It’s time to hit the beach, and California has some of the best. The sand offers a great place to soak up the sun, play games, and hang out with family and friends. It’s the other areas around the beach that are causing problems this year. In the areas filled with grass, shrubs, and brush, there is a new worry, ticks that carry bacterial infections. Specifically, ticks that give you Lyme disease.
You read that right. Ticks are turning up on California beaches.
Ticks on the West Coast
You may have thought Lyme disease is an East Coast problem. While it is a more significant issue in the New England area, ticks and Lyme disease are now a nationwide problem. Every state has reported cases.
There are many reasons why Lyme disease has moved into California. One is that people from other states travel to California to visit family, amusement parks, and, yes, beaches. Travelers carry deer ticks that carry Lyme disease with them, unknowingly.
Another reason is climate change and the continual development of land. The more we cut down forests to build homes and office buildings, forest animals must find a new home. Deer, for example, carry ticks that carry Lyme disease. As we develop land, deer are being seen more often roaming residential neighborhoods. Thus, bringing Lyme disease into your personal environment.
There are things you need to know about the black-legged deer tick that is spreading the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria that causes Lyme disease in California. First, the symptoms caused by Lyme disease.
Lyme Disease Symptoms
Recognizing Lyme disease symptoms as soon as possible is key to getting early treatment. Many people will notice a circular red rash, which can be small or large. The rash is called erythema migrans and can appear anywhere on the body, including private areas that aren’t always checked but should be. Other initial symptoms include fever, chills, sweats, headaches, sore throat, stiff neck, aches and pains in joints, and swollen lymph nodes.
After a week or two of untreated Lyme disease, you may start to see additional symptoms on top of the ones you are already experiencing. Fatigue, depression, anxiety, facial palsy, irregular heartbeat, nerve pain, and an increase in severity of arthritis.
Seeking Treatment for Lyme Disease
Getting a diagnosis of Lyme disease can be difficult at first. In a time when an early diagnosis could benefit you the most, it is often misdiagnosed by non-Lyme literate doctors. The reason is that Lyme disease symptoms mimic those of many other disorders and diseases.
Another reason is that the tests used to diagnose Lyme disease are only 59% sensitive to Lyme disease. The same tests will miss eight of the nine California species of Borrelia.
To date, Lyme-infected ticks have been documented in 42 of the 58 California counties. With statistics like this, you must seek treatment from the right specialists, which may not be in California. Many find working with Lyme literate specialists in Mexico has given them the most thorough evaluation, treatment, and freedom from Lyme disease.
Lyme-literate specialists offer new, advanced therapies to eliminate Lyme bacteria from your body.
Advanced Lyme Treatments
There are numerous advanced Lyme disease treatments offered by Lyme specialists that are not provided by general practitioners, including new therapies using antibiotics to the equipment used to perform the treatments. Some physicians aren’t aware of modern therapies.
If you have Lyme disease, you deserve access to all advanced treatments to alleviate the painful symptoms associated with the disorder. Modern treatments include therapeutic apheresis, which replaces unhealthy blood and plasma with donated, healthy blood.
Other treatments include hyperthermia, which uses fever to help your body rid itself of the Lyme infection. Or biofilm eradication, which attacks the protective film that surrounds Lyme bacteria. In addition, detox protocols, immunotherapies, and hundreds of more treatments are available.
Working with a Lyme literate doctor, you will create a treatment plan based on your symptoms and your body’s needs.
They can also teach you the many ways to prevent Lyme disease, so you don’t have to fear spending time outdoors.
Continue to Enjoy the Beaches
The fear of Lyme disease should not stop you from enjoying the beautiful California beaches. Instead, implement prevention methods before, during, and after your trip to the beach.
Before you go to the beach, spray your clothing with tick repellant. Most sprays are harmless to humans but offer excellent protection. Choose waterproof versions when going to the beach if you plan to be in the ocean. Spray all the items you wear and take with you, including towels, shoes, games, and umbrellas.
While at the beach, stay away from areas with grass, shrubs, and brush if you can. Check your arms, legs, head, and other body parts to see if you notice a tick moving around. It can sometimes take ticks 48 hours to find the right place to bite.
The best-case scenario of finding a tick on your body is finding it before it has passed on the Lyme infection.
As soon as you leave the beach, shower. This can mean rinsing off with the shower at the beach, then taking a full shower once home. While you are in the shower, check all body parts.
Finally, don’t forget to check your pets if they went with you to the beach. Ticks attach to dogs and other pets and can infect them with Lyme disease. Pets can carry ticks from the outdoors into your car and home, at which time they can move from your pet’s body onto yours. It’s very important to check your pets for ticks, bathe them after being at the beach, and apply tick repellent directly on your pet’s body.
Be aware of your surroundings, learn as much as you can about Lyme disease, and continue to enjoy the outdoor adventures of California.