Outdoor enthusiasts hitting hiking trails and venturing into the wilderness should be vigilant against a growing threat.
Lyme disease is on the rise, and in 2016 the BC Centre for Disease Control confirmed 40 lab cases, nearly doubling that from the year prior.
Author of The Lyme Disease Cure and Health Researcher, Dr. Cass Ingram says residents in Northern BC need to be cautious this time of year.
“Some of the wood ticks can carry it so people should be inspecting themselves. It’s not like it was forty-years ago where you could just mess around fishing, hunting and climbing.”
In the north, deer ticks are a major threat added Ingram.
“The nymph deer tick is tiny, it’s the youngest one. If you have a lot of deer or herbivore animals, and a lot of white footed mice in certain pockets, the high risk is there. You’re not going to see it 90 per cent of the time.”
If you do contract Lyme disease it can mimic symptoms similar to MS or Parkinson’s, and causes seizures and depression.
Ingram contracted Lyme disease about six years ago and was able to treat himself using plant based medicine. He says it’s not easy to get rid of Lyme using both conventional or natural products.