Dear Friends, got bad case of poison ivy. went to dermatologist who wanted me to take strong medications. Afraid of possible side effects. Stopped off at health food store, asked clerk for help, sold me Hyland's poison ivy pills. First contact with homeopathy. Followed directions on bottle. Got a bit worse, then a bit better, then developed bad cough. Went back to health food store, clerk sold me Natra-Bio cough relief homeopathy. Stopped Hylands and followed directions on Natra-Bio. Was still very itchy. Stopped Natra-Bio after a few days as cough got better.No longer on any type of medications. Take an extra Vitamen C at night. Total C for day: 3,000mg. However, still have discomfort. Want to please have advice:

Mental state: have overcome obsessive compulsive disorder through cognative behavior modification. Must consciously prevent disorder from taking over, but happy to report that attacks are fewer and fewer.
Spiritual state: have at long last developed a personal cosmology which though not perfect is a blessing.
Physical state: Over all health seems ok. Had lyme disease 10 years ago. Antibiotics and change in life style - became vegetarian, take vitamens, do yoga,chiropractic knee-chest adjustments seems to have 'cured' it. Do tend to get the yearly minor symptoms of the 'cured' Lyme, Knee joints get weak during Sept. - Oct. the time when I had my antibiotics ten years ago. Have just turned 50 and starting to skip periods - no other menopausal symptoms.
Current Situation:
Morning: wake up miserable. Congested, slightly depressed, (but not out of control since I know what to say to my self and it works)Drop things, bump into things. After a cup of hot green tea, have bowl movement and start to feel fine.
Daytime: High energy. Not very hungry.Have yogurt, fruit, natural cereal. Must urinate immediately after taking in fluids.
Late afternoon: Starving and tired,must push myself to get things done.
Evening: Energy level goes up after eating dinner. (but not as high as during the day)Then Skin gets Itchy. lower back very itchy,(I did not have the poison ivy on my lower back)Neck itchy,and some areas where poison ivy is clearing up become very itchy. Crave chocolate.
Night time: Before bed very itchy. Take lukewarm shower, helps. (When poison ivy very bad, went outside naked for relief at night) After reading fall sound asleep, itch stops, but wake up three or four times to urinate. Waking to urinate several times has been going on for 20 years or so, might be normal for me. Medical reports ok.
My question: Is the continued itchyness a sign that the poison ivy is leaving my body? Can I put aloe on it to sooth it? Should I drink more water to get the poison ivy out of my system? Is it normal for the process of getting rid of poison ivy to take several months? I got it in August. The skin where it was is now a light brown which looks like a healing color.I had it very bad on right leg, and right arm, on right side of stomach and breast. I do not want to trouble you, but I do not have a homeopathic doctor yet, I am trying to locate one in my area which I am sure will be difficult. I have read two books, one by Dr. Trevor Smith and one by M. B. Panos, M.D. and J. Heimlich. After reading these and your posts on the web, I have come to appreciate the serious nature of homeopathy and do not wish to cause harm to myself or others by misinterpreting or self-diagnosing. Thank you.

Try clematis c200 one dose. if that dont help, report back, also if working, or aggravations.report all symptomes occuring during treatment, works about 14 daYS.

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Homeopat MNNH Geir E.T. Marcussen
email: getm@eunet.no
http://www.homeopati.no

Hi Mselle - Just wanted to let you know that I have had BAD bouts with poison ivy numerous times. I can remember when I was much younger having it so bad I could not open my eyes or close my hands. My mother always used lye soap. She would buy the solid bar in the laundry section of the supermarket (you can still buy it there or at old time hardware stores.) Several years ago I inhaled poison ivy being burned in a leaf pile. I took the lye soap and softened it in warm water - then took the corner of the bar and rubbed it on the fresh oozing rash every day..... (Beleive me when I tell you - when you've inhaled it burning, you get it EVERYWHERE!!) Within 3 or 4 days the rash was VERY dry, but not itchy, dry patches everywhere I rubbed the soap. I never washed the soap off - only showered and rinsed the rash. When the oozing finally stopped and itch was gone, I was able to stop the lye soap and start applying moisturizer . Very heavy moisturizer!!!!! If you do not find a homeopathic remedy to relieve your symptoms, I hope you will give this some thought, as it's the only relief I've ever found.

Dear GM and Yvonne, thanks for your help. I went to the health food store and ordered the clematis c200. They will have it on Wed. Should I order an antidote in case I have a problem with clematis c200? Might it affect my tendency to have obsessive compulsive disorders? It would be helpful to anticipate any such side effect so I can be as prepared as possible. I am an elementary school teacher and need my wits. I understand that a cure might make things worse for a day or so. I also have to check a compulsive tendency to be over prepared, etc. GM,since you are a homeopath healer I seek your advice on this matter. Yvonne, I have some laundry bar soap which might be lye soap. Hopefully I won't have another case of poison ivy, but if so, I'll try it, however I wonder how it affects the body to have lye on it? This is all so confusing. I don't think the itchy rash on my lower back is poison ivy. This rash never oozed. The rash on my leg, a 6inch by 4inch bright red inflamed area oozed fluid like a leaky water faucet. so did the huge patch on my arm and the smaller areas on my stomach and breast. The rash on my back started after the other areas stopped oozing. I think the rash on my back is a rash of release of toxins in the system, rather than a rash of direct exposure to the oils. I might be wrong. In a way I hope I'm right despite the discomfort. I'm sorry to hear about your experience. In my community they have laws against burning leaves. Hopefully they will be obeyed. I dread to think of breathing poison ivy fumes. I wonder, however, if I find a homeopathic remedy my system will become immune/tolerant of the poison ivy. Fortunately, my husband is not allergic to it and he has been cautiously removing the vines which have only just begun to appear on our property. GM, if you are still reading, I have a question which might seem stupid - why should't one scratch an itchy rash? Why is the rash itchy if it should't be scratched? Again, thanks for your time and help. Just knowing that there are caring people like you out there is a very calming and healing experience.

Mselle - Since you have NOT filled in your profile completely, (Let everyone know where you live) it's hard to know if you have inhaled burning leaves containing poison ivy........Just because your town does not ALLOW it does not mean others are not doing it. If you live in a town, like mine, in New England, all towns have specific bylaws.....but, if you go shopping, etc, you are going to pass towns that burn!!!! We have towns that are known for making Apple Cider....The smell is heavenly.....BUT, if you are alergic.....it's hell! You should take this into consideration.....By all means, if there is a homeopathic remedy, take it......but if you can avoid this or know what you are inhaling.....this helps also.

Dont supress the rash with ointments etc, washing is okay, but not application of soap, left there for minutes or houers.
Lets se what clem can do for you now, keep posting.
If clem works, i dont find the burning of ivy to be the cause, its more likely a virus.

Dear friends, my husband helped me fill out the registration. I thought we put in the address...until I can ask him about it, he's the technician in the family, I live on Long Island, which except for some small areas, is covered with poison ivy. According to a New York State environmental impact statement, our section has its own mini climate because of the lay of the land, until now we didn't have poison ivy. Only this spring we noticed some in the yard. GM, the rash was not so itchy this evening. If it goes away before I get the clematis should I still take the clematis? If it comes back again should I take it? Thanks again.

Take clematis, it dont dissapear of it self, other sympt points to clematis besides the rash/itch. It has to do with your intestes/bacterialflora.

Dear GM, Just saw your post to St. Claire that you might quite the BB. You work very hard, your advice appears in almost every case every evening, almost all topics. Thank you. You probably put more mental effort and analysis into you work than allopathic doctors. Maybe you could specialize in one area of the BB for a while, example, pets or skin. I you leave, we would miss you, but would understand. Thank you from across the world.

Hi. Nahh, ill wait it out for a while, as long as im needed , its hard to quit, ill do what i can, but must be awhare of my health and financial situasion, as we in Norway must pay a lot to be on the net, i must pay about usd 3000 pr year, to help others for free.
It should make a bell ring in some who like to critizice in jealousy.

As for your cravings, chocolate in the evening, well i wonder, any flatulence during nigth?

Its a sign of wrong balance between acids and base, and indicates wrong bacterialflora, due to several reasons, it could be hormonal, from food habits, lack of certain enzymes, etc, and it indicates remedies like calcium,calc phosp, and Sepia, sulphur, etc:
This depend on the rest of the symptomes. If having this type of problems, coffea must go, sugars too, and a suplement of intestial bacterias given over several monts (candidasyndrome, related).
But lets se what clematis can do first, and calc carb is usually the follower of this.

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Homeopat MNNH Geir E.T. Marcussen
email: getm@eunet.no
http://www.homeopati.no