Itchy Business: How to Treat the Poison Ivy and Poison Oak Rash, Prevent Exposure and Eradicate the Plant

Everything you need to know about poison oak and ivy but are too itchy to ask.

Minimize the misery of poison oak and ivy rash with the Itchy Business 4-stage plan - Learn the 3 Cs of rash relief - Use minerals, herbs & more to reduce itch & inflammation - Practice safe scratch - Identify, clean off & eradicate the plant.

Dealing with the Rash

Section 2: Understanding Urushiol
Understand the potent allergen urushiol that causes the rash. Who's allergic and how that changes. How to clean it off your skin.

Section 3: Rash Mastery
Understanding skin for rash mastery. How immune overreaction causes rash. Transcend the itch. Be a PI ninja. When to see a doctor.

Section 4: Your Rash Toolkit
How to practice safe scratch. Treat the rash by its four stages and succeed. The Cs of itch relief: cool, calm, and constrict.

Section 5: Remedies
Rash remedies: holistic and conventional products for calming rash, cooling itch, constricting blisters. Analgesics for pain relief.

Identifying, Defending & Eradicating

Section 6: Identifying the Plant
Identify the four main species of the American Axis of Itching in all places and seasons. Poison sumac. Innocent imitators.

Section 7: Defending Yourself
Prevent urushiol skin contact using clothes, creams and better habits. Ways we spread urushiol around. How to clean everything.

Section 8: Eradicating the Plant
Eradicate the plant by yanking, spraying and mulching it. Timeline for waging battle. Combat gear and nuclear-level protection.

Section 9: PI Reader
Urushiol mummies. Poison ivy tree lacquer. Poison oak art. Pop culture poison ivy. Deadly home remedies. Debunking the myths.

Buy this book so you have it when you need it

Nature enthusiasts: hikers, campers, foragers, off-road bikers, hunters, naturalists - First-aid workers, school and camp nurses - ER staff - Skin care professionals - Wildlife scientists - Military personnel - Surveyors and utility linemen - Agriculture, forestry and ranch managers - Arborists and landscapers

Over her varied journalism career of more than four decades, Amy Martin has covered petroleum science and environmental issues, written trail reviews of parks and preserves, penned a book on herbology, and even served as a comedy critic. She operated a North Texas news service for 15 years specializing in holistic health and other alternative topics. During their 12 years of managing a private nature preserve, Martin and her husband Scooter Smith engaged in regular battle with poison ivy. All these come together in Itchy Business.

Martin is known for articulating complex, provocative and sometimes highly technical issues in a coherent and comprehensive way, but also eloquent and lightheartedly wry. She has been employed by the Dallas Morning News (recycling), Dallas Observer (music), and Dallas Times Herald (performing arts and features), and freelanced for many others. She was contributing editor and columnist for the national magazine Garbage (recycling and features). Martin is currently senior comedy critic for the Dallas performing arts website TheaterJones, North Texas Wild columnist for GreenSource DFW, and The Aging Hippie columnist for Senior Voice. Her personal website is www.Moonlady.com.