My son and I use a poison ivy tincture, available by
perscription, that makes us much less sensitive to
poison ivy.  Once a week we drink 6 ounces of water
with 15 drops of the tincture in it.  It's made an
incredible difference.

Before the tincture, he would end up taking prednisone
several times a year to deal with rashes, not a good
thing since it's a potent drug.  He's used the
tincture for two years now.  He still gets a rash
occassionally but it's very minor.  It lasts only a
few days and is very managable with benedryl and
Calagel.

I don't know if it's available every where as I think
it may be relatively new.


--- "Rex L. Bavousett" <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> I second the Tech-Nu product and Benadryl to releve
> the itch.  If
> going the perscription drug route, I highly
> recommend Predeisone
> (spelling may be wrong). It is a hard duty drug, a
> steroid, but is
> very effective.
> Rex
>
> >Be sure to check out a product called Tech-Nu.  I
> learned about it years ago
> >from National Park Service folks, who told me it
> has cut employee lost time
> >due to poison ivy exposure by up to 90 percent.
> Tech-Nu comes as a lotion.
> >It breaks down erushiol chemically, on
> contact--even subcutaneously--and
> >it's effective when applied to exposed skin as long
> as 3-4 hours after
> >exposure.  It's possible that I may be part of the
> 15 percent who are immune
> >to poison ivy, however, I use Tech-Nu when I know
> I've been exposed--and
> >that's pretty often!--and I haven't had a problem.
> I've not seen Tech-Nu
> >advertised, but I have seen it for sale at
> Wal-Mart, of all places.
> >
> >--Bill Witt
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From:   Iowa Discussion, Alerts and Announcements
> >[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
> Of Ericka
> >Sent:   Tuesday, June 12, 2001 9:08 AM
> >To:     [log in to unmask]
> >Subject:        Poison Ivy, Oak & Sumac - Resources
> & Relief?
> >Importance:     High
> >
> >I'm working on an article re: "Irritating Plants"-
> would love to receive
> >personal experiences and/or comments on the
> information below...
> >Thanks -
> >Ericka
> >----------
>
>http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=article&ID=1320
> >
> >For weeping blisters:
> >*    Mix 2 teaspoons of baking soda in 1 quarter (4
> cups) of water.
> >*    Dip squares of gauze in this mixture.
> >*    Cover the blisters with the wet gauze for 10
> minutes, four times a day.
> >(Do not apply this to the eyes.)
> >
> >*    Make sure you wash all clothes and shoes with
> hot water and a strong
> >soap. Also, bathe pets who have come in contact
> with poison ivy, oak or
> >sumac. The sap can stay on pets for many days.
> >*    Keep your hands away from your eyes, mouth and
> face.
> >*    Do not scratch or rub the rash.
> >*    Apply any of these to the skin rash:
> >*    Calamine (not Caladryl) lotion
> >*    Zinc oxide ointment
> >*    Paste made with baking soda - mix 3 teaspoons
> of baking soda with 1
> >teaspoon of water
> >*    Take a bath with lukewarm water and an
> over-the-counter product called
> >Aveeno colloidal oatmeal
> >*    Take an over-the-counter antihistamine such as
> Benadryl, as stated on
> >the label
> >
> >If self-care/first aid measures don't bring relief,
> call your doctor.
> >----------
> >http://www.aad.org/pamphlets/PoisonIvy.html
> >
> >Poison Oak
> >In the West, this plant may grow as a vine but
> usually is a shrub.
> >(pictured). In the East, it grows as a shrub. Hair
> grows on its fruit, trunk
> >and leaves, which have three leaflets.
> >
> >Poison Ivy
> >In the East, Midwest and South, it grows as a vine.
> In the far Northern and
> >Western United States, Canada and around the Great
> Lakes, it grows as a
> >shrub. Each leaf has three leaflets.
> >
> >Poison Sumac
> >Grows in standing water in peat bogs in the
> Northeast and Midwest and in
> >swampy areas in parts of the Southeast. Each leaf
> has seven to 13 leaflets.
> >
> >Poison Plants: Ivy--Sumac--Oak
> >
> >Those nasty weeds - poison ivy, poison sumac and
> poison oak - are the single
> >most common cause of allergic reactions in the
> United States. Each year 10
> >to 50 million Americans develop an allergic rash
> after contact with these
> >poisonous plants.
> >
> >Poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac grow almost
> everywhere in the United
> >States, except Hawaii, Alaska and some desert areas
> of Nevada. Poison ivy
> >usually grows east of the Rocky Mountains and in
> Canada. Poison oak grows in
> >the Western United States, Canada and Mexico
> (western poison oak) and in the
> >southeastern states (eastern poison oaks). Poison
> sumac grows in the eastern
> >states and Southern Canada.
> >
> >For the sake of convenience, poison ivy in this
> pamphlet will refer not only
> >to ivy but to sumac and oak as well.
> >
> >Poison Ivy Rash
> >
> >Poison ivy rash is an allergic contact rash
> (dermatitis) caused by contact
> >with an oil called urushiol (you-ROO-shee-ol).
> Urushiol is found in the sap
> >of poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac. It is a
> colorless or pale yellow
> >oil that oozes from any cut or crushed part of the
> plant, including the
> >roots, stems and leaves. After exposure to air,
> urushiol turns
> >brownish-black, making it easier to spot. Contact
> with urushiol can occur in
> >three ways:
> >
> >*    Direct contact - touching the sap of the toxic
> plant.
> >*    Indirect contact - touching something to which
> urushiol has spread. The
> >oil can stick to the fur of animals, to garden
> tools or sports equipment, or
> >to any objects that have come into contact with a
> crushed or broken plant.
> >*    Airborne urushiol particles, such as from
> burning plants, may come in
> >contact with your skin.
> >
> >Once urushiol touches the skin, it begins to
> penetrate in minutes. In those
> >who are sensitive, a reaction appears as a line or
> streak of rash, usually
> >within 12 to 48 hours. Redness and swelling occur,
> often followed by
> >blisters and severe itching. In a few days, the
> blisters may become crusted
> >and begin to scale. The rash takes 10 days or
> longer to heal.
> >
> >The rash can affect almost any part of your body,
> especially where your skin
> >is thin, such as on your face. A rash develops less
> often on the soles of
> >your feet and palms of your hands, where the skin
> is thicker. The rash does
> >not spread, although it may seem to when it breaks
> out in new areas. This
> >may happen because urushiol absorbs more slowly
> into skin that is thicker,
> >such as on your forearms, legs and trunk.
> >
> >Who's Sensitive, Who's Not
> >
> >We are not born with a sensitivity to poison ivy.
> Sensitivity develops after
> >the first direct skin contact with the oil
> urushiol. An allergic reaction
> >seldom occurs on the first exposure. A second
> encounter can produce a
> >reaction, which may be severe. About 85 percent of
> all people will develop
> >an allergic reaction when adequately exposed to
> poison ivy.
> >
> >This sensitivity varies from person to person.
> People who reach adulthood
> >without becoming sensitive have only a 50 percent
> chance of developing an
> >allergy to poison ivy. However, do not assume that
> you are one of the few
> >people who are not sensitive. Only about 15 percent
> of people seem to be
>
=== message truncated ===


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