BEWARE OF POISON IVY

DEXTER, Mo. -- It happens to folks nearly every summer. They come in from having a good time in the outdoors. They have a little itch and they naturally scratch it. It itches some more, and they scratch some more. A vicious cycle has started.

The culprit is most probably poison ivy, or its cousins, poison oak and poison sumac, depending on which leafy creature was in the path.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, 85 percent of the population will have a reaction if they are exposed to the plants.

And exposure is easy to achieve. It seems as though the leafy vines are everywhere: In the woods, around creek beds, in fields, along fence rows and even in our own back yards.

Stoddard County Health Educator Tom Roy knows all about poison ivy. Roy is severely allergic to the leafy vine.

"I get it at least once every summer," he said. "When I was a kid I would try to tough it out and I don't know what I was thinking. Now I just go to the doctor. If I don't do that, I'm in big trouble."

The cause of the irritable rash, the blisters and the infamous itch is urushiol, a chemical in the sap of the plant. Because the urushiol chemical is inside the plant, brushing against a plant won't necessarily cause an infection. But because the plant is fragilestems or leaves are usually broken by the wind or animals. Even the tiny holes created by chewing insects can release the urushiol.

Urushiol that's rubbed off plants and onto other things can remain potent for years, depending upon the environment.

The best treatment is really to avoid the plant altogether. The old saying "If leaves three, leave it be" is really true. But there is hope if the rash does develop.

"There are all sorts of different things to help," Roy said. "There's a lot of home remedies. A lot of those we should be skeptical -- they may or may not work." Roy points out that the chemical can penetrate the skin within minutes of exposure, so there's really no time to waste in reacting to the poison ivy.

A few steps he recommends people take if they have been exposed:

* First, cleanse the exposed skin with generous amounts of rubbing alcohol.

* Second, wash the skin with water. Water temperature doesn't matter.

* Third, take a regular shower with soap and water.

* Finally, clothes, shoes, tools and anything else that may have been in contact with the urushiol should be wiped off with alcohol and water.

Redness and swelling will appear within about 12 to 48 hours of exposure. Blisters and itching will follow.

"Avoid going out in wooded areas and high grass," Roy suggests. "Try to keep the grass mowed and for the kids, keep an eye on where they are playing at all times. The big rule we were always taught as kids was just to avoid plants with three leaves at all costs." Treatments include hydrocortisone creams, calamine lotion, baking soda, and other topical applications. Some folks will advise bathing in Aveno -- an oatmeal-based treatment.

Roy said he relies on a more scientific cure for his poison ivy -- a prescription from his physician.

The most popular way now, he said, is a treatment of prednisone, a steriod drug available by prescription from a physican. "It dries up your skin -- it dries up the poison ivy."