Tick Season Defense: Buhner’s Protocol

Prompt treatment of tick bites is essential to mitigate potential Lyme disease effects. If you have been bitten by a tick, it is important to take immediate action to address the situation.

If you have discovered an embedded tick on your body, it is critical to remove it properly and have it tested. To do this correctly, use tweezers with a very fine point. Grasp the tick as close to the surface of your skin as possible and pull upward firmly but slowly. Place the tick in a sealed plastic bag and send it to a lab for analysis to determine what diseases it may be carrying. This method is the most effective way to understand what you are dealing with.

Improper tick removal may cause the regurgitation of pathogens. Squeezing or crushing a tick during removal risks forcing its stomach contents into your bloodstream. Ticks carry various pathogens in their saliva and gut. Injecting these into the bite site significantly increases the likelihood of contracting a tick-borne disease.

It is strongly recommended to initiate treatment promptly without waiting for lab results. A positive test is not required to begin treatments. Lyme testing is often unreliable; therefore, prioritizing immediate treatment is advised. If you have developed the distinctive bulls-eye rash (which only occurs in approximately one-third of cases), this can be considered a positive indication of infection. However, the absence of a bulls-eye rash does not necessarily indicate that there is no infection.

The steps listed for treating a tick bite should be followed regardless of the presence of symptoms. It is possible to have Lyme disease and or coinfection(s) in your bloodstream without showing any symptoms, as it may remain dormant until an opportunity arises. It is crucial to prioritize treatment first.

After removing the tick and disinfecting the affected area, Stephen Buhner, a renowned herbalist, and author of several books on Lyme Disease, recommends:

“At tick bite: Remove tick, liberally apply Andrographis tincture to bite site, cover with a moistened glob of bentonite clay, cover that with thin cotton, and leave on for twelve to twenty-four hours. (From reports, this seems to prevent active infection nearly every time.)” Taken from Healing Lyme page 216

Alternatively, you can prepare the paste using Andrographis tincture mixed with bentonite clay. Then apply paste to the bite area and allow it to fully dry before washing it off. The application can be repeated every few hours for a couple of days. The paste has a drawing effect and will absorb the toxins from the bite site and hopefully minimize the impact of the microbes if it’s done soon enough.

For better protection in endemic areas, Buhner suggests taking 1000 mg of Astragalus daily year-round, increasing to 3000 mg for the duration of tick season, and using a natural tick repellent.

Vermont is considered an endemic area for ticks, particularly the blacklegged tick (aka deer tick) which is responsible for most tick-borne diseases in the region, including Lyme disease. Ticks are prevalent in many parts of Vermont, especially in wooded and grassy areas.