To avoid Lyme disease, it’s best to just avoid the tick bite

FALLS VILLAGE — If you plan on spending time outdoors, plan on taking some precautions — because ticks are waiting.Felicia Brodzky-Jones spoke about ticks, tick-borne diseases, and what people can do about them at the David M. Hunt Library on Saturday, May 31.Brodzky-Jones, who has a degree in public health, said that since moving to Falls Village — and getting Lyme disease herself — tick-borne diseases have become a passion for her.She emphasized that she was not being paid for the talk and has no affiliation with any organization or company.The deer tick (aka the black-legged tick) that is common in the Northeast, as well as the Lone Star and dog ticks found elsewhere in the country, can carry and transmit Lyme in all phases of its life — larva, nymph and adult.An engorged tick can swell up to 20 times its original size. Brodzky-Jones showed a slide of a normal tick atop an engorged one. Think of a small spider on a light-colored gourd and you’ll have the idea.She said her cat had a tick, but she didn’t make the connection. “I thought the cat had a tumor on the side of its face.”Her husband came home from a trip, correctly diagnosed the tumor as a tick, and removed it.Brodzky-Jones said that the official line from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is that Lyme disease can only be transmitted from tick to host. “You can’t get it from sex, blood or pets.”Whether or not a pregnant woman can pass the disease to her child is in some dispute, she added.Not always a bullseyeTypically it takes between three and 30 days for symptoms to start. The classic red expanding mark, or “bullseye,” is not universal, Brodsky-Jones said.Other symptoms include: fatigue, chills, fever, headache and muscle and joint ache.She said when she experienced these symptoms she thought she was coming down with flu. But when Brodzky-Jones mentioned her symptoms to Town Clerk Mary Palmer, Palmer took action.“She flipped up my dress and there it was, on my thigh.”Lyme disease can also cause a loss of muscle tone in the face, similar to a stroke or Bell’s palsy.The CDC, she said, maintains that such facial muscle problems are the extent of neurological damage.But other researchers believe that Lyme disease can cause memory loss or bring on the onset of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s diseases. These researchers “suggest there is a host of neurological problems” associated with tick-borne diseases, and the Lyme bacteria might act as a “protagonist” for other illnesses.“That’s a theory,” she said.The litany of woes continued. Brodzky-Jones said that Lyme patients sometimes suffer from arthritic problems — particularly pain and swelling in the large joints, such as the knees.She said that last year, four people under the age of 30 died of a heart attack — and had the Lyme spirochete.Brodzky-Jones said she suspects tick-borne diseases are under-reported. She said her doctor told her, “If I reported every case to the CDC, I’d have to hire another person.”Testing: Good, better, bestThere are four testing regimens for tick-borne disease. The most conmmon is the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA ). Brodzky-Jones said ELISA “is inexpensive and highly inaccurate.” Both her ELISA tests were negative, and she went on to try the second most common test, the Western blot, which, she said, is more expensive and more accurate, but only tests for Lyme.She said there are at least three or four strains of Lyme, so there is some question as to how the strains will respond to testing.The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests bacterial DNA. Brodzky-Jones said this test is used for patients with severe neurological or joint problems.And finally, a patient can have a complete blood workup with an independent laboratory. This is the most comprehensive test, the most expensive (between $600 and $900) and is usually not covered by insurance.Treatment for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases usually consists of oral antibiotics. (People with severe cases may receive intravenous antibiotics.)The usual drug is doxycycline, a broad-spectrum antibiotic.“It will probably get it,” said Brodzky-Jones.Rest and boosting the immune system with healthy food and vitamins will also help, she added.And avoid alcohol during the antibiotic treatment.Although the CDC hasn’t acknowledged it, there is something referred to as Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome, she said. Ten to 20 percent of patients report long-term problems after treatment for Lyme, she said.She said she hadn’t lived in Falls Village long before she met people who reported long-term effects — arthritis, fatigue, cognitive defects or sleep disturbances.Avoiding the biteAfter all that, it seems simplest not to get bit in the first place. Brodzky-Jones advised taking these steps:• Reduce exposure by wearing clothing that covers most of the body, and/or wearing insect-repellant clothing.• Regular tick checks. “We do tick checks in the mudroom.”• Shower after being outside, with plenty of soap. Ticks don’t like soap, apparently, and a thorough lather and rinse can stop the problem before it starts. • Pesticides and insect repellants can be effetcive.• Check your pets for ticks on a regular basis.• Avoid taller grasses, and set up a rock barrier between your lawn and the woods.On a positive note, she said, in response to a question from the audience, that not all deer ticks carry Lyme disease.