Wellness

[mousiegirl]

I am sitting here with one eye nearly completely swollen shut, my hole face and neck swollen, with my fourth dose of poison oak, at least. I have had a worse dose of it before, but this is not a picnic. Anyway, I went looking for a remedy other than the usual, and this is what I found. There is much more to this article, if anyone wants to google it, but this is what I am doing, and I get two hours between treatment without itching.

What therapies does Dr. Weil recommend for poison oak?

The best treatment for poison oak is to run hot water on the affected areas, as hot as you can stand. This will seem counterintuitive, since heat increases the itching and cold soothes it. Under hot water the itching will briefly become very intense and then will stop for several hours, as if the nerves responsible for conveying the sensation to the brain become overloaded and quit. As soon as the itching starts again, go back to the hot water. If you do this conscientiously the whole reaction will complete itself quickly and your skin will return to normal much faster than it would otherwise.

[doxie1]

If you have it near your eye or nose you may need to see a doctor. Good luck to you. I hate having poison ivy.

doxie

[mousiegirl]

I have had it like this before, and am trying to stay away from the doctor if I can.

[Junebug54]

Mousie I feel your pain. I have had poison ivy many, many times and also on my face and neck. I have always ended up on prednisone. I do, however, know exactly what you mean about the hot, hot water. It does work. Here's hoping for a short duration for you. Seems early so you must live somewhere south. I'm in MA. I also have to "knock on wood" as I haven't had it for a few years.

[wildcat fan]

Hot showers always made me feel better. However, I found that heat would cause flare ups during the day, so I tried to keep the air conditioning cold as I could stand it. When I would get into a hot car, for example, the itching would become unbearable. I am extremely allergic and haven't been able to cure it on my own. I always ended up in the doctor's office for shot and meds. I hope you feel better soon, mousiegirl. I understand how miserable it can be.

[september]

Oh my gosh..please see a doctor. I've gotten small rashes on my arms and legs, but I know if it affects any area other than extremities, especially your eyes, you need to see a professional.

[mousiegirl]

On 4/1/2015 Junebug54 said:

Mousie I feel your pain. I have had poison ivy many, many times and also on my face and neck. I have always ended up on prednisone. I do, however, know exactly what you mean about the hot, hot water. It does work. Here's hoping for a short duration for you. Seems early so you must live somewhere south. I'm in MA. I also have to "knock on wood" as I haven't had it for a few years.

I live In No. Ca, and we have been having such warm weather, it's ridiculous! Plants are blooming way before they should, pollen is wafting around, crazy, as this is not the weather I grew up in.

[mousiegirl]

On 4/1/2015 wildcat fan said: Hot showers always made me feel better. However, I found that heat would cause flare ups during the day, so I tried to keep the air conditioning cold as I could stand it. When I would get into a hot car, for example, the itching would become unbearable. I am extremely allergic and haven't been able to cure it on my own. I always ended up in the doctor's office for shot and meds. I hope you feel better soon, mousiegirl. I understand how miserable it can be.

Thank you, wildcat fan, I am in my second day, so have a way to go, ugh.

[Big Sister]

My DH told me that when he was a child and got Poison Ivy/Poison Oak he would go into his pool that was chlorinated and that helped greatly.

If you have access to a pool, you may want to try it.

[HiLo]

The old fashioned Homeopathic remedy Rus Tox does the trick all the time. I was desperate till I discovered this remedy and was able to buy it from my local health store; within a couple of days I had so much relief, after a week poison ivy/oak was completely gone. If not available from local store can be bought on line for probably less than $6.00 and and it lasts "forever", I have recommended it to many and all got the same relief.

Hylands Homeopathic Products