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Danger, Will Robinson!


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apparently poison ivy is still a danger in the winter. i'm sitting here wth a brand-new (mild) case of what my doctor thinks is poison ivy. nevermind i have to dig through snow to get it.

 

i'd say it was poison ivy, i said.

so would i, quoth she.

except it's winter, and wou weren't in contact.

 

well, actually.....

 

so. long sleeves and glove liners are apparently not good enough. you've been warned.

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See, the thing you have to no is that poison ivy lasts a LONG time. You can be wearing long pants while out and about, rub up against some poison ivy, and it might not get through your pants, but if those pants aren't washed, the poison ivy can stay on them as long as a year, and still infect you...

 

The moral of the story?

 

Well, actually, I don't quite know...

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Actually, it's the oil (called urushiol) in the poison ivy plant that causes the allergic reaction. This oil is present in all parts of the plant at all times of the year. Theoretically, you can touch the plant without getting poison ivy if the plant is not damaged, but I am not going to be the one to test that theory.

Another point to bring up is that burning poison ivy is a very bad idea. The oil is mixed in with the smoke, so breathing the smoke can lead to poison ivy in your lungs.

 

For more information, I suggest reading:

Nature's Revenge

by Susan Carol Hauser

 

 

RichardMoore

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My brother has a severe allergy to the stuff....as a kid, he didn't have to come in contact with it...on humid days in eastern Kansas, I think the oils in the plant would actually combine with the humidity and drift around.....we once burned a woodpile on the farm, and my brother nearly died from inhaling the smoke (there was poison ivy on the wood), so yes, it's true that the smoke from poison ivy can be hazardous. Mebbe we should mix a little with some tobacco and drop it for the Iraqi guerilla fighters!! :D

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I'm not allergic to poison ivy. <knock on wood> I often times camp right in a patch of the evil stuff. I've found it makes pretty good bedding in the spring. If it gets in my way, I pull it up with my bear hands (please don't try this at home).

 

In my younger years I was very allergic to poison ivy; I've had several severe cases.

 

I know most of you will say I'm an idiot; I should not tempt nature. I also know that my bodily reactions to allergies can change any time. I guess I just like to live dangerously.

 

I've been a friend of poison ivy for around 40 years now. I may even try some poison ivy tea this year! :D

 

And I sympathize with the majority of people who have bad reactions. I have been there, and I have many friends today who are very allergic to poison ivy. :D

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I'm not allergic to poison ivy. <knock on wood> I often times camp right in a patch of the evil stuff. I've found it makes pretty good bedding in the spring. If it gets in my way, I pull it up with my bear hands (please don't try this at home).

 

In my younger years I was very allergic to poison ivy; I've had several severe cases.

 

I know most of you will say I'm an idiot; I should not tempt nature. I also know that my bodily reactions to allergies can change any time. I guess I just like to live dangerously.

 

I've been a friend of poison ivy for around 40 years now. I may even try some poison ivy tea this year! :D

 

And I sympathize with the majority of people who have bad reactions. I have been there, and I have many friends today who are very allergic to poison ivy. :D

I have an uncle who is in his 60's and has always been immune to the stuff......

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Actually, it's the oil (called urushiol) in the poison ivy plant that causes the allergic reaction. This oil is present in all parts of the plant at all times of the year. Theoretically, you can touch the plant without getting poison ivy if the plant is not damaged, but I am not going to be the one to test that theory.

Another point to bring up is that burning poison ivy is a very bad idea. The oil is mixed in with the smoke, so breathing the smoke can lead to poison ivy in your lungs.

 

For more information, I suggest reading:

Nature's Revenge

by Susan Carol Hauser

 

 

RichardMoore

Winter can be one of the worst times as the urushiol is concentrated in the berries. If you aren't familiar with these, they are small clusters of whiteish berries on the vines. The berries are slightly smaller or about the size of a bb, the clusters are 1' to 2" long.

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Actually, it's the oil (called urushiol) in the poison ivy plant that causes the allergic reaction.  This oil is present in all parts of the plant at all times of the year.  Theoretically, you can touch the plant without getting poison ivy if the plant is not damaged, but I am not going to be the one to test that theory.

Another point to bring up is that burning poison ivy is a very bad idea.  The oil is mixed in with the smoke, so breathing the smoke can lead to poison ivy in your lungs.

 

For more information, I suggest reading:

Nature's Revenge

by Susan Carol Hauser

 

 

RichardMoore

Winter can be one of the worst times as the urushiol is concentrated in the berries. If you aren't familiar with these, they are small clusters of whiteish berries on the vines. The berries are slightly smaller or about the size of a bb, the clusters are 1' to 2" long.

Oh....those aren't "mini-grapes"? Guess I should get rid of the jelly...... :D

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If you're hiking out yonder in the woods

And you have to imitate a bear

Examine those leaves you're about to use

With the greatest possible care!

 

Use care when doing a #1 as well as #2! A friend of mine did that. He couldn't even wear underpants so he had no choice but to tell his mother. She immediately rushed him to the emergency room where all the residents took turns to look at his big, red, swollen, bumpy pee pee. Apparently he made for a good learning experience among the young doctors.

 

...dadgum was that funny! 20 years and he still hasn't heard the end of that story. :ph34r: Just mention poison ivy and watch his face go :ph34r:

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at least one would hope that 20 years ago there weren't any female interns carefully examining his Yung-Wang-Chung.

 

I got my worst case by going offtrail and fighting my way through about 100 feet of Poison Oak thicket. My arms were brick-red from wrist to armpit.

 

I saw Marky two days ago and he had an incredible case. Like the ones you see on the Zanfel website. He told me his arms were weeping so bad he had to wrap his arms in towels for a few days.

 

I have used this stuff, and while it isn't a cure-all, it did stop my itch. What can happen though is that exposure to enough oil will result in it making it's way into the lymph system, and then it can spread all over the body.

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