MyHealthTabs.com | A Trending Content Hub

Home Remedies to Treat Poison Ivy Rashes Effectively

A serene, natural and green environment is the best therapy that you need. But, one thing you need to be wary of is the poisonous plants that lurk around the corner, waiting to come in contact with you.

Poison ivy is one of the most common allergies that Americans face, with over 50 million people suffering from it each year. Statistics show that about 85 percent of the population is allergic to poison ivy.

Poison ivy contains urushiol, which is an oily resin that is responsible for causing an allergic reaction. Urushiol is found in the roots, stems, and leaves of the poison ivy plant, and when you touch or brush against this plant, you end up with a poison ivy rash.

Symptoms of Poison Ivy: How can you tell?
The symptoms of poison ivy allergy or rash include swelling, itching, and redness in the affected area. You might even experience difficulty in breathing. The rash might turn into blisters. Since the plant has sharp edges, the rash might look like a straight line, as you’ve most likely brushed against it.

Poison Ivy Treatment

Cold compress
Applying a cold compress can help soothe your skin as well as decrease the itchiness and prevent the urge to scratch the affected area. When you scratch the rashes, you tend to make it worse as your skin will get damaged. A cold compress can also help soothe inflammation.

Lemon juice
Lemon juice is a natural astringent. Since the oily resin in the poison ivy plant is what causes the rash and allergy, lemon juice can work as an excellent poison ivy treatment. Make sure you apply the lime juice as soon as you come in contact with the poison ivy, and before the oily resin gets into your skin. However, lemon juice can irritate a few people. So, if you fall into this category, avoid using it.

Witch Hazel
Like a cold compress, witch hazel can help reduce itchiness as well. You can directly apply it to your skin or mix it with a little bit of water and dab it on your skin with a ball of cotton.

Alcohol
Applying alcohol immediately after coming in contact with a poison ivy plant can slow down the oily resin from penetrating into the skin. You can rub alcohol on the affected area. The best thing to do is carry it around if you know you will be exposed to a poison ivy plant.

Aloe vera
Aloe vera has many medicinal properties, and it can do wonders in healing a poison ivy rash or allergy. Scrap out the aloe vera gel from the inside of the plant and apply it on the rash. You can buy aloe vera gel from a local store as well. Aloe vera gel will soothe the rash and help get rid of the allergy fast.

Oatmeal
Oatmeal is your go-to treatment for a lot of problems like acne, blackheads, to exfoliate your skin and more. It makes for a great poison ivy treatment as well. All you need to do is grind the oatmeal to make a fine powder, put it into an old, clean cloth and leave it in your bathtub for a while. You can then soak in this for about 30 minutes. If this is too much hard work, just dip the cloth with the oatmeal in a little water and dab it over the affected area. This remedy can bring quick relief from the itchiness. It also reduces the redness and soothes the inflammation that poison ivy allergies cause.

Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar can help stop the urushiol from going too deep into your skin. It can also help remove it effectively. Apple cider vinegar has a cooling effect on your skin. Dip a ball of cotton into some apple cider vinegar and dab it on your skin as soon as the first signs of a rash or allergy appears.

Baking soda
Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate can work as an excellent cleaning agent. Also, it is the most recommended poison ivy treatment if you’ve developed any blisters. Mix about three teaspoons of baking soda with one teaspoon of water and apply this paste to the rash or blisters. You can then cover the area with a sterile gauze. Do this especially if the blister is oozing. Keep changing the dressing twice or thrice a day till the rash subsides.

Over the counter creams and ointments
There are a variety of creams, ointments, lotions, and drugs that are available. You can use lotions like calamine; it can help soothe the inflammation and prevent the rash from getting worse. Hydrocortisone and other medications that contain zinc oxide can help as well.

Popular Reads

You Will Not Believe This Common Condition Is One of the Brain Tumor Symptoms

You know about headaches and seizures, but did you know that this common condition is one of the brain tumor symptoms you ought to watch out for? Brain tumors manifest in symptoms for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, the brain is a very compact organ, and there is little to no space to accommodate the growth of other tissue inside the brain. Secondly, depending on exactly where they are growing inside the brain, these tumors push against and impose pressure on certain parts, and cause varying symptoms. Perhaps, the most common early warning symptom of brain tumors is a headache . Headaches may be severe to start off with, or may have a tendency to worsen early in the morning or after any activity. The second most commonly reported symptom of brain tumors is seizures or fits. Also known as convulsion, motor seizures are characterized by sudden involuntary movements of the muscles in a person’s body. Depending on the area that the tumor is pushing against, you may experience different types of seizures. The most common ones are myoclonic and tonic-clonic or Grand Mal seizures. Less common brain tumor symptoms include changes in sensory perceptions without being unconscious, personality/memory changes, nausea and vomiting and fatigue .

Everything You Need to Know About Haemophilia in Children

Get all your questions pertaining to haemophilia in children answered here. A first aid kit is your best friend as a parent. Children seem to know just how to walk in an unbalanced gait and topple over without any external help. The result is an extraordinary number of bumps and bruises that need more than a mother’s kiss to make better. While bruises and scrapes are a normal part of childhood, haemophilia children need extra care. A bruise or cut would heal and scab over for others, but for haemophilia children, even the smallest cuts are a cause of concern. If you are a parent with haemophilia children or would just like to know more about the condition to help your loved ones handle it better, here are the answer to the most common questions when it comes to haemophilia in children. What is Haemophilia? When you get a cut, there are clotting agents in your blood that act quickly to curb the bleeding. However, for haemophilia children, the disease actively stops blood from clotting properly. The result is an excessive loss of blood, which can be very dangerous to the health of haemophilia children. This genetic disorder tends to affect more boys than girls.

Do You Suffer from These Bladder Control Problems in Women?

Do not just live with urinary incontinence – learn what causes it so you can improve bladder control problems in women. If you think that urinary incontinence is a problem that only older women and men deal with, think again. Bladder control problems in women are common, and they affect women of all age groups. Sometimes, there is a clear starting point for bladder control problems in women. You may have just delivered a baby, and are getting back to your active lifestyle, when you suffer through an “accident”. Owing to how embarrassing bladder control problems in women can be, a lot of women never seek help for this treatable condition. Regardless of age, many across the globe are living with bladder control problems in women, and shrouding the condition in secrecy. However, the truth is that more than 13 million people in the United States have incontinence issues. Bladder control problems in women are twice as likely as men. According to the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality, 30 percent of young women suffer incontinence. The rates of bladder control problems in women increase with age, with 40 percent of middle-aged women, and 50 percent of older women suffering from urinary incontinence.