How To Deal With Ticks
Know Where Ticks Hide and Why That Matters
As we enjoy more time outdoors, it’s important that we take personal precautions against ticks - for us and our pets. Why is tick protection important? Ticks transmit serious diseases like Lyme disease, which can cause long-term illness affecting your joints, heart, and nervous system.
Here are a few things we should be doing when entering a wooded area:
- Wear long clothing, tucking shirts into pants and pants into socks.
- Wear light coloured clothing so the ticks will be easier seen and removed.
- Use an insect repellent. Most natural bug sprays without deet are not allowed to promise that they will deter insects. You may wish to choose from our selection of outdoor sprays, or go the diy route. You can make your own tick-repellent spray using essential oils you have at home. Essential oils like cedarwood, geranium, lavendar & tea tree along with citronella have been known to repell ticks along with other insects. Use water and witch hazel or apple cider vinegar as your base.
- Try to minimize your contact with tall grasses and bushes.
- Check your clothing and entire body (and we mean, everything) for ticks when returning home.
- *It’s also important to check your pets for ticks regularly.
Safe Tick Removal Techniques You Can Trust
How do you remove a tick? Here are instructions directly from the Peterborough Public Health website:
If you are bitten by a tick, be sure to stay calm, but remove the tick immediately. Follow the steps below to safely remove a tick from your body:
- Remove the tick using a pair of clean, fine-tipped tweezers. Never use fire, chemicals or alcohol to remove a tick.
- Holding the tweezers parallel to the skin, firmly grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible, around the mouthparts of the tick, and gently pull the tick straight out.
- Do not twist or squeeze the tick because this may cause the mouth parts to break off and stay in the skin. Squeezing may also cause the Lyme disease-causing bacterium to enter the body.
- Wash the area where the tick was removed with soap and water and/or disinfect with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer.
- If the mouthparts break off and remain in the skin, remove them with tweezers, or if you are unable to remove them easily, leave them alone and let the skin heal.
- If you are not comfortable removing a tick, see a health care provider as soon as possible. If the tick is removed soon after attachment, it will help to prevent infection, as an infected tick has to be feeding for at least 24 hours before it can effectively transmit the bacteria to a human host.
- Once the tick has been removed, place the tick in an empty pill bottle or plastic zipper-closed bag and bring it to Peterborough Public Health. Make sure to record the date of attachment and the likely location where the tick came from. The tick will then be sent away to the Ontario Public Health Laboratory for species identification and bacterial testing.
- If you develop symptoms of Lyme disease in the weeks (3-30 days) after being bitten, contact your health care provider right away.
Venturing into tick habitat? Don’t forget to pack a safe tick removal kit this summer.
Tick kits should include:
- band-aid
- fine needle tweezers
- aseptic wipes
- rubber gloves
- container / ziplock bag to put the tick into
Stay safe as you enjoy the outdoors this summer!
The cold weather is here, which means you should stock up on all the necessary supplements you need so you can stay healthy even when it gets ugly outside.
The start of a new year can come with a lot of pressure to reset, overhaul, and become a 'better' version of yourself overnight. Traditional New Years' resolutions can feel motivating at first, but can quickly become overwhelming and restricting. Did you know that 88% of people fail their resolution within the first 2 weeks? It makes us wonder why. And we think that it's because they are rooted in an all-or-nothing mindset that doesn't leave room for life's unpredictability. And our resolutions are often things we think we SHOULD do (because of pressure from others, societal standards, etc.) and not things that we actually VALUE. It’s important to ensure you are enhancing your wellness in harmony with your surroundings and your reality. At Jo Anne's Place, we believe the new year is less about drastic change and more about gentle intention. A holistic approach to the new year invited you to build healthy habits that support your body, mind, and lifestyle at a pace that feels sustainable for you. Rather than chasing resolutions, this is an opportunity to tune in, reflect, and choose practices that truly support your long-term wellbeing. If setting goals is your thing, we support that! Just remember to keep them realistic and grounded in your values. If setting resolutions isn't for you, here are some gentler ways to step into the new year:
Feeling the Holiday pressure? In the midst of Winter’s chill and the Holiday rush, your own well-being deserves space to breathe. The natural world around us is slowing down, so why shouldn’t we? Winter invites us to turn inward, and it is especially important to support your mental health during these longer, darker days. Did you know that we, as Canadians, are more prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder due to our northern latitude, which results in less sunlight during the winter? The Holiday season can be equal parts joyful and overwhelming. Schedules get busy, routines slip, and we're surrounded by comfort foods and sweet treats. Between gatherings, travel, and to-do lists, our well-being can take a back seat. Here are some simple tips to keep you grounded, nourished, and feeling your best throughout the season: *These suggestions are not intended to replace appropriate professional advice. Please check labels for contraindications and check with your pharmacist if you are on prescription drugs. These suggestions are based on over 40 years of customer experience at Jo Anne’s Place.
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!
Halloween is coming up quick! This year, Halloween is on a Friday, which means lots of fun!
This year, Thanksgiving weekend is from Friday, October 10th to Monday, October 13th. Canadian Thanksgiving is always celebrated on the second Monday of October.
Happy Thanksgiving! Looking to switch it up and try some new recipes this year? Here is a roundup of recipes, many of which are vegan and gluten-free so you can create a holiday meal fit for all!
Discover the best foods for hair growth. Boost shine, strength, and thickness naturally with nutrient-rich options that support healthy hair.
With back to school in full gear, parents are concerned about their kids well-being. A lot of today's youth face a mountain of problems like anxiety and depression.
This year, Labour Day Weekend is from August 29th - September 1st. There is still time for one last weekend of summer fun before the school year begins.