Homeopathic Remedies for Ticks

Summertime means the time that crawling parasites such as ticks come out. Ticks can be a nuisance for any outdoor enthusiast, but when you have pets, the problem is worse. In pets, ticks can transmit any number of diseases from Lyme disease to Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and if your pets are indoors, they can bring those disease-infested parasites right to you. Now some vets are turning to holistic treatment to defend against ticks.

Background

• Homeopathic remedies seem almost contradictory in nature. Homeopathic physicians take plant, animal and mineral elements that mimic the symptoms of your illness and then dilute them to the point that the original element cannot even be detected in trace form. Then the compound is shaken to make it more potent. The idea behind homeopathic treatment is that "like cures like." In other words, a diluted form of a medicine that mimics a disease's symptoms will activate the body's immune system. Should you or your pet develop one of the diseases that are carried by ticks, there are several remedies that your homeopathic physician may prescribe.

Parasites

• Ticks are considered an external parasite. Certain homeopathic substances can be added to your pet's water or drank yourself to ward off parasites such as ticks. In pets, these substances may also fight parasites that are transmitted from fleas, such as heartworm. Plants in the Artemisia family as well as naphthalinum (coal tar), cucurbita pepo (members of the squash family), chenopodium anthelminticum (wormseed), filix mas (a species of fern), spigelia anthelmia (wormbush) and Teucrium marum (cat thyme) all are substances that are effective against parasites.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

• Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a life-threatening rickettsial disease transmitted via tick bite. Symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and flu-like symptoms. Conventional medical wisdom calls for treatment with antibiotics such as tetracycline. Most homeopathic physicians do not advocate replacing this treatment with homeopathic medication. Instead, they propose a complementary treatment plan in which homeopathic medications support the recovery from symptoms. Belladonna may be used for fever relief, while Aconitum napellus (wolfsbane) is used for relief of violent flu-like symptoms such as vomiting, chills and muscle aches, while tick nosode can relieve the remaining side effects of tick bites such as the rash.

Lyme

• Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in North America. Early symptoms include headaches, fever, a rash that circles the tick bite, fatigue and depression. If left untreated, the disease can affect the joints, heart and central nervous system. If detected early, the disease can be eliminated through the use of antibiotics. Early treatment is most often delayed due to misdiagnosis. Homeopathic medicine is concerned with complementary treatment to help ease the symptoms of the early disease and with treating the symptoms of the chronic disease. In stage one Lyme disease, tick nosode is effective for treating the rash, while Ledum palustre (wild rosemary) can reduce inflammation and itching as well as fight parasites.