As a child I used to romp through poison ivy and poison oak. It has never bothered me.
I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it
101–110 of 207 posts
Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it
#102I have read that the urushiol is also present in the skin of the mango fruit. I don’t know if those who consume a lot of mangoes or have grown up with mango trees around them are immune to poison oak’s urushiol(arguably much more concentrated) as its present in stems, saps, leaves, skin more than the flesh..but they likely have more tolerance. Also..in India, we don’t burn mango leaves or branches as it increases res…
huh, every time I eat a kiwi my lips get itchy. I just googled and it doesn’t look like it contains urushiol, but it does contain an allergen called “actinidin”.
This thread made me realize I’m allergic to kiwi’s…
Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
Pointing out that at some points Joe Rogan might have been smeared unjustly by mainstream media does not in any way come close to absolving the crimes JR has committed against modern science by giving constant airtime to outright quacks. Anyone remotely interested in making sure proper science knowledge and education makes it out to gen pop should be completely against Rogan and everything he stands for. It only take…
> crimes JR has committed against modern science Science doesn't work like that, religion does. "Science" harmed itself with some people and an ideology heavily censoring opponents, and by shutting down any debate, including scientific one.
The very idea that one can commit "crimes" against science by discussing ideas (however false) is shameful. As you said, it's no different than religious accusations of heresy. It's truly disheartening to see a backwards and illiberal idea like that being promoted here.
Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
That link doesn't make a claim quite that strong. I also don't know anyone that has eaten it. Given that I know dozens of people who demonstrably lost their sensitivity to poison oak via the accidental chronic exposure regimen I outlined above, at the very least it should raise a scientific question. It would be easier to dismiss if it was an isolated case or two. No one exposes themselves like that intentionally.
> lost their sensitivity to poison oak via the accidental chronic exposure regimen This is not how the immune system is known to work. Sensitivity does not downregulate. Increased exposure enhances detection and response. Recognition proliferates. Once you're allergic to something, it'll only worsen. You can become allergic to new things, but you won't lose allergies unless the recognizer population dies off entirely…
> Sensitivity does not downregulate. Increased exposure enhances detection and response. Recognition proliferates. Once you're allergic to something, it'll only worsen.
I don't think that's correct. If it were, then allergy immunotherapy wouldn't work. Which... it does. Not perfectly, and not for everyone, but it does for many.
Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it
#105As a child I used to romp through poison ivy and poison oak. It has never bothered me.
The more repeated exposures you get, your body cannot fight it off anymore. Then you suddenly "become allergic" to poison ivy.
There are two types of people; those that are allergic to poison ivy, and those that will become allergic eventually.
Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
> lost their sensitivity to poison oak via the accidental chronic exposure regimen This is not how the immune system is known to work. Sensitivity does not downregulate. Increased exposure enhances detection and response. Recognition proliferates. Once you're allergic to something, it'll only worsen. You can become allergic to new things, but you won't lose allergies unless the recognizer population dies off entirely…
> You can become allergic to new things, but you won't lose allergies unless the recognizer population dies off entirely. That's not true. Desensitization therapy often works. The trick is to introduce the allergens into the bloodstream, bypassing the skin.
I don't think that's necessary. I've been doing allergy immunotherapy for the past few years, and it's all subcutaneous. Definitely not into the bloodstream.
Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it
#107I have read that the urushiol is also present in the skin of the mango fruit. I don’t know if those who consume a lot of mangoes or have grown up with mango trees around them are immune to poison oak’s urushiol(arguably much more concentrated) as its present in stems, saps, leaves, skin more than the flesh..but they likely have more tolerance. Also..in India, we don’t burn mango leaves or branches as it increases res…
huh, every time I eat a kiwi my lips get itchy. I just googled and it doesn’t look like it contains urushiol, but it does contain an allergen called “actinidin”. This thread made me realize I’m allergic to kiwi’s…
You may have oral allergy syndrome (OAS), which is similar to food allergy but not as severe. It doesn't typically lead to anaphylaxis. It is caused by pollen allergy, where the food has a protein similar to one that's in the pollen you're allergic to. This is called "cross-reactivity".
Personally I have OAS with raw carrots, which is likely cross-reactive from my birch pollen allergy. Raw carrots make my throat mildly itchy, but I don't have a food allergy to carrots and I don't get anaphylaxis. Cooked carrots are totally fine, the cooking destroys the protein. This is a common feature of OAS.
Actually, while I did have OAS with carrots in the past, I have recently been undergoing immunotherapy for pollen allergies (plus cat dander and mold) and in addition to my hay fever symptoms disappearing, I no longer get the itchy throat with raw carrots.
This page has a list of common pollen allergies and the foods that they may be cross-reactive with: https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/oral-allergy-syndro...
Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it
#108As a child I used to romp through poison ivy and poison oak. It has never bothered me.
The more repeated exposures you get, your body cannot fight it off anymore. Then you suddenly "become allergic" to poison ivy. There are two types of people; those that are allergic to poison ivy, and those that will become allergic eventually.
I never got a rash until my late 30s (even after known exposure). Now I get the rash readily. I wish I'd avoided it more when I was younger.
Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it
#109I have read that the urushiol is also present in the skin of the mango fruit. I don’t know if those who consume a lot of mangoes or have grown up with mango trees around them are immune to poison oak’s urushiol(arguably much more concentrated) as its present in stems, saps, leaves, skin more than the flesh..but they likely have more tolerance. Also..in India, we don’t burn mango leaves or branches as it increases res…
My mom grew up in South Africa, '40s and '50s, she always made us wash our lips after eating mango to avoid a rash. Only later did I discover I didn't need to, I always assumed the rash-causing compound has been bred out of modern mangos.
Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it
#110As a child I used to romp through poison ivy and poison oak. It has never bothered me.
The more repeated exposures you get, your body cannot fight it off anymore. Then you suddenly "become allergic" to poison ivy. There are two types of people; those that are allergic to poison ivy, and those that will become allergic eventually.
I am almost forty now, never try to avoid it, still no problems. I even had a side gig going in high school removing it. But it is still only any anecdote.