Whether you are working or just enjoying the outdoors, look out for these plants. Poison ivy is generally found east of the Rocky Mountains, growing as vines or shrubs. The leaves can have either smooth or notched edges and are often clustered in groups of three.
Poison oak is more commonly found west of the Rockies, usually as a small bush but sometimes as a climbing vine. Its leaves are smooth-edged and cluster in groups of three, five, or seven.
Poison sumac is most often found in wet areas of the Southeast. The leaves are generally smooth and oval-shaped, with seven to 13 growing on each stem.
The appearance of each of these plants can vary considerably from region to region, and with the seasons. Even dead plants in underbrush can transmit the toxic oil to your skin.
The rash caused by poison ivy, oak, and sumac is an allergic skin reaction to an oil, called urushiol, which is in the plant. This oil is found in all parts of the plant, including the leaves, stems, roots, and berries.
Exposure to the oil occurs through touching any part of the plants, touching clothing or other objects that have contacted the plants, touching pets or other animals that have contacted the plants, and exposure to the smoke of burning plants.
Exposure to poison ivy, oak, or sumac causes an itching rash that usually appears within 24-72 hours. The rash usually starts as small red bumps, and later develops blisters of variable size. The rash may crust or ooze. The rash may be found anywhere on the body that has contacted the oil from the plant. It can have any shape or pattern, but is often in straight lines or streaks across the skin. Different skin areas can break out at different times, making it seem as if the rash is spreading.
Contrary to popular belief, leakage of blister fluid does not spread the rash. It is spread only by additional exposure to the oil, which often lingers on hands, clothing and shoes (which are often overlooked as carriers), or tools.
See your health care provider if you have Large areas of rash causing significant discomfort, rash on your mouth, genitals, or around your eyes, an area of the rash that becomes infected or drains pus, or if you have a great deal of swelling.
People who are highly sensitive to these plants can get a severe reaction, called anaphylaxis. If you have swelling of the face and throat or difficulty breathing, feel dizzy or faint, or lose consciousness, you may be having an anaphylactic reaction. If you have any of these symptoms, go immediately to a hospital emergency department. Do not attempt to drive yourself; if no one is available to drive you immediately, call 911 for emergency medical treatment. While waiting for the ambulance to come, begin self-treatment measures.
If you are exposed to any of these plants or their oils, wash thoroughly with soap and water as soon as possible. An alternative is rubbing alcohol, which can dissolve and remove the oils from your skin. If you can remove the oil within 10 minutes, you are unlikely to develop the rash.
Symptoms from a mild rash can sometimes be relieved by Cool compresses with water or milk, calamine - A nonprescription lotion, aveeno oatmeal bath - A product you put in the bath to relieve itching, or oral antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) - Caution: these medications may make you too drowsy to drive a car or operate machinery safely.
Nonprescription corticosteroid (eg, hydrocortisone) creams usually do not help.
Do not attempt to treat severe reactions or to "wait it out" at home. Go immediately to the nearest emergency department or call an ambulance.
While waiting for the ambulance Try to stay calm, prevent further exposure to the "poisonous" plant, take an antihistamine (one to two tablets or capsules of diphenhydramine [Benadryl]) if you can swallow without difficulty, if you are wheezing or having difficulty breathing, use an inhaled bronchodilator such as albuterol (Proventil) or epinephrine (Primatene Mist) if one is available.
These inhaled medications dilate the airway., if you are feeling lightheaded or faint, lie down and raise your legs higher than your head to help blood flow to your brain, if you have been given an epinephrine kit for a previous allergic reaction, inject yourself as you have been instructed.
The kit provides a premeasured dose of epinephrine, a prescription drug that rapidly reverses the most serious symptoms, bystanders should administer CPR to a person who becomes unconscious and stops breathing or does not have a pulse, and if at all possible, you or your companion should be prepared to tell medical personnel what medications you take and your allergy history.
Finally, like most allergic reactions, treatment is dictated by the severity of the reaction. Reactions that cover a large proportion of your body, make you uncomfortable enough to disrupt your normal activities, or do not get better within a few days may require treatment with prescription medications.
If you are allergic to poison ivy then you suffer from allergies Type 4 or delayed allergies. Up to 90 percent of people are allergic to the urushiol oil that causes the poison ivy rash. Over half of the population will experience a rash with the first contact of the poison ivy plant and is considered the most common allergy in the country.
Symptoms of poison ivy allergy is a severe itching of the skin that later develop into an inflammation of the skin. Red oozing sores or blisters can develop in sever cases and the fluid will have a slight yellowish color.
Some of us can roll in poison ivy and come out without any problems, while others can merely brush up against a few leaves of the stuff and they are scratching for weeks. In most cases, allergies are more annoying that debilitating but to the extreme allergy suffers life can be pure misery or even death.
Just because you do not develop systems the first few times you come into contact with poison ivy does not mean that you are immune. It may take several exposures to poison ivy before symptoms develop. The more times you are exposed to the usushiol the more likely it is that you will break out in a rash. Symptoms usually occur within 2 to 3 days.
It only take 1 billionth of a gram to cause the rash. 1/4 of an ounce of urushiol is all that is needed to cause a rash in every person on earth.
The usushiol oil can still be found on dead poison ivy plants for up to five years. Direct contact is the most common way of catching poison ivy however, you can catch poison ivy by just being close to the plants if the urushiol oil becomes airborne due to the plants are being burned, like in a forest fire, or because of the actions of a lawnmower or weed trimmer.
Scratching or rubbing the rashes will not spread the poison ivy rash unless you still have the urushiol oil on your hands. This also means that poison ivy is not contagious and you will not be able to give it to another person. Scratching can lead to scaring and infection of the affected area so it is not recommended.
Over the years I have developed poison ivy rash numerous times and I have tried many different treatments and I have found only two treatments that work for me. The first is with my Doctor giving me a steroid shot of Prednisone. Symptoms usually start to improve within 24 hours.
The second treatment is one that I have never found documented anyplace else. Back in the early 60s an old country doctor told me of this treatment. Go to your pharmacy and get a solution of 5 percent carbolic acid in olive oil. Rub the solution on the rash. Within minutes you will see a yellowish fluid appearing on top of the red sores or blisters. Mop up the fluid and when no more fluid develops after several minutes reapply the carbolic acid in olive oil solution. This treatment will start to relieve the symptoms with an hour or two but will take 1 to 2 weeks to cure the poison ivy rash. The carbolic acid in olive oil solution seems to act as some type of drawing agent and I have successfully used it on bee stings and insect bites.
Avoidance is the best advice for Posion Ivy Allergy. Leave of three then let them be.
Always consult your doctor before using this information.
This Article is nutritional in nature and is not to be construed as medical advice.
Both Alisha Dhamani & David Cowley are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Alisha Dhamani has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Careers and Job Hunting and Health. Jigfo.com is a global platform for sharing and learning knowledge. For more information on this article topics visit:. Alisha Dhamani's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.
David Cowley has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Aging Supplement and Heart Conditions. David Cowley has created numerous articles on allergies. He has also created a Web Site dedicated to allergies and how to treat them. . David Cowley's top article generates over 110000 views. to your Favourites.