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I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it

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Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it

#171

Post by rolandr »

atombender wrote: post #169
talkingtab wrote: post #95

I have worked with Urushi, aka Japanese lacquer. You get a rash, some people never get over it. Others do get over it, and I did. Years ago I was in the black thumb club. I could stick my thumb in Urushi, and not get a rash. Since Urushi was a big thing in Japan (and other places), people who worked harvesting or packaging or using it either got over or did not. I have a friend who did not. He said he could walk down…

I wonder if the benefits you get from applying hot water is from the heat itself. Heat activates heat shock proteins in the skin and suppresses/alters inflammation. [1] There are people who use infrared heat lamps to treat autoimmune skin disorders. [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34781874/

Back when I had a really nasty run-in with poison oak, my friend’s father who was a doctor suggested the hot water trick. AMAZING. His explanation was that it depleted histamines that caused the itching. Appears to bear out:

“ a poison ivy rash (like any other allergic reaction) is caused by the body releasing the chemical histamine to the affected area as part of your immune response. Heat will stimulate the production of histamine, and although this creates an unpleasant itching in the moment, the heat will eventually deplete the affected cells of their histamine, which can provide up to 8 hours of itch relief afterwards. This can be achieved by aiming warm water at the affected area, and slowly increasing the heat to the maximum tolerable temperature until itching stops.”

https://teclabsinc.com/why-you-shouldnt-use-hot-water-on-a-p... (article title referring to not using hot water when washing off oils after initial exposure)

Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it

#172

Post by im3w1l »

sethammons wrote: post #168

A guy in my village, a few years before I was alive, was immune to poison oak (as am I; not sure how common it is) and he would show off by eating a bit of it. After several years of this parlor trick, he had a severe reaction one time and went to the hospital. Throat nearly swelled shut. This guy should be aware of said story.

Makes you wonder what went differently that one time. Does the body say produce immune cells with some level of natural variation and that one time it happened to produce ones sensitive to the substance?

Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it

#173

Post by aae42 »

DeathArrow wrote: post #21

Metamizole is the only thing that works for me when I have fever. But it seems that I recently developped an allergy to it, which is a bummer. Every single damn time I take metamizole, I develop very itch rashes. So by taking some substance it seem I became more sensitive to it's side effects, not less.

This article, and your story reminds me of a University of Guelph professors info regarding bee stings.

https://hbrc.ca/bee-stings/

Those most at risk of developing anaphylaxis from bee stings are not those that get some as rarely as the typical population, or as often as experienced and busy beekeepers wearing mediocre protection, it was the hobbyists wearing complete protection that only got stung once or twice a year.

Made me start wearing a little less protection for fear of developing a stronger allergy.

Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it

#174

Post by plasticchris »

gr8r wrote: post #152
plasticchris wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

like the gardeners these days, did you hype the poison oak only to ask for a big $ amount to remove a small growth haha?

No, people know how it looks here. Usually it was full walls of the stuff.

Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it

#175

Post by eth0up »

Question: I've worn leather gloves most of my adult life. Last year, after using a new pair, I developed a severe rash that spread beyond my hands. Having used gloves regularly for many years, I initially assumed it was a reaction to formaldehyde or whatever substance was used in manufacturing. But now, without exception, any time I wear leather anywhere with direct skin contact, I get a persistent rash.

Also, I have an extreme sensitivity to poison ivy and react to mango and peach leaves. Perhaps there's a clue here? Anyway, I'd be grateful to understand why I spontaneously developed an allergy to leather, which really hinders my work at times.

Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it

#176

Post by lupire »

rolandr wrote: post #171
atombender wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if the benefits you get from applying hot water is from the heat itself. Heat activates heat shock proteins in the skin and suppresses/alters inflammation. [1] There are people who use infrared heat lamps to treat autoimmune skin disorders. [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34781874/

Back when I had a really nasty run-in with poison oak, my friend’s father who was a doctor suggested the hot water trick. AMAZING. His explanation was that it depleted histamines that caused the itching. Appears to bear out: “ a poison ivy rash (like any other allergic reaction) is caused by the body releasing the chemical histamine to the affected area as part of your immune response. Heat will stimulate the product…

I'd like a better source for that information than an ad for a commercial product.

Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it

#177

Post by talkingtab »

shriphani wrote: post #154
talkingtab wrote: post #95

I have worked with Urushi, aka Japanese lacquer. You get a rash, some people never get over it. Others do get over it, and I did. Years ago I was in the black thumb club. I could stick my thumb in Urushi, and not get a rash. Since Urushi was a big thing in Japan (and other places), people who worked harvesting or packaging or using it either got over or did not. I have a friend who did not. He said he could walk down…

would love to see some pics of your work. Since you seem to know about Japanese craft techniques - do you know what sort of adhesive is used in Japanese gold leaf application? I am not able to use bole or animal hide glue due (vegan) but was curious if the Japanese have some rice-paste based method.

Urushi is an adhesive. So for gold leaf the (egg shell) the idea is that you put down urushi, then put the gold leaf on it while it is still not cured. I tried rankaku - egg shell - and you just build up a base coast of lacqure then start placing the egg shell on a new thin, uncured coat. That is after you have prepared the quail egg shells. Then you add thin coats, curing and sanding after each, until the level of the urushi is up to the eggshell. The eggshell leaves U shaped channels with the sides of the U formed by two adjacent pieces of shell and that has to be filled but with thin coats. Sigh.

If you want to try urushi, you can go the hazmat suit method (apron, arm length gloves, etc.) Just have situational awareness. I had a friend who tried this. Her cell phone in her pocket rang and without thinking she reached in with her gloved hand and got it out. The urushi went through the pocket and she got a horrible rash! I just bit the bullet and got the rash.

I am no expert on urushi at all - I dabbled mostly. You can mix urushi with all kinds of things and there are perhaps 250 grades, including the most refined which is clear. Urushi was and is used in sword making. So the answer is out there, but I have not done any for a long time. I sort of remember mixing rice-paste and urushi at one point but I might be making that up.

I raised bronze and copper vessels and was trying to come up with ways to complete them. I found out about Jean Dunand, art deco guy, who decorated vessels with urushi and egg shell among other things. I highly recommend finding a good museum nearby and asking them if they have work and know of anyone who does restoration. Then follow those leads.

There are people out there who know and will share knowledge but I am out of touch. My sense is that many people who are interested in Japanese sword making (Katana) end up knowing about lacquer because it was used for handles.

Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it

#178

Post by Zenzero »

AlbertCory wrote: post #99
Zenzero wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But it's a lot less black and white than you seem to feel. That's the problem. The concept of what is reasonable is too nebulous to rely on. Also people are quite simply really dumb. You can make some innocuous statement like "others have found nasal rinses to be beneficial", and some idiot will get themselves hospitalized with a draining abscess in their face. It turns out that person decided their nasal rinse was…

Do you have an actual instance of something like that happening? I'm not saying it never has. An MD ought to know his/her patients well enough to judge what kind of idiocy they're likely to go off and try. One thing where I do not have a link is but I recall it happening is: quackery is impossible to kill with research. Someone does a double- blind study showing that peach pits are worthless against cancer, and the p…

>Do you have an actual instance of something like that happening?

My colleague being dragged in front of the board for a similarly stupid situation. Knock on wood I haven't been, but there are far too many people that hear what they want to hear. The only safe course is to stick well within the non-ambiguous accepted medicine responses as much as possible.

Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it

#179

Post by robin_reala »

atombender wrote: post #169
talkingtab wrote: post #95

I have worked with Urushi, aka Japanese lacquer. You get a rash, some people never get over it. Others do get over it, and I did. Years ago I was in the black thumb club. I could stick my thumb in Urushi, and not get a rash. Since Urushi was a big thing in Japan (and other places), people who worked harvesting or packaging or using it either got over or did not. I have a friend who did not. He said he could walk down…

I wonder if the benefits you get from applying hot water is from the heat itself. Heat activates heat shock proteins in the skin and suppresses/alters inflammation. [1] There are people who use infrared heat lamps to treat autoimmune skin disorders. [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34781874/

You can get a little smartphone dongle for insect bites too: https://heatit.de/en

Re: I couldn't escape poison oak, so I started eating it

#180

Post by snarfy »

atombender wrote: post #169
talkingtab wrote: post #95

I have worked with Urushi, aka Japanese lacquer. You get a rash, some people never get over it. Others do get over it, and I did. Years ago I was in the black thumb club. I could stick my thumb in Urushi, and not get a rash. Since Urushi was a big thing in Japan (and other places), people who worked harvesting or packaging or using it either got over or did not. I have a friend who did not. He said he could walk down…

I wonder if the benefits you get from applying hot water is from the heat itself. Heat activates heat shock proteins in the skin and suppresses/alters inflammation. [1] There are people who use infrared heat lamps to treat autoimmune skin disorders. [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34781874/

Interesting. I was a long time heavy cannabis user and developed cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome over the years. It causes severe gastrointestinal issues and vomiting. Relief comes from taking scalding hot baths or showers. I wonder if I simply became allergic to it.
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