"Tick" season is upon us!

Do you know why 'ticks" like some people but not others? I know people that are "tick" magnets! While others can walk for hours in the woods and get nothing.

So . . . I'll tell you a little secret . . . do you know what attracts "ticks" to you? Carbon dioxide!

That's right . . . your breath!

We just spoke about carbon dioxide in a previous Health Tip, but let's dig a little deeper . .

First let's talk about where "ticks" live. Ticks hydrate near the soil. They need to stay hydrated or they'll dry out and die. Once they've sucked up the moister they need from the soil, they climb up on a plant and hang off the edge to wait for a human or animal to brush past them. They wave their front legs which have a structure called "Haller's" organs. The Haller's organs are described as a tiny "sensory pit" that can detect chemicals like carbon dioxide, ammonia or pheromones. It can even sense humidity and infrared light, which include body heat of the warm, blood-filled creatures that the tick wants to find.

So how do they "hunt"? Ticks have a very keen sense of smell, and are attracted to CO2 (carbon dioxide from our breath). So the more carbon dioxide you expel . . . the greater risk you have of being a "tick magnet"! And they actually can smell you coming. They can zoom in on this odor from quite a distance and wave their arms to get a whiff of you.

So If you're breathing heavily, rapidly or through the mouth . . . this expels more carbon dioxide. And using its Haller's organs, a tick can detect the carbon dioxide you exhale with each breath you take and the ammonia in your sweat. Even the most well-groomed person can't avoid detection by the Haller's organs because they can also sense changes in temperature as you approach.

Okay so how do we fix this????

Ticks hate the smell of lemon, orange, cinnamon, lavender, peppermint and rose geranium. So make a spray of any of these or a combination in almond oil and rub it on your exposed skin.

As always, feel free to set up a consult with me just click here