Section 16
Poisons

URTICARIA (Nettle Rash)

SYMPTOMS—Small, pale swellings on the skin, with severe itching and burning which come and go, to be replaced by others. Each lesion lasts a few hours, and is succeeded by new ones in other places.

CAUSES—One cause is contact with the nettle plant, which pricks a poison into the skin. Other causes include wheat, milk, eggs, chocolate, and other food allergens.

HYDRO—The following formula is from the author's book, Water Therapy Manual (see order sheet):

Sponging with very hot water, Hot salt or alkaline Sponge, Prolonged Neutral Bath (p. 239).

ENCOURAGEMENT—Pray earnestly for help in all the little things of life, and you will be ready when great crises come.

INSECT STING

SYMPTOMS—Redness, slight swelling, and possibly some itching.

Reaction to the sting can sometimes be more pronounced: hoarseness, labored breathing, confusion, difficult swallowing, and severe swelling.

Sometimes the reaction can be severe: possible closing of the airway and perhaps shock (cyanosis and a drop in blood pressure).

CAUSES—Certain stinging insects in North America can cause reactions (honeybees, bumble bees, African bees, hornets, scorpions, fire ants, yellow jackets, wasps, spiders, centipedes, and ants). Of these, the honeybee, yellow jacket, and African bee are the most dangerous.

Bee venom contains formaldehyde.

Note: Each year, bee stings cause more deaths in America than snake bites.

TREATMENT—

• Pull out the stinger, if any remains. (Honeybees leave their stinger in the wound. It must be pulled out immediately, for it keeps pulsating venom into the skin.) Avoid removing the stinger with your fingers; use a knife blade to scrape it out, to avoid squeezing in more poison.

• Apply a paste of baking soda and water on the area or a compress that is wet with ammonia water (more useful for scorpion stings).

• Wet a little calcium gluconate and put it on the area.

• Crush a charcoal tablet and place in the area, and cover with cloth. This will reduce pain and swelling. Put some wet powdered charcoal in an cloth and tie it on for 3-4 hours.

• Charcoal has an amazing adsorptive (not absorptive) ability to pull into itself toxins and poisons, thus neutralizing them. This is due to its large chemical surface and the fact that charcoal is pure carbon. The carbon molecules are eager to unite with other substances.

• Clay or mud can also be used, especially if you are out in the woods. Put some mud on it as soon as possible and leave it on for a half hour. Try to select the mud from a clean place, not from a mud hole, where animals may have polluted it. If pain persists, apply charcoal.

• An enzyme-based meat tenderizer breaks down the proteins that make up insect venom, but you have to use it right away for it to be effective.

• To avoid infection, do not scratch the area.

• Also helpful are calcium chloride, hydrochloric acid, or ammonium chloride on the area.

• Apply poultice of white oak bark and leaves, comfrey, and slippery elm.

• Pain gels, DMSO, or Caladryl lotions can be applied.

• Calamine lotion often reduces the itching.

• Drink as much yellow dock tea as you can or take echinacea (tea or in capsule form).

• Ironically, either hot or cold will lessen the pain.

• A lengthy hot tub bath will help relieve abdominal pain that often develops after a bite.

• A cold pack or ice pack on the area will help relieve pain.

• Those sensitive to stings should avoid situations in which they might get stung. If they have to be in such localities, they are wise to carry adrenalin (epinephrine) with them and be accompanied by a friend who can go for help. Reactions can occur within minutes or hours. Contact a physician. Death can result if treatment is not sought.

• If you have a known allergy to a certain venom, you can have a physician prescribe an emergency treatment kit which you can keep with you.

• Purchase a small venom extractor and keep it with you.

• Squashing a yellow jacket releases a chemical that causes other yellow jackets to attack. When one stings, that also causes the others to become excited. If bit, run. Go indoors or jump into water. Insects have a hard time following a person through a thicket of woods.

• Insects are repelled by the odor of turpentine.

• Stinging insects prefer dark colors. So wear white or light-colored clothing.

• Do not wear perfumes of any kind.

• Insects are attracted to people who are deficient in zinc. Take at least 60 mg a day.

• Sometimes brewer's yeast or garlic rubbed on the skin deters insects.

• Drinking alcohol or eating an excess of sugar attracts biting, and other, insects.

• Also see "Spider Bite," which includes that of black widows. Also see "Snake Bite." Treatment for a black widow bite is the same as that for a snake bite.

ENCOURAGEMENT—Praise God for all His blessings, and you will have more to praise Him for. How many are the dangers He has protected you from!

CHIGGERS

SYMPTOMS—A red spot that itches intensely for about 3 days.

CAUSES—Chiggers, also called red bugs, are extremely tiny insects in the class (arthropoda, eight-legged creatures) which includes scorpions, spiders, and mites. They prefer grassy, weedy, fields, but are also found in wooded areas. They are active from May to September, and especially during June and July.

Moving slowly, a chigger crawls along until he finds a tight spot in a body crease or where the clothing is tight. Then, about 2 hours after hitching a ride, he digs in by injecting fluid which dissolves tissue and produces a welt. About 3-6 hours later the itching begins and continues for about 3 days.

TREATMENT—

• Remove the chigger by scratching off with a fingernail, or apply castor oil or Vaseline. Another method is to apply clear nail polish to the spot; this smothers the creature.

• A charcoal poultice can be a help.

• Banana is reported to soothe chigger bites.

• Hot baths help control the itching.

ENCOURAGEMENT—Find in the Lord the strength you need every day. The Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. Oh come, let us worship and bow down, and kneel before our Maker.

ITCH MITE

SYMPTOMS—Itching occurs, but seems to travel from place to place on the skin.

CAUSES—Beware of bird nests close to your house! Many birds are infested with mites, and these can enter your home and get on you.

TREATMENT—

• Wash the affected part with tar soap. Wash clothing in boiling water or press them with a hot iron.

• Steep a tablespoon each of burdock root, yarrow, and yellow dock root in a pint of boiling water for half an hour. Strain, add a pound of cocoa fat, and keep boiling and stirring until it is a salve. Use this for an itch of any kind.

ENCOURAGEMENT—Oh how good the Lord is to all of us, and how safely we may trust Him every day. He calls us His little children. So obey Him in all things, and your happiness can only deepen.

MOSQUITO BITE

SYMPTOMS—A mosquito bite with its attendant itching.

CAUSES—The culex, aedes, and anopheles mosquitoes are in North America. Malaria can sometimes occur (which see). The treatment below is for non-malarial bites.

TREATMENT—

• To relieve itching: Rub with raw garlic or fresh lemon juice; repeat as often as possible. Rub with damp salt. Rub with vitamin C tablet or powder.

• To prevent bites from occurring: Eat lots of raw garlic. Avoid sugar and white flour in all forms. Include vitamin B complex and/or brewer's yeast in the diet.

ENCOURAGEMENT—We strive for happiness, but rarely find it. Only in God can we find genuine, lasting, peace of heart.

LICE (Pediculosis)

SYMPTOMS—Itching of the skin, often on the head, trunk, or pubic area. Lice eggs can be seen on one's hair. The person will feel like he is overheated or has a slight fever.

CAUSES—There are three types of lice which infect people: the head louse (pediculosis capitis), the body louse (p. corporis), and the crab louse (p. pubis). Crab lice (also called crabs) are spread by sexual contact.

Lice can be spread by hanging coats, scarves, and caps together or using someone else's comb, brush, etc. They live on the clothing (especially in the seams), travel to the skin once a day for a meal, then back onto the clothing.

Lice live about 30 days, and the female lays about ten eggs a day. The tiny eggs (nits) are laid at the base of a hair shaft. As the hair grows, the nits are carried upward and can be seen. They look like tiny black or rust-colored spots at, or near, the base of the hair. They can even be found on the chest, beard, and eyelashes.

TREATMENT—

• No drugs are needed to eradicate lice. Instead use one or more of the following methods:

• Heat combs and brushes to 151^o F. for 5-10 minutes; soak for an hour in 2% Lysol solution or freeze for 30 minutes.

• Launder clothing and bedding in hot water. Non-washable items should be sealed in a plastic sack for 10 days.

• Soak the place on the body for 30 minutes in very warm, soapy, water.

• The hair can be doused in kerosene and then wrapped in a towel. Garlic compresses can be placed on the scalp for 2 hours. Hot vinegar (or a 50-50 vinegar/water mixture) applied to the scalp will loosen eggs, so they can be vigorously combed out of the hair with a fine-toothed comb. A 50-50 mixture of kerosene and olive oil can be put on the scalp to get rid of the nits.

• Be careful what you place on the eyebrows; you do not want to damage the eyes. Petroleum jelly has been recommended to suffocate the lice.

• Use, as a hair wash, either labrador tea or field larkspur.

• Vacuuming carpets is as effective as spraying them. Do it frequently.

• Scrub toilet seats regularly.

• Whatever method you use, keep in mind that there is a 14-day cycle; you must work intensely for a little over 2 weeks on your body, clothing, and home if you are to have success.

ENCOURAGEMENT—In everything you do, put God and His standards first. You will never be disappointed if you do this.

JELLYFISH STING

SYMPTOMS—A strong stinging feeling on the legs or arms while swimming at an ocean beach.

This may afterward be followed by headache, muscle cramps, coughing, shortness of breath, nausea, and vomiting.

CAUSES—Jellyfish and Portuguese men-of-war are found in warmer marine waters. The eastern beaches of Florida are one example.

Their long tentacles contain stinging cells which, touching you, pierce the skin and release poison. Even severed tentacles can poison just as intensively.

TREATMENT—

• Immediately rinse the wound with salt water. Do not use fresh water, because it activates any stinging cells which have not already burst. For the same reason, do not rub the skin.

• Neutralize the area as soon as possible by splashing on one of the following, and do it again as needed: Use rubbing or ethyl (liquor) alcohol, vinegar, ammonia, or meat tenderizer. Travel tip: Take a bottle of vinegar with you to the ocean beach.

• If any tentacles remain on your skin, apply a paste of sand and seawater; then wrap your hand in a towel and wipe them off or scrape them off with a knife or credit card.

ENCOURAGEMENT—God is preparing the hearts of those who dedicate their lives to Him. Soon, at His coming, they will go to heaven to ever be with Him. This is something each one of us can have.

SPIDER BITE

SYMPTOMS—Pain, swelling, nervous reactions.

Black widow bite: Within a short time the victim feels agonizing pain throughout the body, especially in the abdomen, which may be rigid as a board. Cold sweats, difficulty in breathing, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes delirium and convulsions occur.

CAUSES—Spider, scorpion, and centipede bites: These can sometimes be dangerous; most are very painful. (Also see "Insect Bite.") In case of spider bite, see a physician; it might be a black widow.

Black widow bites: Black widow venom is more potent, drop for drop, than the poison of a pit viper (rattlesnake, copperhead, or cotton mouth); but an extremely small amount is injected in each spider bite.

TREATMENT—

• The bite of a black widow should be treated like a snake bite (which see), except that it is not necessary to give antivenin.

• If there is swelling or pain after a spider bite, keep calm and apply a constricting band 2-4 inches above (above) the bite. Loosen the band for 15 seconds every 10 minutes. Do not let the extremity turn blue! Do not move the affected area, and keep it below the heart level, if possible. The victim should lie down. Pack ice around the wound.

• The objective, throughout the above paragraph, is to slow the blood and reduce spread of the poison.

• Drink as much yellow dock as possible or take 2 capsules every hour till symptoms recede. Swallow echinacea. Apply white oak bark poultices. Slippery elm, plantain, or comfrey are also good.

• Massive doses of vitamin C may save a life.

—See "Snake Bite" and "Insect bite" for much more information.

ENCOURAGEMENT—Trust Him with all your heart. He will carry you and your burdens. Find in Him the answers you need.

SNAKE BITE

SYMPTOMS—One or two tiny bite holes which cause intense pain; frequently there is nausea, vomiting, and unconsciousness.

CAUSES—There are two types of poisonous serpents in North America:

The pit viper (which includes rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cotton mouths [also called water moccasins]) has a deep, heat-sensitive, pit on each side of the head. Pit vipers lunge forward, bite, and immediately pull back. Their venom contains a blood poison.

The coral snake does not jump and, when it catches hold of the flesh, must hold on and chew awhile for the poison to sink in. Its venom is a nerve poison.

More on identifying coral snakes: They are found only in the southernmost areas of the United States, as well as south of the border, and have brightly colored rings. There is a non-poisonous snake which looks similar, but the colored rings are arranged differently. Remember it this way: "Red by black, friend of Jack; but black by yellow, kill a fellow."

The danger from snake bite occurs when the poison reaches the heart, and, secondarily, the effect of that poison on the blood and nervous system.

The action of the venom is rapid, regardless of the type of poisonous snake. There is rapid swelling and inflammation.

If treatment is not immediately given, the poison may cause death. If not death, then, after the initial effects of pain and shock begin to wear off, extensive tissue damage begins. There is suppuration, gangrene, sloughing, and hemorrhage. If this happens, recovery time is greatly slowed.

TREATMENT—

• The best single remedy you can keep on hand is a small hand-suction extractor for immediately pulling the poison out of the wound. Continue this for half an hour. (This suction is less useful for coral snake venom, but use it on all snake bites anyway!) If there is no other way to extract the poison, another person should suck it out, continually spitting out the blood, for half an hour.

• The person doing the sucking should not have any sores in his mouth.

• Suction can also be done with a pop bottle heated and applied. As it cools a vacuum is formed.

• Another alternative is to cut off the end of a plastic injection syringe at the bottom of the large end, apply to the bitten area, and pull back on the plunger.

• Have the patient lie down, keep him calm and warm, apply a tourniquet above the limb where the wound is. This constricting band should be tight enough to shut off the venous blood, but not so tight that it stops the arterial circulation. Loosen the band 15 seconds every 10 minutes.

• The instruction formerly was to cut across between the two bite holes, so you could suck out more blood and poison. The current theory is that no cuts should be made, but only sucking. It might be the best to suck and spit for a couple minutes; this will clean the surface as well. Then cut across, so you can suck even better. But, when you are in the crisis, do what seems best.

• Do not give liquor to the person, thinking that this will help him. It does not!

• Specific antivenin serums are in stock for various species of snakes. Learn to identify the various snakes in your locality. (Coral snakes are primarily found only in the southeastern states.)

• Massive doses of vitamin C may save a life.

• Keep calm and work carefully. Excitement speeds up the blood flow to the heart.

• In most cases, the person does not die. But pray and get yourself prepared for whatever may happen.

• After the suction process is over, take charcoal from the campfire, mix it with water and drink it, as follows: a half glassful of water with 1 teaspoon of charcoal, and drink another one every 15 minutes until the danger is past.

• If able to do so, a couple hours later, take a steam bath or something similar, to sweat out the poison.

• Throughout all this time, you should eat no food.

• If, after several hours, the bite area is still swollen and painful, put kerosene on a cloth and apply it, keeping it wet for several hours. This will help neutralize the poison. An alternative is to grind up raw onions and apply to the area. Leave them there until an offensive odor, not of onions, is noticed. Remove; bathe the area; and apply more raw, crushed, onions until the pain is gone.

ENCOURAGEMENT—When trials and tribulations come to you, know that every thing will work out well if, through dedication and prayer, you will keep close to God.