Month: June 2019

‘Tis the season for biting insects. This spring was wetter than usual, and that usually means more puddles for insects to breed in and more insects to spoil your enjoyment of the great outdoors!

Important reasons to avoid bug bites

Most insect bites are just a nuisance, but some insects can transmit diseases. Mosquitos in some parts of the world can carry Zika virus, Dengue fever or malaria. Check travel sites for information on the area you plan to visit, especially if an expectant mother: Government of Canada; USA Centers for Disease Control (see Zika Virus Travel Information section).

Lyme disease is carried by common ticks that are generally found in long grassy areas, especially those frequented by deer who carry ticks. Tick bites can be avoided by wearing long sleeved shirts and pants, tucking in shirt-tales and pulling socks up over pants. Light-coloured clothing helps you to see any ticks that have latched onto you. It is also recommended to shower 1 to 2 hours after a nature outing and to check skin carefully for ticks, especially in folds of skin and even your bellybutton where they may be hiding! Brush your pet before he comes indoors too and check carefully to be sure he hasn’t picked up a tick either. Read my previous blog, Tick Talk, for more information about avoiding and treating tick bites. Note that Lyme disease is now being detected in Canada as well as many parts of US.

How to avoid insect bites

Here’s what Dermatologists suggest to avoid insect bites:

• Use an insect repellant containing 20-30% DEET. Apply it to clothing and all exposed skin. Reapply as directed on label.

• If also using sunscreen, apply it first and let it dry before applying insect repellant. Do not use combination sunscreen/insect repellant: sunscreen should be applied liberally and often and this could result in application of too much insect repellant.

• As mentioned above, wear long sleeves and pants, and tuck shirt-tails into pants and pant bottoms into socks, especially if walking in long grass where insects like to hang out. Insects tend to be attracted to darker colours, so wearing light coloured clothing may help.

• Have bed nets available to protect you while you sleep. A net can also keep that one elusive mosquito you can’t catch away from you, so it won’t keep you up all night! If the net isn’t long enough to reach the floor, tuck it under the mattress to make sure there are no gaps.

Treating bites

If all the above fails (and it’s quite likely it will on some occasion), here’s what you can do:

• If it’s a painful bite (like a bee or wasp), take Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) as directed on the label.

• Apply an ice pack for 10 minutes. This can help for painful or itchy bites.

• Apply Calamine lotion or Hydrocortisone Cream, available at pharmacies.

• If you have a lot of bites, try a quick-acting antihistamine, like Reactine or Benadryl. Be sure to follow the directions on the label. Note that Benadryl causes drowsiness.

• If you develop a rash, fever or body aches, see your doctor. Tell him/her about the insect bite you received. If bitten by a tick, remove it carefully with tweezers and store it in a ziplock bag or in a fold of clear tape for a couple of weeks. If you feel unwell within a week or two, your doctor may want to test the tick for Lyme disease bacteria.

My other bit of advice is that insects generally don’t like wind, so pick a windy area to relax in or create your own wind with a strong fan. Planting some citronella, marigolds or rosemary plants around your deck can help too, as insects don’t like their smell (even though we do!). Or you can just throw a few sprigs of rosemary on the BBQ coals or bonfire.

And, if you’re a do-it-yourselfer, here are a couple of recipes you can try:

Yard Spray

1/3 large bottle of blue mouthwash

1 cup Epsom salts (available at pharmacies as “bath salts”)

1 x 12-oz beer (non-alcoholic should work fine too)

Spray in yard, but not on plants or grass (the salt could harm them).

It can last up to 80 days.

Skin Spray (non-sticky, non-oily)

Put a handful of fresh basil leaves in a glass measuring cup.

Add ½ c water and ½ cup vodka or rubbing alcohol.

Heat to boiling in microwave (about 1 minute).

Let sit, covered, for 2 to 4 hours.

Remove basil, squeezing to remove liquid.

Pour into small spray bottle (often available in cosmetic departments or craft stores).

Spray on skin as necessary.

So, there you go… by special request, from a friend and reader who was asking for help with itchy bug bites! Please note: I haven’t tried these recipes yet, but they were highly rated by their sources and sound so interesting! I’m one of those lucky folks who live in a naturally windy place so have little problem with mosquitos… But please let me know if you try these and how well they work for you!

References:

American Academy of Dermatology Association

Accidentally Green

Jeannie’s blog: Tick Talk

Massaging a sore area is an instinct, a reflex for humans. If we bump an arm or leg, without thinking most of us instantly rub the area.

How does it help?

Scientists say this rubbing helps because we have a type of “gate” for pain… only so many signals can pass into the brain at a time. They call this the “gate control theory”. It’s the principle behind massage and heat/cold therapy. Introducing another sensation, like temperature or pressure, can mean that fewer pain signals reach the brain. Pressure, heat and cold signals travel faster than pain ones so these sensations can dominate, at least for a while, to lessen the number of pain signals that reach the brain.

Another theory of how massage might work for pain, involves the Vagus nerve that communicates between the brain, the spine and organs. It partly controls the calming “parasympathetic” part of the nervous system that counters the “fight or flight” system. They speculate that turning on the calming part of the nervous system through massage, also helps to relieve pain and stress.

And here’s the science…

A 2017 study found that 10 massage sessions spread over 12 weeks resulted in clinically significant reductions in pain scores in people with chronic low back pain. This suggests that the pain blocking effect of a full massage session can last for several days.

Another study, done in 2010, found that a single 45-minute massage significantly reduced a hormone that raises blood pressure and boosted the immune system. Other research funded by the US National Institutes of Health showed massage not only reduced back and leg pain, but also decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Another author suggested that, in addition to the effects of pressure on the skin, just the contact with another human being can be comforting to people, especially those who live alone. Other alternative therapies, like therapeutic touch (where the therapist doesn’t actually touch the patient but passes the hands close over the body) and Reiki (where the hands are laid on parts of the body but do not massage) also show benefits. One could speculate that these work by the closeness and attention triggering the “placebo effect”.

The placebo effect, often triggered by taking a sugar pill with no active ingredients, is not well understood but it’s so significant that scientific studies are not considered valid unless the drug being tested is compared with a placebo, with neither the doctor or patient knowing who received the active pill. Our bodies can make pain-relieving substances similar to narcotics and people can be taught to lower heart rate and blood pressure by their thoughts (called “bio-feedback”) so it’s believed that the placebo effect must trigger the body to produce some action similar to what drugs do.

In medicine, using the placebo effect as a treatment or, essentially, triggering the body to heal itself is sometimes thought of as unethical… that the therapist is tricking the patient or cheating them. But it makes so much sense to use the body’s own defenses as much as possible, when it’s safe to do so. I’m looking forward to the day when milder ailments can be treated by simply turning on our own immune system the same way a placebo does!

But check with your doctor…

So, while you should always check with your doctor when you have a new injury or an unexplained pain, talk to him or her about whether you might benefit from an alternative therapy like massage when it’s appropriate. Its actions, that include pressure, touch and that wonderful placebo effect that turns on your own healing abilities, could add together to reduce your need for medication. Some doctors even give prescriptions for massage therapy!

And keep in mind that there are self-massage techniques that could help too, either as an addition or a substitute for massage therapy. The photo above shows some of the tools you can use for massage… especially useful for those hard-to-reach areas. Physiotherapists and massage therapists often teach self-massage techniques to their patients so they can maintain benefit between appointments.

I have successfully used a text entitled The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair Davies with clients and myself to treat muscle spasm pain from neck spasms to sore feet (surprisingly caused by a muscle spasm in the calf!) with self-massage techniques described in the book. Check out Abe Books for a used copy, if you’re interested.

References:

The Science-Backed Benefits of Massage

The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook (Clair Davies)