Rising Tick Activity in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle

Ticks have been abundant in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle in 2025, especially with conditions favoring their increase, like high humidity and recent rainfall. Key concerns include several diseases they can transmit, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease, and the growing prevalence of alpha-gal syndrome, a red meat allergy caused by certain tick bites.

Lyme Disease in Alabama

One leading cause of Lyme disease in Alabama is deer hunting.
Lyme disease is more common in certain counties in Alabama, including Jefferson, Shelby, and Tuscaloosa.

Common Tick Species in Alabama

Some common ticks in Alabama are the Blacklegged (Deer), American Dog (Wood), and Lone Star ticks.
Ticks typically dwell in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, and tick-borne illnesses have been reported year-round in Alabama.

Natural Tick Repellents

Preventative options:
Ticks hate the smells of many essential oils and natural scents, including lemon, orange, lavender, peppermint, rose geranium, and eucalyptus.

Other scents that repel them are cinnamon, cedar, thyme, oregano, and lemongrass.

You can use these scents to create natural repellents by:

• Mixing them with a carrier oil or water for a spray
  
  
• Boiling citrus peels in water to make a spray
  
  

Reducing Tick Presence in Your Yard

Shade, moisture, tall grasses, grass clippings, and leaves can attract ticks to your yard.
Animal attractants can also lead to ticks in your yard.

What to Do If You’re Bitten

If you are bitten, remove the tick as soon as you find it.
Do not twist or crush it — use fine-tipped tweezers to pull it straight out from the skin.

• Rubbing alcohol can kill ticks immediately upon contact.
  
  
• Natural methods like diatomaceous earth, cedar oil, or eucalyptus oil can also kill them but may take a little longer.
  
  
• When removing a live tick, place it in a container of rubbing alcohol to ensure it dies quickly after removal.
  
  

Watch for flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, or rash, in the weeks following a bite.

Personalized Care and Treatment

Dr. Blissenbach recognizes that every patient is unique and therefore offers a variety of integrative treatment plans that are customized for each individual, blending herbal and antibiotic options as well as IV antibiotics and IV Vitamin Infusions, all based on gut health, severity of illness, and patient preferences.

She is licensed in FL, GA, SC, AL, VA, and NC.