Vectors: What You Don’t Know Could Hurt You!
What Are Vectors?
For many of us, when we hear the word vector, we think back to middle school math. However, when referring to epidemiology (the study of causes and effects in diseases), vectors allude to infectious pathogens that transmit diseases to other organisms. These include, but are not limited to:
Ticks
Flies
Lice
Mites
Fleas
Mosquitos
Bed Bugs
The Risks
As you have realized, vectors are present everywhere, from your family barbecue to you camping trip in the woods. Although these are places to watch out for, there are other locations where the possibility of picking up infectious diseases is just as great.
Take the beach for example. Unlike the threats of mosquitoes in woods, the threats here are not anticipated. This makes it a significantly more dangerous place to be as you may not immediately register that the itching on your leg is caused by the sand flea. The longer you ignore it’s bite, the more time a potential disease has to spread in you bloodstream.
What You Can Do
It is best to completely avoid using synthetic bug sprays, as their harmful chemicals are absorbed into your body and cause many issues as discussed in “Summer in New Jersey”. Thankfully, there are many alternatives.
Preventative
When it comes to forming barriers between yourself and the outside, bug infested, world, there is another option to wearing long sleeves. Mixing together coconut oil, grapeseed oil, and shea butter can give you a smooth lotion you can apply to your body, making it harder for insects to grab at your skin. This formula is especially great for babies as it is all natural and nourishes their growing bodies. Remember to always patch test on the inside of he wrist or behind the ear to check for any sensitivity to the oils.
A good way to immediately spot vectors on your body is to wear light colored clothing. When you know you will spend time in a grassy area, it is recommended to wear long, light colored pants and close toed shoes in order to prevent any vectors from crawling up your skin. For extra protection, apply bug spray onto your clothing while avoiding the skin area. This however is not recommended as the chemicals in bug spray will have a chance to absorb into your skin and may cause disorder in the endocrine system.
In order to prevent bug bites we employ hospital trained specialists to formulate the best possible, all natural bug spray, free of DEET and all chemicals. We use medical grade oils and make sure it’s effective and affordable. This bug spray can be safely applied directly onto the skin of infants, children, and adults.
When Bitten
If bitten apply vinegar to the bite as this will remove the poison sac. While this method is simple, it does not remove the poison that has already seeped into your bloodstream. Thankfully a wonderful variety of lavender exists. Lavandula augustifolia is used extensively throughout Europe to remove poisons, and treat staph and burns.
We Make Bug Sprays and Roll-ons!
For those reasons, our sister company, Gifts of Nature Organics, uses lavandula augustifolia and lavendin in the bug sprays and roll-ons. To ensure our superior quality our oil supplier uses spectroscopy and gaschromatographie to guarantee the pureness of each oil.
Our bug spray is made with a completely nontoxic jojoba and aloe vera carrier in which over 100 drops of medical grade essential oils are added. When applied on arms, legs, neck, etc, these products form a barrier which mosquitoes, gnats and other pests won’t come near.
Our roll-ons are made to target all three types of infections: fungal, bacterial, and viral. You can now get protection from all three with our one product! We have had these products on the market for almost 10 years and have encountered nothing but resounding success and satisfaction with it. We even have formulas for children and toddlers!