Poison Ivy
Can I exercise if I have poison ivy? Will sweating spread the rash? What will stop this insanely awful itch?
These are the questions I ask myself (and Google) as I lie awake trying really hard not to scratch the poison ivy rash I got clearing away weeds from the fence the other day. Here is what I’ve found:
Can I exercise if I have poison ivy?
The main question here is if poison ivy is contagious by exposure to someone’s rash. The rash itself is NOT contagious, it’s direct contact with the oil from the plant, called urushiol, that causes the problem. Once this toxic oil gets on your skin it penetrates it and causes a rash within 12 to 48 hours. The oil can also be on your clothes. Water gets rid of the oil, so make sure you wash any clothes (or towels!) exposed.
Will sweating spread the rash?
According to Medline Plus, a service of the US National Library of Medicine, sweating will NOT spread the rash but it WILL aggravate it. So, stay cool.
HOW DO I STOP THIS ITCH??????
The pharmacist at CVS told me to use Calamine lotion and take antihistamine. (Did that. Still itchy…)
Here is a natural home remedies link I found: http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/natural-medicine/home-remedies/home-remedies-for-poison-ivy2.htm
The article suggested several things, including cold compresses, which I’m trying out now as I type. (It’s working in the short term.) My daughter’s Fancy Nancy book mentions jewel-weed, but I have no idea where to find this.
Apparently the rash on my arms will last 1-3 weeks (oh joy). I’m going to skip the cardio this week to avoid the whole ‘sweat aggravates it’ thing.
Do you have any good poison ivy remedies you’d like to share?
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I have had poison ivy many times in my life and seem to have a propensity for getting it on my face…there are soaps like Ivarest that really help as do any drying soaps you might have for acne. Keep it dry and oil free, sometimes washing away excess oil multiple times per day…this will cause it to dry up and stop itching much quicker. Good old fashion lye soap work well too
Thanks – I will check CVS to see if they sell that soap. I think I have some acne soap somewhere…
Epson salt baths help a little. I got into some poison ivy last year and it was miserable! I found some calamine lotion that said “plus itch relief” on the bottle, so I used that a lot. Nothing really helped 100% though. 🙁 Hope you feel better soon!
Thanks – will try that too!
Hi! Try rubbing the inside of a banana peel on the ulcers and let the goopy stuff dry on you. It always works for me, though I sometimes have to reapply it every few hours the first day.
Never heard of that – will try it out. Thanks!
THe best cure, steriod shot, and the best lotion or linament, is Lidocaine ointment, if you can’t get a prescrip for it, then use anbesol, numbing teething gell, Works WONDERS.
Thanks – good advice!
Use grandpas pine tar soap and after you wash out the poison from your skin use raw coconut oil to clear the the welts but only if u feel that you got all poison out using the soap. Massage your skin with the oil this all works way better than any drugstore bs like calamine doesn’t work and neither does cortisone go natural it’s the only way. Grandpas pine tar soap can be found at most health food stores a lot of people use it for poison ivy and other skin problems or as a everyday soap.
Benadryl will help if u really need it use the liquid gel caps for faster relief and take 2.
Thanks – I will have to try it out!
Thank you so much for this article. I live in Florida and while on vacation in Michigan, I got poison ivy from running in the woods! I would like to continue to run because I an avid runner. But it looks as if I need to just focus on staying cool and do indoor gym instead of sweaty cardio. Thank you again! Stay fit!
Ouch! Hang in there – poison ivy will eventually go away and you will happily running again.
prednisone pack is the only thing that gets rid of it for me. And Benedryl to stop the itching
Thanks for the info!
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