Poison Ivy

[Murse121]

Hello everyone,

I did some searching with little luck, and apologize ahead of time if this has been answered. Wanted to see if there are any suggestions for clearing a case of persistent, widespread poison ivy? Im asking on behalf of my father. For most of his adult life, his body seems to have an strong reaction to poison ivy. Intense itching, spreading, welts that ooze considerably but eventually slough off. These episodes can go on for nearly a month. He typically never used any prescriptions for it, but for this recent bout, he finally went to the doctor who prescribed him some sort of topical corticosteroid. This doesnt appear to have helped any.

I dont doubt that there are horomones at play, at some level, and of course histamine, locally. I referred him to some of rays articles for ideas. He has a strong background in A & P and would be receptive to other viewpoints. Perhaps systemic/skin level estrogen is the problem behind the intense reaction?

I have seen passing suggestions for things like charcoal(orally) and solban(topically). For topical solutions, my instincts would be to try DHEA, pregnenolone or some combination of the two. Perhaps cyproheptadine. Correcting any systemic abnormalities with estrogen, looking at lab work might also be worth a look. Any other suggestions for the immediate and long term?
Thanks in advance.

 

[tac a wah]

IVY POISONING; I would first use a Homeopathic RHUS TOX for a whole year or more, JEWEL WEED (impatiens capensis) juice applied can be extremely effective, I have never found anything as effective as this juice. It can be frozen in ice cube tray and rubbed on as needed.

 

[Murse121]

tac a wah - thanks for the reply and I will definitely pass this information along

 

[RealNeat]

iodine tincture works to prevent infection but povidone iodine works even better to dry the blisters and prevent infection. The only problem is that povidone iodine seems somewhat toxic as its essentially made from vinyl. Thats why i stick to 2% iodine tincture dabbed on the blisters. Hot showers release histamine. I would use a shower head handle and get the water very hot, be careful, short exposures to the effected areas will release histamine and subside itching for 2-4 hours. Also a paste of green clay mixed with equal parts ACV left on for 15-20 minutes then washed off with warm water offers relief and potential pulling of toxins from the skin too.

 

[james2388]

From someone who had half the side of their shin sloughing off, the only thing you can do is wait, not scratch, and take the corticosteroids to produce the right inflammatory bodies to fight the poison. Tell your father to buy better clothing. All the things you are suggesting may be good for metabolic health, but not directly tied to treating poison ivy especially if he is not health conscious, he'll just take the prednisone and be on his way in a couple weeks. Let the body fight the poison. I think their may sprays that help with poison ivy.

 

[Nebula]

Baking soda paste seemed to help a lot the last time I got some on me. Also soaking immersed in cold water to reduce inflammation.

 

[John Estrada]

I would recommend Ivarest Cream. I'm not sure what chemical they use and I'm sure it's not good for you but at least it works well.