Tick Detox Information Ticks are the leading carriers (vectors) of diseases to humans in the United States, second only to mosquitoes worldwide. It is not the tick bite, but the toxins, secretions, or organisms in the tick's saliva transmitted through the bite that causes disease. Ticks require a "blood meal" to grow and survive, and they are not very particular upon whom or what they feed. If ticks don't find a host, they can die. Once a tick finds a host (such as a human, a pet dog or cat,...
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Spider, Brown Recluse Detox Information The brown recluse spider's venom is extremely poisonous, even more potent than that of a rattlesnake. However, the recluse spider venom causes less disease than a rattlesnake bite because of the small quantities injected into its victims. Still, the venom of the brown recluse is toxic to cells and tissues. Brown recluse spider bites often go unnoticed initially because they are typically painless bites. Occasionally, some minor burning that feels like a bee sting is noticed at the time of the bite. Symptoms usually develop...
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There are 30,000 types of spiders. The black widow is probably the one best known and feared. Spiders are often blamed for all kinds of bite symptoms, from local itching to overall rashes, but they rarely bite humans, and in fact, most spider bites do not even break the skin. Although the spider is mostly found in the southern United States, they may be seen throughout the US. Five species are common to the US, with two of them being the most common: The southern black widow has a shiny,...
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Scorpion Detox Information There are 1500 scorpion species, but only 50 are dangerous to humans. Scorpion stings cause a wide range of conditions from severe local skin reactions to neurologic, respiratory, and cardiovascular collapse. The venom from most scorpions results in a simple and painful, local reaction. The 'unpleasant' scorpions in North America are typically found in Arizona, New Mexico and on the Californian side of the Colorado River, whereas the other North American species are fairly harmless. The potency of the venom varies with the species, some produce only...
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Mosquito Detox Information Mosquitoes are vector agents that carry disease from person to person without catching the disease themselves. When a mosquito bites, it also injects saliva and anti-coagulants into the blood which often contain disease-causing viruses or other parasites. Mosquitoes are estimated to transmit disease to more than 700 million people annually with millions of resulting deaths. Of the known 14,000 infectious microorganisms, 600 are shared between animals and humans. Mosquitoes are known to carry many infectious diseases from several different classes of microorganisms. One example is the mosquito...
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Lice Detox Information Three types of lice infest humans: the body louse and the head louse (which look identical) and the crab louse (or pubic louse). The condition of being infested with head lice, body lice, or pubic lice is known as pediculosis. Body lice are spread through prolonged direct physical contact with a person who has body lice or through contact with articles such as clothing, beds, bed linens, or towels that have been in contact with an infested person. Body lice are not only a nuisance, they cause...
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There are over 200 types of jellyfish that have been documented. Jellyfish are found throughout the world, but the most deadly are found in the Indo-Pacific and Australian waters. Jellyfish are free-swimming, non-aggressive, gelatinous marine animals surrounded by tentacles. These tentacles are covered with tiny stinging structures called nematocysts. When you come in contact with a jellyfish tentacle, millions of nematocysts fill with pressure until they burst. This releases a lance that pierces the victim's skin and injects the venom. Depending on the type of jellyfish, the sting can feel...
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House flies cannot bite, but they have sponging mouthparts and may play an important role in disease transmission to humans and animals. House flies serve as carriers of disease agents due to their feeding on animal wastes, garbage, and human foods. House flies are known to carry bacteria and viruses that cause conditions such as diarrhea, cholera, food poisoning, yaws, dysentery, and eye infections. There are many bacteria and parasites that infest the fly, making flies a major factor in spreading many diseases by touching surfaces with their legs or...
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Flea Toxin Detox Information Fleas are wingless insects with mouthparts that look like tubes and are adept at piercing skin and sucking blood. They are usually dark in color with long legs, the hind pair well adapted for jumping. A flea can jump vertically up to 7 inches (18 cm) and horizontally up to 13 inches (33 cm). This is nearly 200 times their own body length, making the flea one of the best jumpers of all known species. The flea body is hard, polished, and covered with lots of...
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Chigger & Mite Detox Information Chiggers are not bugs or any other type of insect. Chiggers are the juvenile (or larval) form of a specific family of mites, the Trombiculidae. Mites are arachnids, like spiders and scorpions, and are closely related to ticks. Chiggers dine on us only in their childhood and later become vegetarians that live on soil. Chiggers are born red, they do not become red from feeding on blood as some believe. An engorged, well fed chigger changes to a yellow color. One of the greatest misconceptions...
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Beetle Most centipedes are venomous to a certain extent, but generally the venom is only dangerous to the small insects that they eat. There are a few larger centipedes that can deliver a lethal dose of pain with their venom, but a centipede bite is rarely life threatening. Centipede bite marks resemble snake bite marks in the way that two tiny puncture marks are seen at the spot. A centipede does not deliver the poison with its teeth or jaws. Instead, the structures that "bite" are actually the modified first...
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Beetle Detox Information Blister beetles carry a very powerful and toxic poison called cantharidin, but unlike other types of insects, it does not deliver its most toxic poison through biting. The cantheradin is found on the beetles exoskeleton and actually causes blisters to form on skin that it comes into contact with. Male blister beetles share the cantharidin toxin with the female during the mating process by using it to cover their eggs to protect them from predators. This poison is a significant problem for animals that eat hay, particularly...
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