POISON IVY RASH – Ayurvedic Treatment, Diet, Exercises, Research Papers, Yoga & Pranayama

 Poison ivy rash is a skin allergy causing inflammation of the skin with itching. Poison ivy rash is caused by an allergic reaction to an oily resin called urushiol.

• SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF POISON IVY RASH
• CAUSES OF POISON IVY RASH
• PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF POISON IVY RASH
• DIAGNOSIS OF POISON IVY RASH
• TREATMENTS FOR POISON IVY RASH
• PROGNOSIS OF POISON IVY RASH
• COMPLICATIONS OF POISON IVY RASH
• POISON IVY RASH AND AYURVEDA
• NIDANA- AYURVEDIC CAUSES OF POISON IVY RASH
• PURVAROOPAM- AYURVEDIC PREMONITORY SYMPTOMS OF POISON IVY RASH
• SAMPRAPTI – AYURVEDIC PATHOGENESIS OF POISON IVY RASH
• LAKSHANA- AYURVEDIC SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF POISON IVY RASH
• AYURVEDIC PROGNOSIS OF POISON IVY RASH
• CHIKITSA- AYURVEDIC TREATMENT FOR POISON IVY RASH
• AYURVEDIC LOCAL TREATMENT FOR POISON IVY RASH
• AYURVEDIC SAMANA TREATMENT FOR POISON IVY RASH
• AYURVEDIC SHODHANA TREATMENT FOR POISON IVY RASH
• COMMONLY USED AYURVEDIC MEDICINES FOR POISON IVY RASH
• HOME REMEDIES FOR POISON IVY RASH
• DIET AND BEHAVIOUR FOR POISON IVY RASH
• YOGA FOR POISON IVY RASH

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF POISON IVY RASH

• Itching skin lesions
• Blisters
• Redness  
• Rashes
• Swelling

CAUSES OF POISON IVY RASH

• Allergy from an oily resin called urushiol. It’s found in poison ivy plant.

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF POISON IVY RASH

• Touching of poison ivy plant or touching objects contaminated with urushiol resin produce symptoms of skin allergy. This is a T cell-mediated immune response.

DIAGNOSIS OF POISON IVY RASH

1. EXAMINATIONS

• Inspection of the skin lesions

• INVESTIGATIONS

• Laboratory tests – to detect the antibodies produced by the immune system

TREATMENTS FOR POISON IVY RASH

• Corticosteroids, either in pill or topical form
• Anti-inflammatory medicines
• Immunosuppressants
• Medicines for itching
• Symptomatic treatments are more effective

PROGNOSIS OF POISON IVY RASH

• Prognosis of poison ivy rash is good

COMPLICATIONS OF POISON IVY RASH            

• Bacterial infections
• Inhalation produce respiratory problems

POISON IVY RASH AND AYURVEDA

• In Ayurveda,poison ivy rash is symptomatologically managed based on vicharchika chikilsa.
• According to Ayurveda, twakrogas are known by the general term Kushta. Vicharchika is one of the types of Kshudra Kushta. General medicines used for the treatment of skin diseases (kushta) are effective in poison ivy rash.

NIDANA- AYURVEDIC CAUSES OF POISON IVY RASH

• Excess consumption of unctuous food
• Vitiation of dosha and dhatus
• Agantu factors – external irritants

PURVAROOPAM- AYURVEDIC PREMONITORY SYMPTOMS OF POISON IVY RASH

• Reddish skin lesions

SAMPRAPTI – AYURVEDIC PATHOGENESIS OF POISON IVY RASH

 In the pathogenesis of Vicharchika, tridoṣas (vāta, pitta and kapha) are involved with the predominance of pittaand kapha.

LAKSHANA- AYURVEDIC SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF POISON IVY RASH

• Sotha – inflammation
• Kleda – oozing
• kandu  – itching
• srava – discharge
• Pidaka – vesicles
• Shyava varna – discolouration

AYURVEDIC PROGNOSIS OF POISON IVY RASH

• Sadhya – curable

CHIKITSA- AYURVEDIC TREATMENT FOR POISON IVY RASH

Ayurvedic local treatment for poison ivy rash

• Local application of concentrated PañcavalkalaKvātha[decoction of the barks of five herbs, namelyFicus benghalensis Linn. (Vaṭa), Ficus glomerata Roxb. (Udumbara), Ficus religiosaLinn. (Aśvattha), Thespesia populnea Soland. ex Correa. (Pāriśa) andFicus lecor Buch. Ham. (Plakṣa)] 
• Nalpamaradi taila
• Lodrasevyadi kashaya seka

AYURVEDIC SAMANA TREATMENT FOR POISON IVY RASH

• Patolamooladi kashaya
• Punarnavasava
• Punarnavadi kashaya
• Arogyavardhini Rasa 
• Gandhaka Rasāyana
• Panchatikta ghrita
• Patolakaturohinyadi kashaya

 AYURVEDIC SHODHANA TREATMENT FOR POISON IVY RASH

• Vamana- emesis
• Virechana – purgation

COMMONLY USED AYURVEDIC MEDICINES FOR POISON IVY RASH

Internal administration

• Patolamooladi kashaya
• Punarnavasava
• Punarnavadi kashaya
• Arogyavardhini Rasa 
• Gandhaka Rasāyana
• Panchatikta ghrita
• Sarivadyasava

HOME REMEDIES FOR POISON IVY RASH

• Intake of Indian gooseberry – cools the body

DIET AND BEHAVIOUR FOR POISON IVY RASH

• Avoid food items that produce dosha imbalance like cold and dry food, hard to digest. Because dosha imbalance aggravates the symptoms.
• Consume easily digestible food items
• Avoid exposure to dust, smoke, sunlight

YOGA FOR POISON IVY RASH

• Nadi Shuddi Pranayam    – calms the mind and gets relief from irritations related to poison ivy rash

The patient needs to be seated in a meditative posture with the head and spine erect, with the body relaxed. The patient has to close his one nostril (e.g. left nostril if using the right hand and vice versa) with the thumb and exhale completely through the other nostril. Again, he will have to breathe in deeply through the other nostril while the opposite nostril is still closed with the thumb.