WEBVTT - Why Does Poison Ivy Cause a Rash?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff Lauren Vogelbon here. Every year, somewhere from ten to

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<v Speaker 1>fifty million Americans experience an allergic reaction to poison ivy,

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<v Speaker 1>the plant, not the Batman character named after it. The

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<v Speaker 1>plant is often difficult to spot because it closely resembles

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<v Speaker 1>common garden plants and other weeds both here and wherever

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<v Speaker 1>it grows. But if you come into contact with it,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll probably know because an itchy, blistery rash is likely

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<v Speaker 1>to form on your skin. There are a few different

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<v Speaker 1>species of poison ivy in the genus Toxicodendron. They occur

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<v Speaker 1>in ranges from Canada down through Central America, in parts

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<v Speaker 1>of the Caribbean, and in parts of East Asia. The

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<v Speaker 1>culprit behind the rash is an allergic reaction with a

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<v Speaker 1>compound that occurs in the sap of the plant called

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<v Speaker 1>arustial Ivy is in the sumac family and a cardiassia

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<v Speaker 1>and arushiol is, the same compound responsible for the rashes

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<v Speaker 1>some people get from other plants in the family, like

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<v Speaker 1>poison sumac, poison oak, mango skin, and cashew fruit. The

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<v Speaker 1>name erusiol comes from the Japanese word urushi referring to

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<v Speaker 1>lacquer or the lacquer tree, because in East Asia, a

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<v Speaker 1>type of tree in the same genus as poison ivy

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<v Speaker 1>has sap, containing the same allergen that has been carefully

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<v Speaker 1>processed to create beautiful lacquerware for thousands of years. But

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<v Speaker 1>aside from mango, cashew, and urushi, and many plants that

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<v Speaker 1>contain erushiol are considered pests because about eighty five percent

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<v Speaker 1>of people are allergic to the compound, and only a

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<v Speaker 1>tiny amount a one billionth of a gram is enough

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<v Speaker 1>to cause a rash in many people. Sometimes the allergy

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't emerge until you've been exposed several times, though some

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<v Speaker 1>people develop a rash after their very first contact, and

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<v Speaker 1>it can take anywhere from a few hours to up

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<v Speaker 1>to ten days for the rash to emerge. The poison

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<v Speaker 1>ivy rash often looks like red lines and sometimes causes blisters.

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<v Speaker 1>Many people get it when they're hiking in the woods

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<v Speaker 1>or working in their garden and accidentally come into direct

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<v Speaker 1>contact with the plants leaves, roots, or stems. Because urushiol

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<v Speaker 1>is found in all parts of the poison ivy plant,

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<v Speaker 1>it's best to avoid the plant entirely when you can.

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<v Speaker 1>It generally grows in a cluster of low weed like

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<v Speaker 1>plants or a woody vine that can climb trees or fences,

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<v Speaker 1>and is most often found in moist areas like riverbanks,

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<v Speaker 1>woods and pastures. The general rule to identify poison ivy

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<v Speaker 1>is leaves of three. Let it be because it usually

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<v Speaker 1>grows in groups of three oval leaves with a longer

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<v Speaker 1>middle leaf, but it can also grow with up to

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<v Speaker 1>nine leaves in a group. The edges of the leaves

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<v Speaker 1>can be smooth or have tiny teeth. Their color changes

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<v Speaker 1>based on the season, reddish in the spring, green in

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<v Speaker 1>the summer, and yellow orange or red in the fall.

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<v Speaker 1>It blooms with yellow green flowers around early summer, and

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<v Speaker 1>its small berries are typically white. A note that different

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<v Speaker 1>varieties and other plants containing rouchiol look different. It's always

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<v Speaker 1>a good idea to do a quick search on hazardous

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<v Speaker 1>plants in your area before going hiking or cleaning out

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<v Speaker 1>overgrowth in your yard. A note that I said hazardous

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<v Speaker 1>there instead of poisonous, because despite poison ivy's name, the

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<v Speaker 1>rash it causes is again an allergic reaction. Allergies are

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<v Speaker 1>what happens when your immune system overreacts to the presence

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<v Speaker 1>of an essentially harmless substance like flower pollen or cat'sliva,

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<v Speaker 1>which they transfer to their dander via washing. Okay, the

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<v Speaker 1>body's immune system is in the business of protecting us

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<v Speaker 1>from antigens like bacteria, viruses, and other foreign invaders that

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<v Speaker 1>can make us sick. But when allergens like eruchiol coming

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<v Speaker 1>contact with us through our skin or maybe im mucous membrane,

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<v Speaker 1>they also instigate an immune response. Here's how the poison

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<v Speaker 1>ivy response works. Eruchiol makes its way down through the skin,

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<v Speaker 1>where it's metabolized or broken down. Immune cells called T

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<v Speaker 1>cells recognize the derivatives as an antigen. They send out

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<v Speaker 1>inflammatory signals called cytokines, which bring in white blood cells.

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<v Speaker 1>Under orders from the cytokines, these white blood cells turn

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<v Speaker 1>into macrophages. The macrophages eat foreign substances, but in doing

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<v Speaker 1>so they also damage normal tissue. So in places where

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<v Speaker 1>your skin has come into contact with poison ivy, within

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<v Speaker 1>one to two days, you might develop a rash, which

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<v Speaker 1>will usually itch, reden, burn, swell, and form blisters. The

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<v Speaker 1>rash may appear sooner in some parts of the body

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<v Speaker 1>than others, but that doesn't mean it's spreading. The eruchiol

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<v Speaker 1>just absorbs into the skin at different rates. For example,

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<v Speaker 1>think of how the soles of your feet have thicker

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<v Speaker 1>skin than your arms. The rash should go away within

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<v Speaker 1>a week or so. The severity often has to do

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<v Speaker 1>with how much erutiol you've been exposed to. Definitely seek

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<v Speaker 1>emergency medical help right away if you have signs of

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<v Speaker 1>a severe allergic reaction like difficulty breathing, dizziness or weakness,

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<v Speaker 1>or bluish lips, but also contact a medical professional if

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<v Speaker 1>the rash pops up in sensitive areas like the eyes, mouth,

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<v Speaker 1>they're genitals. If it doesn't heal after two weeks, or

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<v Speaker 1>if you have signs of an infection like puffs around

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<v Speaker 1>the rash or a fever over one hundred degrees fahrenheit

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<v Speaker 1>or a thirty seven to seven celsius. The quicker you

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<v Speaker 1>treat a brush with poison IVY, the greater the odds

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<v Speaker 1>that you can remove at least some of the erutiol

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<v Speaker 1>before it gets into your skin, thus possibly warding off

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<v Speaker 1>a reaction. As soon as you notice that you've touched

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<v Speaker 1>or possibly touched poison ivy or related plants, Rinse off

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<v Speaker 1>your skin immediately with water. Rinsing within the first five

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<v Speaker 1>minutes of contact is most effective. Then as soon as

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<v Speaker 1>you can remove all clothes that have come in contact

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<v Speaker 1>with the plant and wash your skin with soap and

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<v Speaker 1>cool water. Then, using a preferably disposable item like a

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<v Speaker 1>cotton ball, cleanse the affected areas of your skin with

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<v Speaker 1>isoproble alcohol aka rubbing alcohol. You'll want to wash those

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<v Speaker 1>clothes and any wash cloths or tells you use with

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<v Speaker 1>soap and water before using them again. When the rash appears,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll most likely be very itchy, but try not to scratch.

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<v Speaker 1>Although breaking the blisters by scratching cannot spread the rash,

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<v Speaker 1>bacteria can get in through the broken skin and cause

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<v Speaker 1>an infection. Along those lines, remember that a poison ivy

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<v Speaker 1>rash is not contagious. By the time a rash has formed,

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<v Speaker 1>the your shiol that caused it is long gone from

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<v Speaker 1>your skin. To ease the discomfort, you can use wet

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<v Speaker 1>compresses or soak the affected areas in cool water. You

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<v Speaker 1>can also apply a topical corticosteroid or take an over

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<v Speaker 1>the counter any histamine like Benadrell prescription cordzone can stop

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<v Speaker 1>the reaction, but only if it's taken soon after exposure.

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<v Speaker 1>Other topical products that can soothe itching are calamine lotion,

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<v Speaker 1>zinc oxide ointment, baking soda paste made of three teaspoons

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<v Speaker 1>baking soda and one teaspoon water, or an oatmeal bath.

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<v Speaker 1>Even if you're looking out for it, poison ivy can

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<v Speaker 1>be difficult to avoid even if you don't directly brush

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<v Speaker 1>up against the plant. You can get it from touching

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<v Speaker 1>a garden tool, a toy or sports equipment that's touched

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<v Speaker 1>the plant anytime in the past few years, or even

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<v Speaker 1>from a pet that's brushed up against one. Dogs and

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<v Speaker 1>cats don't have the same sensitivity to erusiol, so if

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<v Speaker 1>they've been outside, especially on supervised, you might not realize

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<v Speaker 1>that they're carrying it until you develop a rash. Some

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<v Speaker 1>creams containing the ingredient bentoquatum can block erushiol and offer

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<v Speaker 1>some part before poison ivy exposure, but still your best

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<v Speaker 1>defense is to stay away when you can and get

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<v Speaker 1>rid of it in your yard. But it's also not

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<v Speaker 1>an easy foe to clear. A weed killer isn't the

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<v Speaker 1>best option for the environment or other plants around the

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<v Speaker 1>poison ivy. If you remove it by hand, be sure

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<v Speaker 1>to pull the whole plant out by the roots or

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<v Speaker 1>it'll regrow. Remove any dead poison ivy as well. Again.

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<v Speaker 1>Eruchiol can linger for several years. Wear a long sleeved shirt,

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<v Speaker 1>long pants, gloves, and boots to avoid any contact with

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<v Speaker 1>your skin. Immediately remove your clothes after you finish and

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<v Speaker 1>wash them with soap and water, and take a shower

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<v Speaker 1>for good measure. Never burn poison ivy plants. The eruchiol

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<v Speaker 1>vaporizes when heated, and when it gets into the smoke

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<v Speaker 1>it can severely irritate the lungs if breathed in. Also,

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<v Speaker 1>never eat poison ivy. There's a myth out there that

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<v Speaker 1>doing so can make you immune to rashes in the future,

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<v Speaker 1>but a that does not work and be you could

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<v Speaker 1>cause a potentially fatal allergic reaction. Getting outside into nature

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<v Speaker 1>is great, but nature is weird. Be careful out there.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode is based on the article how poisonivy works

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<v Speaker 1>on how Stiff works dot com, written by Stephanie Wilson.

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<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with Hosseifforks

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<v Speaker 1>dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more

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<v Speaker 1>podcasts My heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

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