Some Facts About Poison Ivy

Living in Manhattan, I only have to worry about the muggers, rapists and murderers...no problem; no big deal.  Going to the Catskills every weekend...well, it's a jungle out there!  Snakes, buzzards, lizards, bears, and POISON IVY!!!  Yikes!  Makes Manhattan look like the Land of Oz...
As we saw in yesterday's blog, the poison ivy leaf is know as the 'group of three' leaves.  Today, let's talk about what to do if you are exposed to this nasty plant.

This photo is what a typical rash looks like on the leg when exposed to poison ivy.  Yes folks, it feels exactly the way it looks.  Some individuals can be immune to poison ivy, but most people develop a rash after contact with poison ivy, poison sumac and poison oak. Be warned:  it could take many exposures before you begin to develop an allergic response to urushiol, the chemical in poison ivy that triggers the rash. Per the FDA, if you have come in contact with poison ivy, you should immediately clean the exposed areas with rubbing alcohol.  Wash the exposed areas with water only (no soap - it can spread the urushiol).  After cleansing, take a shower with soap and warm water. Once you're cleaned up, put disposable gloves on and wipe everything you had with you at the time of contact (shoes, tools,clothes) with rubbing alcohol and water.  Now, if you're like me and completely oblivious to the great outdoors and all the fun it brings, the urushiol has remained on your skin and you're bound for a rash. Better to scrub anyway. Over the counter products are available (Zanfel, Ivy Cleanse Towelettes, Tecnu Extreme Poison Ivy Scrub, Ivy Dry) if you don't want to use rubbing alcohol or bleach.  Poison ivy is not contagious; so tell your honey bunny that she or he will not get a rash if you want to be intimate....it's not the coodies!  I was very fortunate...a friend, who is highly allergic to poison ivy, was kind and gave me an extra bottle of Ivarest Medicated Poison Ivy Cleansing Foam.  This seems to be doing the trick for the itchy burning sensation on my legs.  I highly recommend it.  Jewel Weed (if you can get it), Oatmeal poultices, Gold Bond Anti Itch Powder and whatever else you can get your hands on will help as well.
In certain cases like mine, a diagnosis of poison ivy can be difficult because the rash can be insidous (sneaky) and not show for several days.  A person can completely forget any contact with a vine, bush or shrub that could be suspicious.  The initial signs might look like just a scratch or a few bug bites, then, in a matter of days, blisters can develop, and itchy, red bumps appear on the skin like a strand of evil red pearls.
Don't forget, if you have been in contact with poison sumac and poison oak, the symptoms and signs can be the same as poison ivy...ughh!  In the medical field, these rashes are called allergic contact dermatitis; a linear, puritic (pusy), erythematous (red), papulovesicular (pimpley-like) rash.  The bad news is this:  the rash becomes worse over the course of a few days if not treated, and typically does not disappear for up to three weeks after contact when it is treated!  Esthetically, it's not very attractive, ladies you won't be able to shave your hairy legs and people will look at you like you have something really awful.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Go online to the site I posted yesterday and educate yourself and your children on how to identify poisonous plants.  Note:  if you have a dog, you can contract a rash by brushing up against the pet.  Dogs are not affected by poison ivy, so if your family pet is exposed, get out the disposable gloves and throw away clothes.  Give the dog the bath of its life and save yourselves some misery.  Stay tuned tomorrow for more on poisonous plants!

My Initiation To Poison Ivy

My landscaping project was moving along quite nicely the past two weekends.  Trimming the hedges, pulling dead vines, twigs and other weedy things from the perimeter of the dealership...everything was looking really lovely...until....
4 days later, in Manhattan, my medial calves started to itch.  I had what looked like a series of bites going from just above my medial ankles to the medial calves.  I thought it was some beetle at the golf course that had gotten to me or there was a new type of 'radiated' mosquito that had invaded lower Manhattan.  I tried a topical anti inflammatory creme which gave a little relief, but the next day, the rash began to look like a line of pearls, all different sizes.  Now, my imagination started to run away with me.  I thought, "what if some crazy type of bug injected eggs into my legs and I start seeing movement under the skin in a few days?"  We have all different types of soaks and cremes in Chinese Medicine for everything, but I was nowhere near a Chinese pharmacy to get some relief.  So,  the next day, it was off to Duane Reade for some topical Benadryl and back upstate for the weekend.  No relief.  So, Saturday, I went to the local pharmacist, who took one look and said 'poison ivy', loaded me up with soaps, gels, cremes and wished me luck.  My first order of the day was to get one of the locals to give me a botany lesson on what this stuff looks like.  When I saw what it was, my response was 'do you have any idea how much of this stuff I pulled out around the dealership?  At LEAST two wheelbarrow-fulls'.  (They said God takes care of fools and dogs...).  My second retort was, 'where do I get me some napalm to kill this stuff?'

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  This is a photo of what poison ivy looks like....really pretty, isn't it?  Here's a link to all the different disguises it has.   http://www.poison-ivy.org/html/faq.html.   Tomorrow, I'll tell you about what you need to know if you've been exposed to poison ivy, oak or sumac...photos to follow as well.  I'm off to get some good drugs  and herbal washes for my legs....like I always tell my patients, there is a time for Eastern Medicine and a time for Western Medicine.  This is the time for both to work hand-in-hand!