I’ve mentioned Lyme disease to you before, but a recent study compelled me to mention it again. The study said that the people who are most likely to practice good prevention precautions against Lyme disease are people who have already suffered from it, or who know someone who has.
So let me tell you a story about my friend Dave — a big, strapping guy, maybe 6’4″ and 210 pounds, solid build, very active and in good shape. I see him once a week at church, like clockwork. One summer, I noticed that he started walking with a limp and was a little hunched over. He seemed tired all the time. It was as if he was aging right before my eyes. Finally, he stopped coming to church for about two months, and I knew something must be wrong.
As you’ve probably guessed by now, he had Lyme disease that went undetected for about six to eight months. By the time he was finally diagnosed, he was so ill he considered taking a leave of absence from his job. It took about a year after treatment before he could honestly say that he felt like himself again.
Now, Dave and everyone who knows him are hyper-aware of how a simple tick bite can wreak havoc on your health. And now that you “know” him too (or at least his story), I hope it will motivate you to protect yourself when you go out during the height of deer tick season — which is now, I might add.
Wearing protective clothing is your first defense — long sleeves and pants tucked into your socks. In the dead of summer, though, this can be a tough one to follow.
The next best thing is to sport a scent that the ticks and other bugs don’t like. We discussed garlic at the beginning of the season. There are also a number of oils that smell wonderful to us, but apparently smell horrid to many insects. They are lavender oil, citronella, cedar oil, rose geranium oil, American pennyroyal oil (also called tickweed), eucalyptus oil, and tea tree oil. For a good home brew, you need to start with the essential oils of any of these, and then mix 10-20 drops with a carrier oil, such as jojoba or safflower. You have to apply the mixture fairly often, but it should offer good results.
There are also insect repellants on the market with all-natural ingredients, drawing mostly from the list above. They come in handy spray bottles that can fit into your pocket while you’re out.
By all means, enjoy the outdoors, but be mindful. Cover up when you can. Take your garlic pills (and chew your parsley to keep the odor at bay). Concoct your own essential oil repellant, or purchase some with natural ingredients. And do body checks for ticks as soon as you come in the house after a walk or hike.
Just don’t put off getting diligent about Lyme disease until you or someone you know has a personal experience with it. It’s not worth the wait.
An end to the SSKI hunting expedition
Q: Where can I find the SSKI Iodine that you recently recommended? I have tried all of my neighborhood pharmacies, and they look at me like I’m crazy when I ask for it. They ask me if it’s the same as Potassium Iodide that you would take in the case of radiation exposure is it?
JVW: In these days of terrorist threats, it makes sense that potassium iodide (KI) is on people’s minds. Governments and individuals can stockpile KI pills in case of radiation poisoning as it protects the thyroid if taken in time.
SSKI, however, stands for saturated solution of potassium iodide, and it comes in a liquid tincture rather than the pill form of KI. It also has a myriad of medicinal uses, most of which I discussed in depth in the November 2002 edition of Nutrition & Healing, which subscribers can look up for free by visiting www.nutritionandhealing.com.
Although you shouldn’t need a prescription to get it, you will need to contact a compounding pharmacist. The International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists website (www.iacprx.org) has a convenient database where you can search for the one closest to you.
I highly recommend that you work closely with a natural medicine physician to be sure that you are taking the right dosage for the right reasons. There are also some precautions to keep in mind when using SSKI:
1) Staining: Anyone who remembers their grandmother putting iodine on your cuts as a kid might also recall that iodine stains both clothes and skin.
2) Allergy: Iodine allergy is possible, although it usually only results in a red, bumpy skin rash. Sometimes people confuse shellfish allergies with an iodine allergy, but having one does not necessarily mean you will have the other.
3) Thyroid suppression: This is the biggest risk, and while it is still a small one, close attention should be paid to this if you will be using SSKI over any length of time. For example, SSKI is helpful for treating COPD and cholesterol-related atherosclerosis. But if this is the use you intend, be sure to have your thyroid function monitored by a physician. Don’t panic, though: Any interference that may occur with your thyroid function would clear up as soon
as the SSKI is discontinued.
What is Peyronie’s disease?
Although you probably won’t hear a bunch of guys discussing this one in the locker room, Peyronie’s disease is a disconcerting problem for many men. It occurs when the tissue along the shaft of the penis thickens. Erections become curved and painful, and, in some cases, sex becomes impossible. While mainstream medicine often resorts to surgery to treat this problem, SSKI can work wonders to relieve it naturally and non-invasively.
Yours in good health,
Amanda Ross
Managing Editor
Nutrition & Healing
Sources:
McKenna D, Faustini Y, et al. “Factors influencing the utilization of Lyme disease-prevention behaviors in a high-risk population.” J Am Acad Nurse Pract 2004; 16(1): 24-30
Herrington JE. “Risk perceptions regarding ticks and Lyme disease: a national survey.” Am J Prev Med. 2004; 26(2): 135-140.
Peden-Adam MM, Eudaly J, et al. “Evaluation of immunotoxicity induced by single or concurrent exposure to N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET), pyridostigmine bromide (PYR), and JP-8 jet fuel.” Toxicol Ind Health 2001; 17(5-10): 192-209
“Tick Repellant,” Care2.com (www.care2.com), accessed 8/4/04
