The Man Who Got Poison Ivy As Bad As Dr. Nardi…

When I was younger I used to pick poison ivy with my hands and throw it at my brother and friends.  They’d jump out of the way and scream at me.  Now later in life, karma has a way of coming back around.  When I look at the stuff, I break out, head to toe.

We recently had one of our regular members miss a couple of weeks of visits because he didn’t want to expose everyone to his poison ivy.  He told me he was pulling it off trees in his back yard, clipping it, and then pulling the roots not knowing what it was.  Needless to say, he’ll never do that again.  He ended up going to the MD and getting a 2 week Prednisone prescription.  The Prednizone gave him nausea, made him weak, drowsy and tired.  He felt unable to drive at times and found himself sleeping rather than being able to work.

In fact, he now has to heal twice, once from the poison ivy and once from the Prednisone.  As we were talking, he asked “What can I do if I ever get it again?”

The first thing to do is get real and realize, you are a self-healing organism.  BECAUSE YOU ARE ALIVE, if you simply go about your daily life, you will heal.  Nothing needs to be added or taken away.  In fact, healing happens no other way… you just do, you just heal.

Having this epiphany allows us to accept the more practical “solutions” to poison ivy:

1.  Learn what Poison Ivy/Oak, Sumac look like.  Honestly, we live in New England, you need to know what it all looks like
   and the differences.  Prevention is the best remedy.  Perform an internet search and study the pictures.  Then don’t touch the stuff.  Remember the old saying: “Leaves of three, leave it be.” Pay attention to where you are walking and working, keep the eyes and mind open to seeing it and not allowing it to hide in front of your face. (the most often missed items are in plain view, think illusionists, magicians, and the science of slight of hand… ask me about the dancing penguin the next time you get adjusted)
2. Take a COLD shower: Once you realize you contacted poison ivy, take a COLD shower and be sure to scrub thoroughly.  Cold water closes your pores and prevents the oil from seeping into your skin.  Warm and hot water open pores and makes the reaction worse because the oil gets into and underneath the skin.
3. Technu.  Technu is a liquid poison ivy/oak soap.  You can find it in any pharmacy or grocery store.  It’s a pre-shower soap.  Follow the directions to the “T” and it works wonders by breaking up the oils and making them easier to remove in the shower.  I’ve also used Dawn Dish Soap for the same reasons.  In reality any grease fighting soap does the same thing.
4. Zanfel:  I’m not big on meds, but this OTC is the atom bomb of poison ivy remedies.  In other words it’ll knock it out in no time flat.  Back in the summer of 2013, I learned the hard way what sumac looks like by cutting a vine, then pulling it out with my bare hands.  I had a reaction up and down my right arm, chest, face and leg.  It was bright red like a lobster and my thumb swelled up so bad I couldn’t move or bend it.  The pain was intense, worse than when I dislocated my shoulder.  I spoke with a pharmacist friend of mine.  Not wanting Prednisone, she suggested Zanfel.  The sumac was dry in 3 days, pain went away and from there it was less than a week to completely heal up.  I’ve since suggested it to a couple of people who had the exact same results.  It also costs about $25 for an 1 oz tube.  I’d use it again in a heartbeat.
5. Go for a swim:  Poison Ivy is a great time to put that town pool/YMCA pool pass to good use.  Salt and Chlorine help dry out the oils and relieves the pain.  A weekend in the ocean works similarly as does soaking in Epsom salts.  If you have your own pool, super chlorinate it and soak.  (Make sure you wear goggles over you eyes and shower thoroughly when you’re done.)  Should you choose this option, keep in mind the following…
6. The “common sense isn’t so common” remedies: gasoline and bleach: Internet searches reveal these two chemicals work to break up the poison ivy oils like the grease soaps.  While that may be true, don’t do it; Understand the source of your material and utilize common sense.  Chemical burns aren’t fun and like the prednisone, you’ll have to heal twice, once from the ivy rash and once from the chemical burn.
7. Lastly, learn to suck it up.  I understand the comfort argument, but pain relievers that provide comfort during difficult times are turning us into a country of wimps.  Get used to dealing with pain and pain no longer is an issue.  When you get a small rash, don’t run out to the pharmacy or ER for calamine, cortisol, or other OTC/prescription remedies that only serve to mask the issue.  Allow your life the time it needs to heal and you’ll be grateful how quickly it reacts the next time, if there is a next time.

I’ve personally utilized everything on this list (not the items in #6) at one time or another and can say i’d do them each again.  Chiropractic is about the connections we make and allowing the life we live to flow freely.  It’s a spiritual point of view.  These remedies are here to help, but they don’t heal.  Not one of them will heal you.  Only YOU HEAL YOU.

In the comments section: Write me your favorite poison ivy story and remedy that I didn’t talk about here.  Also, write down what each picture above is (poison ivy, oak, sumac)