Faster Than Your Couch!
Spring is arriving, and so are the ticks...
I met a friend yesterday, he is/was a great triathlete. We have run some races together, and he ran the Tussey Mountainback 50M in a relay team, where I ran the ultra.
About a year and a half ago, he had started not feeling so well, and ultimately, he had to give up his tri training, but at least, he kept running shorter distances. A year ago, he noticed all kinds of "strange" things, from insomnia, to weaknesses, seizures, headaches,..
He thought it might be Lyme Disease, but a test showed up negative, and his doc did not treat him.
Now, more than a year later, he tested positive for Lyme Disease, and his neurologist is sure he's had the disease for quite some time, perhaps years. The disease has mainly affected his brain and spine, and it will be very difficult to treat him. He'll be on antibiotics for a year or two, and he has to expect for the neurologic damage to be at least partly permanent. IF the infection can be eradicated at all.
So remember to put on that repellant, and stock up for the summer, too!
Run for fun.
Ultra Cowboy
Think about Permethrin as an alternative to DEET. We've used it for years on livestock and pets...
DEET vs Permethrin for Ticks
Pros and Cons:
WYBMADIITY
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Rocky,
Nice run down on Permethrin. I used it all last year and did not have a single tick on myself. When i mentioned that to other people who had hiked, hunted or ran in the same area, I expressed that I might have been lucky. They are people who have spent more time in the woods than I have and they pointedly told me that it was not luck, it was the Permethrin.
I plan to use it again this year.
Daydreamer-
How did you use it on your clothes? Running in the summer involves a lot more exposed skin where I would think a tick might land on a bare leg over a tank or shorts. My experience with permethrin involved long sleeved shirts & pants (trail work) and thus a lot less exposed skin. And, anecdotally, we had significantly less cases of Lyme with work groups that showered every day vs. the crews in the wilderness. I am a big fan of permethrin, but I began to suspect that washing away ticks before they became embedded and could transmit the pathogen (usually 8+ hours) was the best deterrent. But both is a very good idea.
I am not sure about the permethrin spreading to the inside of shirts, etc., when sweating through or washing the clothes - wouldn't it get in contact with the skin then?
However, I think it's a good idea to spray some permethrin on the socks and shoes, and perhaps wear knee-high socks. Permethrin is supposed to kill the ticks, so if they crawl over the treated area, they should be dead by the time they'd reach bare skin. Still, I'd apply some repellant (DEET or something else) to the skin as well.
I also think the advantages of permethrin outweigh its potential harm (there are some toxic effects of permethrin, it is not at all favored in Europe, but so is DEET). When I went on the wilderness expeditions with my dad and family as a teenager (weeks in the wilderness, lots of pesky insects), we used permethrin a lot, and I never experienced any negative effects (and I've had healthy children later, just in case this is a concern). I'd be careful with it during pregnancy, though, maybe better not use anything and stay off the woods and grasslands for that time.
Daydreamer- How did you use it on your clothes? Running in the summer involves a lot more exposed skin where I would think a tick might land on a bare leg over a tank or shorts. My experience with permethrin involved long sleeved shirts & pants (trail work) and thus a lot less exposed skin. And, anecdotally, we had significantly less cases of Lyme with work groups that showered every day vs. the crews in the wilderness. I am a big fan of permethrin, but I began to suspect that washing away ticks before they became embedded and could transmit the pathogen (usually 8+ hours) was the best deterrent. But both is a very good idea.
I would spray my clothing at least a day before usage. I tried to get them quite wet to the touch. With running clothes this would mean that they are wet completely through so if a tick were to get up inside the clothing they would come in contact with it. Heavier work clothing might require a spraying inside for full protection. I always would check myself after a run and always showered as soon as I got home. I also sprayed everything I wore with the exception of my hat or visor. I agree that a multifaceted approach is the best way. My son had found one on himself and he had not used any Deet or Permetherin, but he found it while checking himself immediately after a run before it could imbed.