I wrote this with the desire to address a common summertime condition: poison ivy. Edited out was the admonition: Never swing on a hairy vine. In the southeastern US, poison ivy grows into huge vines which are easy to identify as they are covered in a hairy coating. I\’ve seen people come in with a horrible rash on the hands due to a desire to look like Tarzan. Bad idea.
The biggest misconception about contact dermatitis is that you can catch it from someone else\’s rash. The rash is allergic and can\’t be \”caught.\” The oil causes the problem.
![\"Poison](\"http://distractible.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Poison-Ivy-Vine.jpg\" "\\"Poison")
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I’ve been enjoying the podcasts. You can hear the difference as you’ve gotten further into it. Great job, btw! Fireguy and I check it out. He especially liked the Tylenol segment.
I’ve been enjoying the podcasts. You can hear the difference as you’ve gotten further into it. Great job, btw! Fireguy and I check it out. He especially liked the Tylenol segment.
My understanding was that although the rash isn’t contagious, you need to be careful touching someone with a fresh rash until they’ve had a chance to wash thoroughly with soap and water to get the oil off.
But holy freaking wow — that is a huge vine. I had no idea poison ivy got that big. Here in Minnesota, it’s a little herbaceous perennial, dying back to the ground every winter. Sure, you can get a fairly thick carpet of it, standing a few feet high, but vines that someone would think to swing on? WOW! This is why I like our harsh winters here — they keep so many nasties in check.
My understanding was that although the rash isn’t contagious, you need to be careful touching someone with a fresh rash until they’ve had a chance to wash thoroughly with soap and water to get the oil off.
But holy freaking wow — that is a huge vine. I had no idea poison ivy got that big. Here in Minnesota, it’s a little herbaceous perennial, dying back to the ground every winter. Sure, you can get a fairly thick carpet of it, standing a few feet high, but vines that someone would think to swing on? WOW! This is why I like our harsh winters here — they keep so many nasties in check.