Why do Ticks, mosquitos, and the unencumbered sun affect longevity—

And how to minimize their effects

Why do Ticks, mosquitos, and the unencumbered sun affect longevity—

a. Each can lead to a disease or process that keeps you from staying young

b. Each is preventable and by doing so you prevent a disease that can kill you

c. Each can strike you when you are having fun and divert you from that fun

d. Each is gooey and makes the grandkids wince

Answer: below

As the summer season is kicked, you don’t want to be ticked up. Ticks can transmit Lyme and several other diseases plus Alpha gal that age you more than a pack of cigarettes a day do—and you wouldn’t smoke so it’s good to avoid the aging of ticks cause it easier to do that than quit smoking. Yes, ticks are a part of the outdoors that is not your friend.

Here are some guidelines on how to prevent ticks from aging you.:

Even though it may be too hot to feel comfortable to cover up with long sleeves and pants and not cool to tuck you pants into your socks when doing outdoor activities like hiking, camping, or gardening, that’s the first step—get cool with looking a little weird. Choose thick clothing—so mosquitoes and ticks can’t bit thru it—and lace it with a layer of 10-30% DEET and on any exposed skin I prefer DEET to Permethrin as the latter is an insecticide good for spraying on clothes, but not skin.

Plan activities with an extra 10 minutes to first (while you are still DEETed and covered) check your pets and then your clothing (all outside) and then yourself for ticks.. A lint roller works great to brush away any possibly lingering ticks from your clothes.

Deer ticks utilize deer as their hosts. Deer leave behind these pesky insects in your grass, leaves, and gardens, and son hiking trails, etc.. Thus, when it is time to hike, play or do yard work the ticks jump onto another desirable host, you. To prevent the successful Olympic tick gymnasts being awarded a 10, wearing long sleeved shirts and pants keeps their score to a below 5, pending you clear them from your clothing before you go naked. That clearing from your clothing or their death protects you.

You can further protect yourself against ticks by protecting your yard by getting rid of low branches, only having small shrubs, and when well clothed removing leaves to destroy tick habitats. Also, it would be helpful to put up a very high fence to limit the Olympic Deer from getting into your yard—that may be much more protection from aging than even hiring professional to apply animal repellants and insecticides. Lyme disease and many other Tick borne diseases cause inflammation in you that can become chronic and thus age you with an additional dose of fatigue, brain fog, arthritis and even affects the lining of the heart and lungs etc.

In the unfortunate case that you have to remove a tick, here’s how to do it to minimize risk of infection. Retrieve a pair of pointy tweezers, some real ethanol alcohol, some gloves, and a small closed bottle, like an empty pill bottle.. Move the tweezers close to your body and under the tick. Then, remove the tick without squeezing or dismembering the tick. This process leaves no remnants on your body. However, digging and prodding in the wound could cause an unwanted infection. Disinfect the tweezers before and after, and the affected region with the alcohol. Next, properly dispose of the tick into the pill bottle, the gloves in a trash can, and wash your hands to prevent the spread of any infectious material. .

Take the tick to be tested to an urgent care center or state public health office. This can aid the doctor in prescribing the correct medication. Most often the tick will not infect you with the disease it carries and thus won’t age you unless it is in contact with your skin and underlying surface for a minimum of 24 hours (https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/causes/index.html) .

Why at least 24 hours?

Some studies suggest that the time is even longer. But the research suggests that it takes time for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease to travel and multiply from the tick’s gut after blood injestion to its salivary glands (doi: 10.1093/jme/tjz191) and then find its way back into you.. This is why it is possible to check yourself after being outdoors hiking or gardening and still have time to stop the infection (and early antibiotics are key, too) . So if you do get bitten, you have some time—so gather the tweezwer, the bottle, the gloves and the alcohol, .

Another reason to avoid ticks--Alpha gal is a medical syndrome that is a tick bite caused by an allergy to meat or dairy. The lone star tick which is responsible for this syndrome can be found in the Midwest, South, and mid-Atlantic areas of the U.S. The symptoms can range from a rash, gastrointestinal issues, or life-threatening anaphylaxis (carrying an Epi-pen can save you). Many doctors may overlook this condition when the symptoms present. According to the CDC, 42% of 1,500 doctors surveyed had never heard of alpha-gal syndrome and 5% said they were not confident in their ability to treat the illness.

Ticks are not the only thing you need to avoid-- mosquitos too. Mosquitos are mostly out during evenings and at night, so staying indoor during that time can limit your risk. But if you must go outside make sure to wear long pants and shirts. If you can’t do this apply a layer of DEET based repellant. Mosquitoes now present throughout the United States and southern Canada now can carry a whole raft of diseases that disable you—so a little precaution and long sleeves can be worth a whole lot of life.

If you are curious about why DEET is an ingredient that works, it is by making it difficult for bugs and mosquitos to smell humans. TheU.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA)considers DEET to have no “risks of concern” for humans. As a general guideline you should avoid inhaling the repellant or applying it to any cuts or wounds.

Also, as the sun beams its beautiful rays, you need to protect yourself from UV rays. You can do this by applying SPF 30 or higher of micronized zinc oxide in the morning. However, sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours. Ensure that if you go swimming that you apply water resistant sunscreen while you are soaking up the waves.

There are generally two types of UV rays of concern: UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays have high wavelengths with low energy levels that make up 95% of the rays casting down on us. UVB rays have short wavelengths, but high energy levels. UVB is considered more harmful because it can damage layers of collagen and elastin. Thus, make sure you diligently apply your sunscreen to best protect yourself.

If you do get sunburnt, do not peel or itch it off. Let it remove itself naturally. If you are experiencing pain, a cold shower or bath will reduce the pain and taking ibuprofen or aspirin will help reduce the pain. If you apply sunscreen to the affected region this can help soothe and heal the burn.

Answer: A, B, and C

Thanks for reading,

Michael F, Roizen MD

Jermani Jones research associate