Ticks are Ready to Spread Lyme Disease to You

I keep my grass mowed, weeds cut down as much as I can, and yet, my dogs seem to find the ticks wherever they are hiding.  That's because the dirty little blood suckers are transported from place to place on other animals, where they lay their eggs.  Then the eggs hatch and the ticks are successfully spread practically everywhere.  Sure, my dogs have an insecticide treatment every month, but we humans don't and therein lies the problem.  We humans have to be concerned about Lyme disease.

Deer ticks are the ones thought to be responsible for the transmission of Lyme disease, which affects the skin and then the joints, nervous system and maybe other organ systems, as well.  It is a multiple system inflammatory disease caused by bacteria transmitted from the tick into your bloodstream.  Doesn't sound like much fun, does it?

If a tick bites you, remove it as soon as you can.  You can remove the tick with a pair of tweezers, but be sure to use the tweezers on the head of the tick, not its body.  You also need to be sure you remove all of the tick from your skin within 48 hours.  If you have contracted Lyme disease, you'll likely notice a "bulls-eye" red mark around the bite.  However, not everyone reacts in this way, so pay attention to other signals from your body.  The symptoms you should be aware of include joint pains, chills, fever, fatigue, severe headaches, swollen joints and possibly, mental impairment.

Lyme disease is usually treated with antibiotics, especially when caught at an early stage.  In later stages, a physician can still treat the disease, but it may take other strategies and medicines to ease symptoms.  Treatment may take much longer, too.