Duct Tape and Other Anti-Tick Tips

TINY THREAT:  TICKS POSE SERIOUS HEALTH RISKS....TIPS FOR STAYING SAFE THIS SEASON

"Ticks: the foulest and nastiest creatures that be." --Pliny the Elder, 23-79 A.D., Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher

Rhinebeck, NY, April 28—Sunshine and flowers are especially welcome this year following the extremely harsh winter.  The season has finally begun for hiking, gardening, picnicking, and simply enjoying the great outdoors.  It is now also tick season—which means increased exposure to the serious infectious diseases they carry.
The frigid temperatures did not kill ticks as they have a two-year life cycle and are well regulated to survive winters.  They become active once the weather starts to thaw, and by the time it reaches 40 degrees they are seeking warm-blooded hosts to feed on.

"According to the New York Department of Health, ticks are most active late spring through mid-August," says Lou Paradise, president and chief of research of Topical BioMedics, Inc., Rhinebeck, NY, the makers of the Topricin line of natural pain relief and healing creams.  "Now is the time to avoid contact with them and be aware of the symptoms of Lyme and Babesiosis, two dangerous tick-borne illnesses."

LYME

The Lyme disease bacterium (Borrelia burgdorfen) is carried by a species of ticks known as Ixodes.  Ticks in this group include deer ticks, western black-legged ticks, and black-legged ticks.  These tiny terrors are small—typically no larger than a poppy seed—and transmit the bacteria when feeding on warm-blooded hosts, including mice, deer, dogs, and humans.  The bacteria enter the skin through the bite during feeding and eventually make their way into the bloodstream. 

Lyme disease is rampant.  According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the number of Americans diagnosed each year is approximately 300,000, and the agency has gone on record to say that it believes only 10% - 12% of Lyme disease cases are actually reported to them. Most documented cases have occurred in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest, with some incidences reported from western states, including Oregon and northern California.  Moreover, the Companion Animal Parasite Council Parasite Forecast Maps predict Lyme is expanding its range to the west as well as southern states.

The NY Dept. of Health reports that in 60 to 70 percent of Lyme disease cases, the first symptom is often a rash that occurs at or near the site of a tick bite and has a round, "bulls-eye" appearance.  It can be between 2" and 6" in diameter, and lasts up to five weeks.  Other symptoms occur from several days to weeks, months, and even years after a bite.  They include "flu-like" symptoms, such as aches and pains in muscles and joints, chills and fever, headache, sore throat, stiff neck, swollen glands, dizziness, and fatigue.  Even if these symptoms fade away, untreated Lyme disease may lead to arthritis, nervous system abnormalities, and an irregular heart rhythm.

BABESIOSIS

Babesiosis is another infection transmitted by ticks and is caused by a parasite that lives in red blood cells. The babesia microti parasite infects and destroys red blood cells, and the disease—which is a malaria-like illness—can cause hemolytic anemia.  Symptoms begin anywhere from five days after a bite or longer, and may include fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, nausea, tiredness, and a rash.  Unlike Lyme, Babesiosis has been known to be fatal.  Therefore diagnosis and treatment should begin as soon as possible after it is contracted. 

TRICKY DIAGNOSIS

Because tick bites are usually painless, the incubation period is long, and the symptoms so varied, a tick-borne disease may go unrecognized for weeks or even months.  Moreover, these diseases often mimic other conditions—such as the flu, meningitis, or, in some instances Multiple Sclerosis—making it easy for there to be a misdiagnosis.  Further complicating matters is the fact that diagnostic tests are not always accurate or conclusive.

Test timing is a factor in diagnosis.  According to Sally Hojvat, Ph.D., Director of the Division of Microbiology Devices at the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, "It's important to know that blood tests that check for antibodies to the bacterium that causes Lyme disease are not useful if done soon after a tick bite.  It takes two to five weeks for initial antibodies to develop."

PREVENTION AND DEFENSIVE MEASURES 

Avoiding contact with ticks and disease prevention are the first and best lines of defense against tickborne infections.  Here are some tips to help keep you and your family safe from these tiny threats.

• Ticks are carried by deer, mice, and other common woodland creatures.Keep these uninvited guests away by installing a deer fence and moving brush piles and wood piles (where mice find shelter) and bird feeders (a source of food for rodents) away from your house and play areas.
• There are a number of plants you can cultivate around your yard that repel ticks, including lavender, garlic, pennyroyal, pyrethrum (a type of chrysanthemum), sage, and eucalyptus.
• Use natural tick repellents.  According to award-winning author and green living expert Annie B. Bond, the essential oil of rose geranium is an effective repellent.  "Do not apply it directly on skin, but mix a drop or two in an oil, or dab onto your clothing, particularly shoes, socks and pants, shirt cuffs, and collar" says Ms. Bond.  "You may also use it on your dog, but again not directly on the skin.  Apply a drop to a bandana, or on a collar or harness."  Other products she recommends include Rose Geranium Hydrosol, available from Simplers Botanicals for $12.65 (www.simplers.com)  and Buzz Away Extreme, which is formulated with citronella, cedarwood, eucalyptus, lemongrass, and peppermint.  Studies have found it to be as effective or better than DEET-based products, and it was rated as the most effective natural insect repellent by the Good Housekeeping Institute. 
• It seems that dryer sheets also offer some protection.  According to Dr. Gary Wilkes, a veterinarian at Westside Animal Hospital, Augusta, GA, "To avoid ticks, I like to place dryer sheets in my socks, pockets and hat.  I don't know if it's the smell or the fragrance, but it seems that loading up on Bounce provides good protection."
• If your lifestyle permits, raising chickens, ducks and guinea hens will help keep the tick population down as these feathered friends have a voracious appetite for them.
• Keep your lawn manicured and avoid walking in wooded, brushy, and grassy areas. When hiking in an overgrown or wooded area, try to stay near the center of the trail, and do not sit on stonewalls, which harbor rodents.
• When outdoors, protect yourself and your children by wearing long sleeves and long pants, preferably in light colors so you can spot a tick more easily.Wear shoes and socks that you tuck pant legs into or a pair of tall boots.
• After being outdoors, remove clothing and place them in a dryer first for 15 minutes, then wash your clothes and dry again.Washing alone will not kill ticks—even with bleach—it's the heat of the dryer that does the trick.
• Do a thorough body check of yourself and your children after spending time outdoors, and take a shower or bath within two hours of coming inside.In the case of Lyme disease, infection from a tick to a human typically takes 30 – 40hours, so spotting and removing them quickly is an important first defense. (It is uncertain how long it takes for Babesiosis to spread.)
• De-tick with duct tape.To get the pests off you or your pet, use sticky duct tape to remove before they bite.
• Your four-legged friend may pick up an unwanted hitchhiker after being outside.Be sure to inspect dogs for ticks after they've been outside as they may deliver a tick to you, and they can also become sick with Lyme disease.

If you discover a tick attached to you, carefully remove it. Using tweezers, grasp it close to the skin and pull straight back without twisting or yanking. There are also devices on the market today that are made for effectively and efficiently removing ticks.Avoid pressing or squeezing the tick's belly as it can push bacteria into your body. Similarly, do not use the heat of a match that you light and blow out, or petroleum jelly.After you've removed the tick, disinfect the bite area.Save the tick for possible identification by a doctor or the local health department.

IF YOU HAVE CHRONIC LYME, PROMISING ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES MAY HELP

There is now research showing the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), offering hope to patients crippled by chronic Lyme disease. Dr. William Fife at Texas A & M University has published extensive research demonstrating profound improvements in Lyme disease patients treated with HBOT. These improvements include pain reduction, return of clarity of the mind, and reduction of depression.

SAFE, NATURAL TREATMENTS

Doctors will often prescribe antibiotics if they suspect Lyme or another tick-borne illness.  Here are some ways you can assist your body further with some safe, natural treatments.
"With tick-borne diseases, the body needs to detoxify, especially joint, muscle and nerve tissue," says Paradise. "Applying Topricin is helpful as it gives the body the support for its basic function of maintaining healthy cells and repairing damaged ones through enhanced healing.  Its combination of natural biomedicines in a clean water-based cream base that's free of chemicals and other irritants helps restore vitality to joint, nerve, and muscle tissues while providing safe, effective pain relief." 
The reference book Prescription for Nutritional Healing offers the following recommendations for helping to recover from Lyme Disease.
--Nutritional supplements recommended include:
--Essential fatty acids (for helping to reduce inflammation and joint stiffness)
--Pancreatin and bromelain (to aid protein digestion and reduce inflammation)
--Evening Primrose oil capsules (to help combat pain and inflammation, with significant benefits to the skin and cardiovascular system)
--Garlic (immune system stimulator with antibiotic properties)
--Kelp (a rich source of B-vitamins and minerals, aids in detoxification)
--Vitamins A, C, and E (antioxidants and immune system support)
--"Green drinks" provide chlorophyll (aids in detoxification while providing important nutrients and enzymes).
Herbs recommended include:
--Alfalfa (supplies minerals and detoxifies the body)
--Dandelion root, ginseng, hawthorn, horsetail, and marshmallow root (help cleanse and rebuild the blood and damaged tissues)
--Echinacea (immune enhancer fights bacterial and viral infections; caution: should be used with caution if you are allergic to ragweed)
--Goldenseal (use for one week only as a natural antibiotic; caution: do not use during pregnancy and with caution if you are allergic to ragweed)
--Milk thistle extract (protects the liver and kidneys and stimulates the production of new liver cells)
--Red clover (cleanses the bloodstream, helps fight infection)

About Topical BioMedics, Inc.
20 years in business and a Certified B Corporation, Topical BioMedics is the research and development leader in topical patented natural biomedicines for pain relief. The company's flagship product, Topricin® Pain Relief and Healing Cream, was introduced in 1994 and is now a leading natural therapeutic brand. A combination biomedicine formula, Topricin has been awarded a patent for the treatment of pain associated with fibromyalgia and neuropathy, was listed among the Top 100 Green Products of 2012 by Healthy Holistic Living.
The Topricin family of natural healing products also includes Topricin Foot Therapy Cream, specially formulated to treat painful foot and ankle issues and conditions, and Topricin for Children, which received the Parent Tested Parent Approved Seal of Approval (with 5% of sales donated to pediatric cancer foundation). Made in the U.S.A., all Topricin products are federally-regulated over-the-counter medicines with no known side effects, no parabens, petroleum, or other harsh chemicals, no grease, and no odor.
Topricin is available in independent pharmacies, natural food and co-op stores nationwide, including Whole Foods, Sprouts, Pharmaca, The Vitamin Shoppe, Fred Meyer, Wegmans, CVS (Foot Care Section), Walgreens (Diabetic Section), and other fine retailers, as well as directly from the company.
For more information visit http://www.topricin.com

Pain Management Webinar: "The Role Diet & Hydration Play in Health & Wellness"

Topical BioMedics Hosts April Pain Management Webinar 

Topical BioMedics is hosting its free monthly pain management webinar on Tuesday, April 14^th, featuring the topic "The Role Diet & Hydration Play in Health & Wellness." The webinar, which is free and open to the public, will be streamed live from 12pm to 1pm, then archived and accessible on demand 24/7.  

RHINEBECK, NY, April 10—Topical BioMedics, Inc., announces its April Pain Management Webinar will be held on Tuesday, April 14^th, from 12pm – 1pm, streamed live and then archived and accessible on demand 24/7.  Registration is free and open to the public by clicking on the following link: http://bit.ly/PMW_Diet. Comments and questions are invited "real time" during the webinar, and questions may also be submitted in advance by emailing pmartin@topicalbiomedics.com. 

The topic for the April webinar is "The Role Diet & Hydration Play in Health & Wellness."  The session will be hosted by Lou Paradise, company president, chief of research, and pain management expert.

"Many people are unaware of the importance of diet and hydration to health, wellness, and pain management," says Mr. Paradise.  "Proper hydration is vital to good health, but not all beverages are created equal.  In fact, some actually cause the body to become dehydrated.  Also, certain foods can cause inflammation, which contributes to pain issues.  Moreover, a poor diet can contribute to diabetes, heart and respiratory problems as well as compromise the immune system." 

During the webinar, participants will learn to make healthy choices:  what to eat and drink, what to avoid, and why.  This will enable individuals to take a more proactive role in their health, and discover how changing their diet can affect the way they feel.

Topical BioMedics' Pain Management Workshop series was launched in February 2015, and takes place the second Tuesday of every month.  Topics covered will include discussions on pain and the body's healing chemistries, inflammation and the immune system, and how lifestyle factors such as exercise, hydration, and nutrition affect our health.    In addition, specific conditions and ailments will be addressed, including:  diabetes; fibromyalgia; arthritis; carpal tunnel; sports injuries; Plantar fasciitis, neuropathy, and more.  Future workshops will also feature guest speakers from various health modalities, including chiropractic care, acupuncture, and nutrition. 

For more information, please call Patricia Martin, Marketing Director, at 845-871-4900 ext. 1113 or email pmartin@topicalbiomedics.com.

ABOUT LOU PARADISE

Pain management specialist Lou Paradise is president and chief of research of Topical BioMedics, Inc., a Certified B Corp headquartered in Rhinebeck, NY. Mr. Paradise is an accomplished researcher with over four decades of work dedicated to how the body heals itself and how pain can guide us to the correct treatment protocol. He is also a decorated US Marine Corps combat veteran serving two tours in Vietnam as a helicopter combat/medivac/rescue crew chief. He frequently serves as an expert speaker on the use of natural medicines for pain relief, and how a patient-centered sustainable healthcare model can reverse and prevent the massive abuse of Rx opioid painkillers for unresolved pain, and other pressing social issues including what we can do to stop and reverse the trend of our over-medicated society.

A member of the American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists, Mr. Paradise conducts pain management seminars and participates in addressing compliance issues related to regulated natural medicines.  Mr. Paradise invented Topricin Pain Relief and Healing Cream to safely and effectively address the injuries he sustained as a result of the physical demands of flying hundreds of helicopter combat/rescue mission in Vietnam. The product has been designated as "The 21^st Century standard of care for pain management" by Dr. Woodson Merrill, executive director, Center for Health & Healing.  As a complement to primary care, Topricin bridges the gap between natural medicines and the conventional medical community.
 
Mr. Paradise regularly addresses clinical audiences on the use of his company's proprietary topical healing technologies that addresses the cause of the pain at the cellular level. The products effectively treat acute and chronic pain associated with arthritis, lower back, nerve and foot pain as well as trauma injury (including post-surgical trauma), diabetic and chemo-induced neuropathy, and are known to reduce or eliminate the need for chemical pain pills and measurably improve clinical outcomes. He is also fluent on other aspects of health, wellness, and healing. Mr. Paradise is especially sensitive to health challenges of children, the elderly and fellow veterans.

ABOUT TOPICAL BIOMEDICS

Topical BioMedics is a research and development leader in topical patented natural biomedicines for pain relief. The company's flagship product, Topricin® Pain Relief and Healing Cream, was introduced in 1994 and is now a leading natural therapeutic brand. A patented combination biomedicine formula, Topricin has been awarded additional patents for the treatment of pain associated with fibromyalgia and neuropathy. 

For over two-decades the company has assisted hundreds of thousands of people suffering with pain and those addicted to painkillers achieve fully restored and robust, healthy living. Lou Paradise, president and chief of research, is a dedicated man on a mission to make sure every person knows all their options, so as to reduce or eliminate the need for OTC chemical pain pills and the hazardous side effects they produce. This includes the reversing the massive addiction to opioid Rx painkillers in the U.S., an epidemic that is ruining lives and families and is undermining the very fabric of our country.  It is possible to reverse these trends, end suffering and restore hope and quality of life.

The Topricin family of natural healing products also includes Topricin Foot Therapy Cream, specially formulated to treat painful foot and ankle issues and conditions, and Topricin for Children, which received the Parent Tested Parent Approved Seal of Approval (with 5% of sales donated to a pediatric cancer foundation). Made in the U.S.A., all Topricin products are federally-regulated over-the-counter medicines with no known side effects, no parabens, petroleum, or other harsh chemicals, odorless non-irritating and wonderfully moisturizing to the skin
Topical BioMedics also offers TopTrack, an app for on-the-go pain tracking and monitoring.   TopTrack is available free of charge for iPad via the App Store, and will roll out on additional devices in the coming months. http://bit.ly/1rIQD89 .  TopTrack is a great tool that allows a patient to monitor their pain, and downloadable so they can share the data with their doctor.

Topricin is available in independent pharmacies, natural food and co-op stores nationwide, including Whole Foods, Sprouts, Pharmaca, The Vitamin Shoppe, Fred Meyer, Wegmans, CVS (Foot Care Section), Walgreens (Diabetic Section), and other fine retailers, as well as directly from the company.
For more information visit http://www.topricin.com 

Doctor gives tips on how to live better and happier

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Who doesn't want a life filled with thriving positivity and high-life satisfaction? Do you seek meaning and purpose in life with a healthy balance between work and life, and positive friendships and relationships?

Dr. Marsha W. Snyder explains how to do this in her new book, Positive Health: Flourishing Lives, Wellbeing in Doctors.

With a focus on solving the epidemic of ill-being in the medical profession, often beginning in the first year of medical school, Positive Health is a must-read for all professionals, student-professionals and administrators in the medical field.

"The addition of a Positive Health curriculum in medical school and as continuing medical education for doctors, will eliminate the 40 to 60-percent rate of ill-being in doctors worldwide and will encourage doctors to teach positive health to their patients, resulting in a thriving population," said Snyder.

Increasing positive health in doctors and healthcare personnel will lead to increased employee and patient satisfaction, decreased cost of care, fewer employee sick days, decreased staff turnover, more efficient and effective healthcare teams, and decreased medical errors, among numerous other benefits.

Positive Health: Flourishing Lives, Wellbeing in Doctors
By: Dr. Marsha W. Snyder
ISBN: 978-1-45259-830-7
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and WestBow Press

About the author

Dr. Marsha W. Snyder is a trailblazer. A doctor of medicine, with a Masters degree in Applied Positive Psychology, she is a leader and teacher in Positive Health, Physicians' health, medical education curricula and leadership skills. Due to impactful personal and professional experience, she has devoted her career to helping individuals and organizations realize their potential to deliver compassionate, cost-effective, error-free care. Dr. Snyder has worked with medical schools to advance faculty, student and population thriving and wellbeing. She lives in Bethlehem, PA.

Developer created Topricin to help his own pain

Necessity is still the mother of invention.  Ask Lou Paradise, the developer of a topical cream called Topricin that soothes and relaxes tired and sore muscles as we rest.

In 1965, Lou Paradise found himself pain ridden with severe bilateral Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).The condition was caused by injuries he sustained as a Marine Corps helicopter medivac crew chief during the Vietnam War.  The physical demands of conducting hundreds of rescue missions of military personnel and Vietnamese citizens was too much for his body.

People afflicted with CTS suffer from burning, tingling, throbbing pain—in Lou’s case from fingers to elbow. He knew that “neither surgery nor pain medications were the right answer.”

Having an extensive background in physiology and natural medicine, Lou considered becoming a medical doctor with a focus on emergency care. In 1965--following two tours of active combat duty—he spent time in Hong Kong. There he met British- and Chinese-trained MDs, who introduced him to the potency of such traditional natural medicines as acupuncture, herbal medicine, and homeopathy—which are now known as complimentary and alternative medical (CAM) practices. Lou was impressed by their powerful healing potential and delved deeper into his studies.

When Lou’s CTS was at its worst, he was lucky to get two or three hours of sleep, and had to rest sitting up in a chair to maintain circulation in his arms, hands, and fingers in order to offset the excruciating pain. Desperate for relief, Lou began to self-experiment by taking oral herbal medicines, which had little effect. Next he took single-ingredient homeopathic medicines but again had very little relief from his misery. Then he deduced that maybe a combination of homeopathic medicines delivered in a cream base and applied to the specific site of the pain might be the answer. This had never been done before.

Blessed with a strong intuition, Lou experimented with select combinations of homeopathic medicines from the 3,000 different medicines available. Low and behold, he began to feel measurable improvement and in just a few weeks was able to get four hours of sleep, then five, then six. This is crucial to the healing process since the body does its primary repair while we are resting. Lou had no further need for oral pain relief medications, and was able to sleep in his own bed once more.

Lou Paradise

The prototype Topricin® formula was born! And after more than 25 years, Topricin has made it possible for Lou to be pain-free, symptom-free, and medication-free, enjoying a complete restoration of full function, mobility, and range of motion.

“Sleep is crucial to the healing process, since the body does its primary repair while we are resting,” he says. He has been pain-free since 1981.

When others learned about his discovery, he gave medication to them, and they did well, too. In 1992, he put his ideas into motion and two years later started his company. He called the ointment Topricin. In 2009, he adjusted the formula and created two new products: Topricin Foot Therapy Cream, specifically formulated to treat and help heal foot and ankle issues; and Topricin Junior, created to address the safety issues and concerns of parents and doctors in pediatric pain relief.

He also saw how his product was helping patients with fibromyalgia. More than five million people — about 90 percent of them women — suffer from this syndrome, which is characterized by chronic, widespread pain in muscles, ligaments and tendons; multiple “tender points”; fatigue; and sleep disturbances.

The causes of fibromyalgia are unknown, but there are probably a number of factors involved. Many people associate the development of this condition with a physically or emotionally stressful or traumatic event, such as an automobile accident. Some connect it to repetitive injuries. Others link it to an illness. For others, fibromyalgia seems to occur spontaneously.

Medications, particularly antibiotics, throw off the bacterial balance in the digestive tract, which alternative practitioners believe is a root cause of many chronic health conditions. “This out-of-balance condition puts the body into a toxic state,” Paradise says, “so reducing or eliminating pain meds and antibiotics is key.”

That’s where his ointment comes in. As a topical cream, it eliminates the need for pain medicines. “We’re not just treating the pain, we’re looking at the causes of the pain and offering pain relief based on healing, not just deadening symptoms,” he says.

His proprietary concoction contains, among other elements, homeopathic arnica and Echinacea. It also contains four types of venom derivatives — which are not poisons, but highly concentrated digestive juices that help to excite the enzymes that promote healing. These ingredients are suspended in purified water and natural oil emulsions that protect and moisturize the skin, rather than in petroleum and paraben bases, which are linked to other health concerns.

“Our product helps detoxify the blood and get the body back in biochemical balance,” Paradise says. “We engineer things to work with the body, not against it.”

A passionate educator and health/ wellness advocate, Lou says, “I am humbled by the fact that my own pain lead me to discover and fulfill my life’s mission. I am dedicated to continuing my efforts to restore hope and promote safe, natural healing that works in harmony with the body’s miraculous ability to heal itself. ”

Read another story at http://cdn.topricin.com/downloads/FIBRO_HUDSON_VALLEY_MAG.pdf

For more information contact http://www.topricin.com/

A Testimonial

I’ve had excruciating pain in my thigh and hip. I tried Topricin for two months on my thigh. It has helped to relax and given me relief from pain. Before going to bed,  I rub it in and, as I do, it massages my hurting muscle.  As I sleep my leg relaxes and I find relief. My wife has found similar relief using Topricin Foot Therapy Cream on her ankle.   – John Fisher