On Sun, Feb 22, 2004 at 06:41:17PM -0800, Randall Young wrote:
>
> > I just finished up a course of Prednisone (a steriod) after
> > getting poison oak from cleaning and sharpening my chain saw.
>
> Careful with that Prednisone ! What the MDs don't tell you is ... it can
> cause diabetes ! Not to mention lots of other side effects, like weight
> gain and Cushing's syndrome (which makes you look like you have Down's
> syndrome).
Ick. Do you have a link for those? A quick search
didn't turn up those side effects. (I did see
that its often used for a year or more for transplant
patients. Aiee! The two times I've taken it have
been for a week).
It also messes with my head, making me either
happier than usual or depressed.
I don't like taking it, which is why I was warning
the OP to be careful.
> All things considered, I'd rather let the poison oak/ivy run it's course.
as would I, except when it becomes systemic and it's
been going on for weeks. At that point
it's the lesser of two evils.
> BTW there's an over-the-counter product that I didn't know about for a long
> time that seems to work very well if you know you've been exposed to poison
> oak/ivy. It's called "Tecnu", and it's basically a soap that will dissolve
> the essential oil that causes the reaction (urushiol). Buy it at Wal-Mart
> (although you may have to ask several people before anyone knows what it
> is). It's best used after exposure but before the rash starts, but even if
> you wait until you feel that first tell-tale itch, it still works pretty
> good.
For me it's only good for cleaning up the oils; it doesn't do anything
to the rash itself. (and you don't have to go to satan-mart to
get it, at least not around here. It's at the local hardware
store and drugstore).
Technu also makes a blocking lotion that you apply before
you do something that might get you into posion oak.
Another good product for getting the oils off is 'zanfel' which
is a technu-type cream that also contains abrasives.
While we're on the topic, any suggestions for cleaning
off the chainsaw? I could use technu for something simple
like an axe, but I don't think it'll get the urushiol oils
out of the chain.
Eric
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