Webinar Forum: Insect Bites - An Integrative Approach

Natural Standard is offering a series of upcoming complimentary webinars on integrative medicine. Natural Standard offers these impartial webinars as an informational public service. All webinars are recorded and archived at www.naturalstandard.com/webinars.

Using resources from Natural Standard's database, Scott Morrissey, PharmDc, discusses different types of insect bites, as well as available treatment options.The PowerPoint slides, created by Todd Schoen, are also available for download.

To listen to the webinar, please click here. Complimentary access to the webinar is available November 1-30, 2010.

 

Comments

[Wanda]

Bentley is right. There are so many possible options for bug bite prevention that could be studied and perhaps added to current recommendations. It would be nice if some of those options are actually viable. We could all save a bunch of money if celery is studied and actually works!

[Dave]

This webinar on insect bites was really interesting. My dad spends a lot of time working outside, so I'll definitely have to let him in on some of these tips!

[Annie]

I am glad that now I know some natural products, such as celery, can be used as bug repellents. Thank you for the information.

[Mary]

What a useful webinar! I love to go hiking and will be able to use this valuable information to protect myself. My sister in law was actually just diagnosed with Lyme disease and she had never heard of the disease. She didn't exhibit the hallmark symptom (a bulls-eye rash), but instead suffered from visual disturbances (among other things). If only she would have seen this webinar, she might have been able to associate her tick bite with the onset of her symptoms.

[Brady]

Wow! I never knew there was a vaccine available for Lyme disease! I am surprised it was not more profitable! I know I would get it. I am always venturing out in the woods, doing some of my favorite activities such as hunting, hiking and biking. I always check for ticks when I get back inside, but I always fret that I might have missed one! It would definitely provide some peace of mind knowing that I had a vaccine to prevent against Lyme disease!

[Christina]

Very informative! There really is not a lot of evidence supporting integrative therapies for insect bites. Perhaps this is my perception, but it seems that a lot of traditional and historical medicine supports various herbs and homeopathic formulations for bites, but there is not enough evidence backing these traditions up! I also wanted to comment on the presenter’s thorough explanations of the various bites and associated diseases, especially Lyme disease. It is so important for everyone to be familiar with the associated symptoms of this disease. My mom suffered from undiagnosed Lyme disease for months. If she or her doctor had spotted the symptoms earlier, she would have avoided a lot of complications.

[LDC]

Great webinar presentation!! The creators did a fantastic job summarizing the most common types of insect bites, how to differentiate them and how to treat them most effectively. This will definitely be useful in practice, especially with the current “bed bug pandemic!”

[ben]

Re: Taga

I agree that knowing how to get a tick out safely is crucial, but what blows my mind is that a vaccine has already been developed for Lyme disease. Unfortunately, it was taken off the market due to a lack of profitability. I grew up running around the woods and doing “tick checks” as my mom fretted. When I have kids of my own, I’d love the peace of mind an available vaccine would provide.

[Bentley]

I never knew so many natural products, such as catnip, celery, jojoba and neem, have been used as insect repellents. NS gives all of these a C rating; therefore, the evidence is unclear if they are efficacious. I think more studies should be done on these natural products so consumers can have some evidence-based information on efficacy!

[CT]

I agree with Matt that Lyme disease is really an interesting disease. There are so many different presentations, especially if it isn't caught early. I have even heard of a case of a person who had a psychotic break and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It was a few years before the doctors realized that her bipolar symptoms were actually caused by Lyme disease!

[JH]

This webinar offers great tips for preventing and treating many types of bug bites. It's especially important for parents to differentiate between the symptoms.

[UE]

The recent infestation of bedbugs was a big scare, so it's good to know that bedbug bites are harmless.

[MJ]

This webinar was very helpful in distinguishing the symptoms of different types of insect bites.

[Alex]

The herbal products covered were mainly to prevent bites or to treat itching. Herbals to prevent bites would be great if you were worried about the carcinogenic effects of other repellents, but they were all grade C, which means that evidence is conflicting. As for itching, I would consider OTC products containing hydrocortisone.

[Gina]

This was an informative webinar. I suggest listening to it as the audio has information not available on the slides. There were several herbal products where evidence could go either way, but it looks like the take home message here is prevent the bug bites!

[Matt]

I really appreciated this webinar because it addressed the popular issue of Lyme disease! I knew that only ticks that carried disease could cause problems in hosts, but I did not know that some people can get temporary paralysis from the tick itself. I had never heard of anybody getting the numbness, tingling, weakness, lack of coordination and spreading paralysis from a tick bite, but it is good to know, and it is also good to know that once the tick is removed the symptoms will disappear.

I also appreciated that the instructions on how to remove a tick. The best way is with tweezers, but if it is difficult to remove then you can rub petroleum jelly or nail polish over the tick.

All this information was very helpful! If everyone knows how to properly remove a tick, prevent tick bites, what to do if they are bitten, and so on, then the incidence of Lyme disease could be greatly decreased!

[Taga]

It is interesting that calcium has grade B evidence for insect bites. I think that taking the appropriate preventative measures is very important. We can prevent insect bites by minimizing exposure or wearing protective clothing. Also, if you have a history of anaphylactic reactions and you are going to be in a place where there is a higher chance of getting insect bites, you should bring a drug like Epipen