Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman Co-Producer: Petra Hall Technical assistance: Joel Mann & Amy Browne Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well This month: – Why is prevention the best medicine when it comes to ticks? Why is it important to keep ticks off of us, to begin with? – What is a tick borne infection?  What is Lyme disease, and other tick-borne illness? – What are the different kinds of ticks, and the diseases they may carry? Do ticks spread bacteria or viruses? – What is a co-infection? – What tick found in Maine, can cause severe to fatal illness in just 15 minutes (!) after a bite? – What is a tick check? What should you do if you find a tick attached to you? What is the safest way to remove a tick?  Where can we send ticks to be identified/tested? – What is a “bullseye rash” and how could it show up differently in men & women? Does everyone get a rash when bitten by a tick? – What type of clothing effectively reduces your chance of getting a tick bite? What is permethrin & how is it used on clothing (NOT your skin)? – What is picaridin & other repellents which ARE applied to our skin? What works/doesn’t work to repel ticks? Guest(s):  Dr. Beatrice Szantyr, Internist and Pediatrician who lectures on Lyme disease and related tick-borne disorders in Maine and nationally, to both professional and community groups. She is an active member of the Maine CDC Vector Borne Disease Work Group, and a member of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society.  Dr. Szantyr also had served on the 2022 Federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group, Access to Care and Education Subcommittee. FMI: EPA info on effective repellents www.epa.gov/insect-repellents www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/find-repellent-right-you University of Maine Tick Lab Protect Yourself from ticks & tick-borne diseases: extension.umaine.edu/ticks/ Tick testing Amherst MA. (tests for more diseases): www.tickreport.com Columbia University Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center www.columbia-lyme.org/ Lyme Disease Association Research, Education, Prevention and Patient Support    lymediseaseassociation.org/ Lyme disease.org Powered by patients. Home of Lyme Times and My Lyme Data: www.lymedisease.org/ Maine Tracking Network: Tickborne Diseases Improving public health with better information data.mainepublichealth.gov/tracking/home TickEncounter  The University of Rhode Island Tick-borne Disease prevention Education web.uri.edu/tickencounter/ This article is brief enough for a patient to bring to a doctor’s visit for them to consider: The Management of Ixodes scapularis Bites in the Upper Midwest wmjonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/110/2/78.pdf PARTICULARLY FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS (& FMI for Clients): LymeCME Free, Evidence-based, AAFP-Accredited Courses that Physicians Can Trust www.lymecme.info/ Invisible International invisible.international/ The Montecalvo Platform for Tick-borne Illness Education is a library of accredited continuing medical education (CME) courses that teach front-line clinicians about diagnosing and treating vector-borne diseases. These courses are free to all users and are accessible to both clinicians and patients online. ****************************************************** Previous HEALTHY OPTIONS PROGRAMS on ticks & Lyme can also be found at: archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2023/05/healthy-options-5-3-23-lyme-disease-tick-borne-illness-and-how-to-be-tick-conscious-to-protect-ourselves/ archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2022/10/healthy-options-10-5-22-the-ticks-are-still-here-what-you-need-to-know/ archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2022/05/healthy-options-5-4-22-yearly-update-on-ticks-lyme-and-tick-borne-illnesses/ archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2021/05/healthy-options-5-5-21-ticks-those-blood-sucking-parasites/ archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2020/06/healthy-options-6-3-20-ticks-and-tick-borne-illnesses/ About the host: Rhonda Feiman is a nationally-certified, licensed acupuncturist practicing in Belfast,