Posted by Fiona Saiter on Jun.25, 2009

©iStockphoto.com - DivaNir4a

It’s that time of year again when the whole family is outside enjoying nature and the beautiful weather. But with that fun also comes the annoyances of summer: Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac, Sun burn and heat rash, bug bites and bee stings. You probably know that citronella will help with those pesky bugs but what about eating some foods with garlic and onion to keep those blood suckers away? Take a few minutes, sit down with your family and learn more about how to recognize these summer problems and ways to help if you encounter them.

Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac

Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac: all three contain the oil urushiol which causes reactions like itchiness and bumps. You can get Poison Ivy, Poison Oak or Poison Sumac from direct contact as well as touching something that has been in contact with the plants or from smoke if you burn it.

Identify it:

Poison Ivy has three leaves, white berries, and sometimes a hairy vine. The leaves can be red in the spring and green in the summer. New leaves are shiny and older leaves dull. The middle leaf is higher than the side ones. It can climb, creep, or be a bush.

According to Wikipedia, a common way to remember what poison ivy looks like is old sayings like:
“Leaves of three let it be.”
“Hairy vine, no friend of mine.”
“Berries white, danger in sight.”
“Longer middle stem, stay away from them.”

Poison Oak has three leaves and white berries. It can be climbing, or a shrub. The color of the leaves depend on the season.

Poision Sumac has 7-13 leaves. The stem is red and the berries are white. This plant is a shrub and can be found in very wet earth.

Solution:

Calamine lotion is a common solution for Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac, but if you get a bad reaction to them, the conventional treatment is often corticosteroids or a shot of steroid. An antihistamine like Benadryl may be suggested by a doctor to relieve itching. Only use drastic measures when suggested by a doctor.

The natural solutions are:

Use dish soap (try an environmental friendly one like: Seventh Generation Dish Soap, Method Dish Soap or your favorite). The dish soap helps wash away those irritating oils. An oatmeal bath or one cup vinegar in the bath or buttermilk can help with itching. Some people also suggest making a paste out of baking soda and water and applying it to the itchy spots for temporary relief. One of the natural solutions found in stores are Burt’s Bees Poison Ivy Soap.

Sun Burn

Sunburn is usually first degree skin damage from UV rays. It can be extremely uncomfortable when your skin is hot and burning. You can alleviate some of the pain by getting out of the sun and taking a cool shower, bath or using cool wash cloths.

Take mild pain relief for headaches and pain related to sunburn. Aloe Vera is cooling and has anti- inflammatory effects. Try squeezing fresh aloe vera right from the plant or pick up a bottle at the store. Another common solution is calamine lotion.

Experts suggest that you stay cool and hydrated. You can stay hydrated by drinking iced tea, which has healing effects for sunburn. Standing in front of a fan, apply cut slices of cooling cucumber, Chamomile, or a little milk mixed with water on a wash cloth can sooth the burn.

You can mix any of the following with olive, almond or vegetable oil and apply to the skin: lavender, St Johns wort, calendula oil, vitamin E oil, or other citrus essential oils.

Another great thing to use which you may have in your home is tea. Tea has fantastic healing properties both by drinking it and applying it directly to the skin. One idea is to add cool black tea and water in a spray bottle and spray on the skin.

According to Dr. James A. Duke in the book Green Pharmacy, applying cool black tea to sunburn can help because of the tannic acid and theobromine that both help with the burning and the catechins prevent and repair sun damage. Duke also stated that Eggplant can be applied to skin. He said in Australia they use it as a skin cancer treatment.

Dr. Alan Green in Raising Baby Green suggests using a natural mineral sunscreen with out momoparticles and don’t use nonoparticles. He suggests Baby Avalon natural sunscreen, Jason’s chemical free sunblock or other natural sunscreens.

Heat Rash

Heat rash, prickly heat or Miliaria can be a common problem for infants but also for adults in humid weather too. Heat rash looks like red bumps on the skin where sweat glands have become blocked. It can happen in the folds of the skin or other areas. You should get out of the sun and cool down by taking a cool shower or bath. Also wear loose natural breathing fabric like cotton and wash with a mild soap.

Bee Stings and Insect Bites

Bites and stings from these pesky bugs are painful and itchy, but you can prevent and alleviate the pain with a few simple techniques.

Bites will cause itching, slight swelling, redness, and some pain which may continue for a few hours or days. If you’re experiencing an allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, some of the signs will be hives, swelling of body or tongue and throat constriction, shock, nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness, difficult breathing, tightening of chest and swelling of body and you should seek emergency treatment immediately, as anaphylactic reactions can be life-threatening. If a child is stung in the mouth or nose you may want to seek medical advice.

For a normal bee sting, first you need to carefully remove the stinger. For bee stings and bug bites wash the area with a mild soap and water and then place a cool wash cloth or ice on the area.

Preventative measures can be taken before you go outside. Some experts say that insects don’t like onion and garlic. You can eat foods with these ingredients or rub them on your body. Also according to Dr. James A. Duke of the Green Pharmacy, the herbs mountain mint and pennyroyal work well to repel insects but shouldn’t be used by pregnant women as it may increase the risk of miscarriage. He also stated he was amazed by a repelled given to him by herbalist John DuVall when working in the Amazon. It was a combination of citronella, lavender, and pennyroyal in vegetable oil. He suggested playing with that recipe for a repellent.

Other insect repellents that Dr. James A Duke and other experts recommend: Rub the leaves of basil on your body. If you have fresh Citronella or Lemongrass, you can wipe those leaves on your skin. Or you can try a combination of any citrus oils mixed with vegetable oil. Experts also state that Lavender works well.

We recently went camping and used Burt’s Bees All Natural Herbal Insect Repellent and were not bitten. It contains castor oil, rosemary oil, lemongrass oil, cedar oil, peppermint oil, citronella oil, clove oil, geranium oil, soybean oil and vitamin E.

After a bite, some experts suggest using an antihistamine like Benadryl for itching and calamine rubbed on the bite area. You could try a meat tenderizer or baking soda mixed with water to make a paste. Calendula cream or a few drops of lavender oil reduces itching.

Being outdoors this summer will be much more fun for the whole family when you learn how to recognize the dangers and methods to heal if you do encounter summer problems. Using environmentally friendly or common household items will help your family and the environment.

Share

Posted under Family, GDM Kids, Tweens, Teens.