Ticks be gone: Battling Lyme disease in style
There is the old adage that necessity is the mother of all invention, and in Debbie Cook's case it absolutely rings true.
Cook has spent the better part of a year working on developing an effective product to combat tick bites and the possibility of Lyme disease that comes with them.
Her interest was piqued when a neighbor said to her in passing, "practically everyone I know who has been walking in the woods has Lyme disease." That scary thought prompted her to begin searching for a tick-repelling product on the internet.
"There was nothing out there," save a chemical, Permethrin, a widely used crop pesticide available now in spray form for tick repellant. The spray, available at outdoor sport stores, could be directly applied to clothing.
"It's the most effective tick repellant on the market. They say it's safe, but I wouldn't want it right next to my skin," says Cook, "when it dries it becomes inert, but it is toxic to bees, other beneficial insects and fish."
In the meantime, Cook stopped walking in the 4,000 acre forest (Whitney/Thayer Woods and Wompatuck State Park) behind her King Street home, once a favorite activity, for fear of being bitten by a tick. She felt she had to be extra careful when gardening in the yard or going to see properties as a Conservation Commission member. With all that in mind, she asked herself "what could I do?"
"I didn't want to be chased inside," says Cook.
It was then that Cook, who owns her own marketing and public relations business, decided to venture into the world of invention.
"I've had ideas, I think everyone does, but this was the first one I had ever followed through on," says Cook.
Her end product, Kick-a-Tick, now for sale on the web is a "weapon in the battle against Lyme disease." The 100 percent cotton leg wrappers - think a more sedate version of the 80s' leg warmer fashion statement - are worn over pants.
After coming up with the initial concept idea, she researched the life cycle of ticks to ascertain whether her idea would be useful against them. She found most of a tick's two-year life span is spent on the ground, waiting for a host, either human or an animal. Tick season runs from late spring into the fall. Only in the fall, around October, do ticks climb up grasses and vegetation to wait for a larger host mammal or human to latch on to, Cook says.
Therefore, she reasoned the leg wrappers, which cover the leg below the knee and over footwear, would be very effective in repelling ticks for the spring, summer and early fall when people are enjoying the great outdoors the most.
The Kick-a-Ticks fit snugly over pants with Velcro elasticized bands on the top and bottom of the leg wrapper, "you don't even know you have them on, there's no compression" on your leg from the elastic band, Cook says.
The Kick-a-Ticks are then enhanced with Permethrin. The initial application lasts up to six weeks and through several washings. A refill bottle of permethrin is also available at the Kick-a-Tick website.
"People who are gardening can just strap them on and don't have to think about it," says Cook, "the sad thing is you can get tick bites almost anywhere." She envisions boy and girl scouts, avid gardeners, landscapers, hikers and kids going to camp would be ideal customers.
Cook doesn't guarantee Kick-a-Tick will prevent a tick bite or Lyme disease, but the product does give a level of protection beyond just wearing long pants, "it's about doing the best you can with what's available."
Kick-a-tick currently has a patent-pending and, although Cook has no idea where her product will take her, she'd "love it to be a success."
"When I was a kid you didn't have to worry about mosquitoes or about ticks, now you really have to worry about them," says Cook.
The leg wrappers come in two sizes, adult, colors - navy or green, and children's, in the ever popular camouflage. The price of the adult leg wrappers is $39.99, and the child's leg wrappers are $37.99. To purchase a pair, visit the on-line store at www.kickatick.com. For questions or more information, please e-mail Cook at kickatick@kickatick.com
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