RE: Poison ivy
- To: "'perennials@mallorn.com'"
- Subject: RE: Poison ivy
- From: P* S*
- Date: Fri, 26 May 2000 07:29:15 -0700
Be careful! No one is guaranteed to be "immune" from allergic events or to
stay "immune" to a specific allergen, including poison ivy.
Allergic reactions develop over time, and are increasingly likely to occur
with repeated exposure. An allergic reaction NEVER occurs at the time of
our first exposure to a substance-- it happens later, after two or more
exposures. Allergy can even develop after years or even decades of
exposure, with no previous reaction. Thus, the person who happily jerks out
poison ivy bare-handed, believing themselves to be "immune", may one day get
a nasty surprise. On the other side, there are some lucky people who may be
heavily exposed to an allergen and never react to it.
With something like poison ivy, which is known to be a potent allergen, I
would strongly advise wearing gloves and protective clothes, even if you
believe the stuff doesn't bother you. By minimizing your exposure to it,
you're lessening the likelihood of developing a future reaction.
For anyone who is sensitive and makes contact with a poison plant, the best
treatment is soap and water, immediately and lots of it! Use a
detergent-based soap to wash off as much of the plant residue/oils as
possible, then change clothes (wash everything in as hot a water as you can,
including garden gloves).
If itching or rash develop a steroid-based cream (e.g. hydrocortisone)
and/or an antihistamine cream (e.g. diphenhydramine, a.k.a. Benadryl) will
help, as will Benadryl (or generic) by mouth. For robust reactions or those
that are severe enough to cause overall illness, the doc should be called,
and in severe cases may give systemic steroids to stop the reaction.
Last comment: As Bob says, when ridding your yards of poison ivy or the
like, never, never, never burn the stuff! Doing so releases the allergenic
substances into the air, where they can wreak havoc as they settle on
people's skin and/or are breathed deeply into their lungs. This type of
exposure has been known to cause fatal reactions in highly-allergic people
or in those with severe asthma.
Sue P., who, when not gardening, has masqueraded as an R.N. for 26 years.
Sue Pesznecker SPesznec@lhs.org Milwaukie, OR. USA
> Of course many people (something like 33% of the population, myself
> included) are immune to poison ivy. Try and find somebody like that to do
>
> the pulling. Others only react after several exposures. Remember not to
> burn
> the vines you pull as the airborne oil can cause a reaction.
>
> Bob Campbell
>
>
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