Banana peels helped one reader with poison ivy rash
By Joe Graedon and Teresa Graedon
Q: My wife and I recently moved into our new house. By early April, the yard had become pretty overgrown. I spent an entire day pulling out what I thought was just ivy. However, it turned out that it was poison ivy.
Over the next few days, my arms and shins were covered with an itchy rash.
I tried the normal stuff to treat the symptoms: Benadryl tabs at night and Ivy-Dry spray in the morning. I noticed that the spray wore off around 11 a.m. I did a few searches on poison ivy remedies and found that some people reported using banana peels to relieve poison ivy.
Surprisingly, it was pretty effective. Immediately after I rubbed the peels on the affected area, the skin turned red, and the itch subsided a few minutes later. The relief lasted about three hours. I wouldn’t call it a miracle cure, but it certainly worked at least as well as some of the drugstore remedies I was paying for.
A: You are not the first person to share success with banana peel for poison ivy or oak rash. As far as we can tell, dermatologists have not studied this remedy. They are more likely to prescribe a corticosteroid cream. Bad cases may require oral steroids.
It is always wise to wash thoroughly with soap and water whenever you may have been exposed to poison ivy or poison oak. Getting the urushiol resin off the skin as soon as possible reduces the chance of a reaction.
Q: In March 2020, I came down with COVID19, although at the time I thought it was just a mild case of the flu. Since then, I’ve had severe shortness of breath as well as muscle and joint aches and pains. My senses of taste and smell come and go (mostly go). I also have a dry cough and fatigue that comes on so suddenly that I have to sit down immediately. I’ve had every test known to man, but nothing shows up. My biggest issue is shortness of breath.
A: Your description fits post-COVID syndrome, or PCS. People with such symptoms often refer to themselves as “long-haulers.”
Other symptoms can include chest pain, heart palpitations, cough, brain fog and headache.
Many people now suffering PCS were not very sick initially. Their COVID symptoms were mild to moderate, but months later they are debilitated.
Clinics are cropping up around the world to treat long COVID complications, but there are few clear answers about the best therapies.
Q: I was on Cymbalta for about a year to treat pain in my shoulder and neck. When it was diagnosed as a torn rotator cuff, the doctor said I could get off the drug. He gave me 30 mg for a week and said I would be fine. I had been on 60 mg.
I did as I was told. Once I finished that week of 30 mg doses, I was pretty sick. I had horrible stomach pain, diarrhea and headaches. I felt so nauseated and dizzy that I was miserable.
I also fly off the handle easily and feel like I never get enough rest. I’m wondering how long this withdrawal will take.
A: Duloxetine (Cymbalta) is prescribed for pain as well as depression. Doctors have a name for the symptoms you describe: discontinuation syndrome. As you have noted, it can be extremely challenging.
Medications like duloxetine should be tapered very gradually. This may take months instead of weeks.
In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Send questions to them via www. peoplespharmacy.com.