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Re: [billcoe_] Poison Oak and Ivy issues reliefs cures:
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summerprophet
Jun 22, 2007, 7:13 PM
Views: 8314
Registered: Jan 17, 2004
Posts: 764
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PLEASE NOTE:
THE FOLLOWING ADVICE IS BY EXPERIENCE ONLY. I AM NOT A DOCTOR NOR AN IMMUNOLOGIST. JT512 AND MEDICUS ARE QUICK TO POINT OUT BELOW THAT I AM FULL OF SHIT. REGARDLESS, I WILL KEEP THIS POST UP AS IT REMAINS AS VALUBLE INFOMATION
I am a land surveyor by trade and have quite literally spent weeks hacking through 12' tall poison oak. I (and my helper) have suffered miserably and have learned from our mistakes.
Here is some knowleedge learned from our suffering.
1. Nobody is more allergic or less alergic. Poison Oak is a poisonous oil that literally attacks your immune system. The first time you are exposed you will show of feel nothing, however your body is working on building up antibodies to this poison.
Continued or further exposure results in further damage to your immune system causing greater outbreaks than previously.
Additional immune system weaknesses (Aids, Herpes, Mono) would add to the grief (or kill you).
2. The oil is absorbed by the body through the skin the best way to prevent this from happening is to cover the skin or prevent your pores from opening. Cold weather (not sweating) and clothing would help with this, although the oil will absorb into the clothing and will rub off on whatever the clothing rubs against. If you can find anti-persperent that cantains aluminum it prevents your pores from opening, however, I think that the FDA has begun cracking down on this stuff (also a toxin).
Ice cold showers immediatly after exposure would wash off the oil (as would jumping in a creek) but be aware that the oil will remain on the surface of the water, so dive, scrub and surface elsewhere. Warm baths are a punishment suitable for Nazis.
3. The rash that develops is not actually the Poison Oak. The first few times you get it the area of contact may actually look like a scar, but after that your body is actually covered in a rash from your body overproducing the antibodies. Basically you have hives.
4. The Oil stains your clothing with greenish black dye. I wear white cotton climbing pants while in the stuff. It shows up easier and all the old dye marks remind me to be on the lookout.
5. There are 4 different types in California, so don't get careless when you find yourself in different looking scrub oak
"Nah, we are fine, this stuff has berries, can't be poison oak" (led to two hospital trips and three weeks of suffering, including enough sores on my face that I looked like a meth addict)
6.And Lastly. DO NOT BURN POISON OAK. The smoke contains the oil and willl be inhaled by your lungs, placing you at risk of pulminary failure.
(Thankfully a lesson learned by others, Not me.)
(This post was edited by summerprophet on Jun 22, 2007, 9:28 PM)
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Edit Log:
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Post edited by summerprophet
() on Jun 22, 2007, 9:28 PM
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