Poison Ivy, poison oak, poison sumac...... If you're around it long enough does the allergic reaction ever get better? can one build an immunity against it after a lot of exposure? it's quite a nag for nature lovers...
Poison Ivy
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20
There's no 'cure' for allergies, but speaking from experience you can get used to them if they aren't serious. Plants that have "poison" in their name aren't things I'd recommend going out of your way to get used to however.
Mine never has. I have to get shots if the stuff gets on my face. There are things you can use to pretreat your skin and keep from getting it. In the long run it's just one of those things you live with if you are allergic to the oil.
Most people have some level of sensitivity to toxic plants. It's the world's most common allergy. Sensitivity to poison ivy, oak and sumac tends to decline with age. People who got rashes as children usually see their sensitivity decrease by early adulthood. People who were once allergic to poison plants may even lose their sensitivity entirely later in life.
Another source says that some people have no reaction on their first exposure, but do subsequently.
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@Stronn
That's interesting.
Poison Ivy Stories....
So I was about 8 or 9 years old and my friend concocts this stupid idea that we need to get out of school a few days lol. So he takes me to this patch of ivy on the outskirts of the woods and tells me "if we rub this all over our entire body we will get out of school", and like an idiot not knowing what it was we both rolled in the ivy. Since I was unaware how allergic I was to the plant I was in for a big surprise.
So I wake up the following day and I can't see out of my eyes, they are completely swollen shut and I basically stumble down the hall and knock on my moms door. She opens the door and screams! she claimed I looked like an alien, we went to the emergency room of course with me covering my head with a jacket. Yes, we got out of school. I was out for over 2 weeks and still had scars around my eyes and elsewhere. Fun stuff.
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@EtrnlVw
I once heard Les Stroud say he stopped having a reaction to mosquito bites. Mosquitoes still bite him, but it never produces itchy red bumps.
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@Castin
I love that guy.
SCARY!
I've done this several times not knowing I was burning poison ivy, it spread all over my head and neck and everywhere but thankfully not in my lungs even though I'm sure I inhaled smoke from it.
I actually never knew this, be careful....
"Even the smoke from burning poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac contains urushiol and can irritate or harm your nasal passages or lungs."
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@EtrnlVw
Ha, no way. I didn't expect anyone here would ever have heard of him. Nice. I've always considered him the best survival authority available on television. He's interested in filming the reality of survival, not in creating cheap sensationalism.
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@Castin
Oh heck yeah I've been watching Survivor Man since he came out, I've watched everything on Hulu and Netflix lol....I think he actually has his own channel now, like all his shows and everything on it. I believe his most recent venture is this Bigfoot series, kinda funny but I'm glad he's going to do it.
Have you watched "Live free of Die", that's a good one since you don't like the game play stuff. I also really like Bear Grylls, I'm sure you heard of his shows..."Man vs Wild".
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@EtrnlVw
Awww yeah. We are survival fan synergizing right here man. And his own channel is actually news to me.
When he started doing the Bigfoot thing I was actually like, "Seriously?" I really thought it would hurt his credibility, and also I wanted him to make new survival episodes, not Bigfoot episodes. But then I just chilled out and watched them. They were fun, if nothing else. I think that Bigfoot hunter he had as his guide seriously faked some evidence. The most recent thing I saw from Stroud was when he started doing his show with his son, who apparently beat cancer recently.
Ha, the infamous Bear Grylls. I like him, I just think he's a stuntman, not a real survival expert, so he shouldn't pass himself off as a real survival expert. The advice he gave on Man vs Wild was often more likely to endanger people than protect them in a survival situation. He would just run from one reckless danger to the next, saying "here's what you do". Then that whole thing came out about him actually sleeping at a hotel instead of roughing it through the night in the bush (like Les Stroud does). It should have been pretty obvious to everyone that the show was contrived, but there are always some people who don't pick up on it and take it seriously.
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@Castin
Ha! you watched the Bigfoot series already? you're one step ahead of me I haven't seen those yet! except you have to watch some of the other survival shows you missed like Alone and Live Free or Die. Sounds like you're a no-nonsense type of girl, then I would think you would like those two.
Bear Grylls not a real survival expert? have you seen the show where he takes celebrities out to survive, big difference between him and them, I'm sure he could survive alone for a time longer than the average person even if his shows are not 100% survival based.
Ha! you watched the Bigfoot series already? you're one step ahead of me I haven't seen those yet! except you have to watch some of the other survival shows you missed like Alone and Live Free or Die. Sounds like you're a no-nonsense type of girl, then I would think you would like those two.Bear Grylls not a real survival expert? have you seen the show where he takes celebrities out to survive, big difference between him and them, I'm sure he could survive alone for a time longer than the average person even if his shows are not 100% survival based.
A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.
I just think some "survival" shows should be a bit more honest. Survival is about people's lives. And I'm not talking about Survivor or any other melodramatic contestant show -- I'm talking about a survival show where there is a supposed expert who is trying to teach you something and speak with authority.
If a real person tried to follow Bear's advice in a survival situation, or worse, imitate Bear's behavior, he'd be putting his life at risk. Bear does things like jump off waterfalls when he could easily walk around. He picks up giant soggy balls of elephant dung and squeezes the moisture into this mouth. Because there can't be anything bad for your health in wild animal poop, right?
Anyway, I'll try to check out those shows you mentioned. If you decide to watch the Bigfoot eps, let me know what you think. I have indeed seen several of Bear's celebrity wilderness episodes. They were pretty good. He got some big names to come on.
Ha! you watched the Bigfoot series already? you're one step ahead of me I haven't seen those yet! except you have to watch some of the other survival shows you missed like Alone and Live Free or Die. Sounds like you're a no-nonsense type of girl, then I would think you would like those two.Bear Grylls not a real survival expert? have you seen the show where he takes celebrities out to survive, big difference between him and them, I'm sure he could survive alone for a time longer than the average person even if his shows are not 100% survival based.
Oh -- and what I said about "real survival expert". Bear Grylls had survival training in the military and he's not an idiot. But when he's on camera, he's not a survival expert, he's an entertainer who is first and foremost responsible for holding the audience's attention. His shows are about glamor, thrills, and keeping the audience hooked. That's why he does dangerous stunts and eats things that would make you vomit. And there's really nothing wrong with all of that, if you know the show is contrived. Not everyone did, though.And of course there's a big difference between his skill level and the celebrities'. They have no experience with bushcraft. Actor vs outdoorsman.
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@EtrnlVw
I've done this several times not knowing I was burning poison ivy, it spread all over my head and neck and everywhere but thankfully not in my lungs even though I'm sure I inhaled smoke from it.I actually never knew this, be careful....
One July 4th the uncles drug wood out of the fire. Next day all of the family was at the Dr. It's a small town and when he walked out and say all of us (seven aunt with kids) he chuckled. We all got shots that day, lol.
266 days later
Good thing I live in California where poison ivy doesn't exist!
Although we do have Poison Oak sadly RIP
58 days later
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@Stronn
People don't have allergic reactions at first as since allergies are what the body thinks is a big disease there are no antibodies ready to combat the allergen at first and produce no visible reaction, but at the subsequent reactions, the body is ready and combats the allergen creating a visible allergic reaction.
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@WaterPhoenix
58 days later
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@Dr.Franklin
yep