal them faster. We will also discuss a few preventive methods for stopping and preventing ticks bites.
Tips to Prevent and treat tick bites
- If your pet has ticks, ensure removing them first with tweezers before using the home remedies for treating them. (For removing the tick, grasp it firmly using the tweezers and pulling them out as close to the skin as possible. This helps minimize the risk of leaving behind the tick’s head in the skin. Try not to touch the tick with bare hands. Wear gloves when removing the tick).
- Bathe the pet using special medicinal formulations and shampoos that repel ticks and fleas. This is the most important of all home remedies for tick bites.
- Teach children the safety rules of being around domesticated as well as wild animals.
- Wear full sleeved shirts and long trousers to ensure ticks do not bite you.
- Treat your home with insect repellents that are safe and non toxic.
- Avoid walking through long grass. If you are hiking, stick to middle of the trails. Once you are home, wash all clothing in hot water. Washer and dryer must be run on highest heat setting to kill the ticks off.
- Inspect the pet as well as your own body for ticks. Shower using medicated soap and hot water as this is the most effective ways to prevent and treat tick bites.
- Some herbal insect repellents are quite effective against ticks and fleas. Many of these are available in spray, lotion and oil form and include cedar, eucalyptus, and calendula or tea tree oils. Golden seal and tea tree oils can also be applied to affected parts of the skin to treat tick bites.
- Ticks can be repelled by consuming a diet rich in family of B vitamins. This includes Brewer’s yeast, fish, brown rice etc. Food rich in B vitamins help repel carbon dioxide, estrogen, sweat and all other bodily secretions that attract insects and parasites like ticks and fleas.
Home Remedies for tick bites
Once you are sure that you have been bitten by a tick, ensure removing it from the skin, in the first place. This will greatly minimize the risk of contracting diseases.
- The first step when using home remedies for tick bites is washing the skin with warm water and anti bacterial soap.
- Never try remedies like burning the tick or using inflammable materials like kerosene or petroleum etc to remove the tick.
- Apply some soothing calamine lotion to reduce pain and inflammation to treat tick bites.
- Another powerful home remedy to treat tick bites (in absence of creams and lotions), is to rub a cut onion on the bite site. This induces a powerful antioxidant action that helps the bite heal faster.
- Application of meat tenderizer poultice is another effective home remedy for treating tick bites. Apply some on the skin, by making a little paste with water. The enzymes in the poultice help reduce swelling and pain and also draw out the tick’s saliva. Keep the poultice on for at least 30 minutes before washing off the area.
- Apple Cider Vinegar diluted with some water can be applied to infected part of the skin to reduce skin irritation caused by tick bites on humans and pets.
These are a few home remedies to treat tick bites and also prevent them.
