I used to go the doctor when I got poison ivy, but there is a much better way to solve the problem.
Originally published 2011
I used to go to the doctor, because nothing on the shelves at the time did any good at all. Not Calamine lotion, or any other cream or ointment I could buy.
The doctor would give me cortisone shots and a prescription for cortisone pills, because that was the only they new to bring it under control. It worked, but cortizone works by suppressing the immune system. That’s a dangerous medical practice that can lead to Lupus — a disease that occurs when the immune system has been totally demolished. But there is a much simpler remedy. Since discovering it, I haven’t needed to go to the doctor once — even after a couple of truly major exposures to the stuff.
The remedy is a soap called TecNu that has been formulated to break up the oils those plants contain — urishol. (You’d think that dish soap would work, since it’s formulated to break up oils. But I never had any success with it.
Originally formulated for the U.S. Forest Service,TecNu is available in drug stores and supermarkets these days, and it works a charm! You just rub it gently for a couple of minutes, and then rinse it off with cool water. Bingo! Problem solved. (For more, see Curing Poison Oak and Poison Ivy)
TIP:
I’ve found that TecNu’s shelf life isn’t all that great. It definitely goes stale a month or two after a bottle has been opened, but it might be that it goes stale after sitting on the
shelf for a year or so.So my recommendation is:
- Buy two.
- A couple of weeks after you use one, throw it away.
2. Keep one unopened, for the next time you need it.
3. When the next occasion comes, use what you have, and get a new bottle immediately.
4. If the new case isn’t fully under control in a couple of days, use the new bottle.
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