Poison ivy alert!
A wet spring and a hot summer have managed to cook up a bumper crop of poison ivy, according to news reports.
And if you are like me, you can never remember what the stuff looks like!
Another theory is that the increase in carbon dioxide in the air that encourages all plants to grow has also increased poison ivy's toxicity.
This summer, the sale of over-the-counter treatments is up and so are doctor's visits - and repeat doctor's visits - for people who have come in contact with the irritating weed.
Gardeners and people with pets are particularly vulnerable, because both can stumble upon it in the yard without knowing. People can develop the rash after contact with animals who have been exposed to poison ivy's oil.
Some poison ivy facts for you:
- Clothing - long sleeves and long pants and gloves - are the best protection against the plant secretions that cause the red rash, the blisters and the itching.
- That rash can either appear immediately, or within a couple of days.
- Poison ivy is stubborn and the reaction can take as long as four weeks to clear.
- Calamine lotion and oatmeal baths - the same things your grandmother recommended - can sooth the itching.
- Poison ivy can appear in a clump, or as a vine.
- You can't spread poison ivy by contact with another person or another body part as long as you have washed the area of initial contact and removed the irritating chemical.
- Among the products you can use for cleansing your skin of poison ivy oils are Tecnu Extreme Medicated Poison Ivy Scrub and Zanfel Poison Ivy Wash.
- There are landscaping services that will remove poison ivy for you.
Comments
The poison ivy vine I threw away brushed the bag opening and my un-gloved hand unfortunately followed suit. A week and change later, an inch-long patch of bumps appeared and although I never scratched it, every day the rash got ever more angry looking. Finally, after a week of oozing, it all finally began to abate. I suppose I should be grateful my first go-round ever with poison ivy didn't spread.
Poison ivy oil is nasty stuff. Don't touch your clothes - wear disposable gloves to remove them and put them directly in the washing machine. And of course, wear disposable gloves when removing poison ivy.
Agreed!!!--Susan
Posted by: Donna Beth Joy Shapiro | August 13, 2010 6:26 PM
I manufacture and market a natural herbal product that stops the itch and heals the rash of poison ivy really fast(usually in one or two days)Is for sale in 175 retail locations and from my website.
GV readers. I can't vouch for this product. I haven't seen it or used it. -- Susan
Posted by: harold Brown | August 16, 2010 11:57 AM
I'm very sensitive to poison ivy. I never thought about a pet. In the past I come down with some poison Ivy without knowing why, we had an out door cat at the time, that could be the answer. Interesting article. Thanks.
Thanks John. -- Susan
Posted by: John the Orchid Man | August 16, 2010 12:06 PM