I have read everything I can find on the internet on poison oak/ivy during
the past several weeks.  The first person was right.  People are born with
some immunity.  Continued exposure to the poison oak/ivy oils will make the
body more prone to getting the rashes.  The body's resistance gets weaker.
The body is in effect reacting quicker to the invasion of the bothersome
chemical.

This is the opposite of what happens with other allergies where they try to
desensitize you with allergy shots.  There is no such thing as immunity from
poison oak/ivy.  You get in it enough and you'll eventually get it.

When the poison oak/ivy rash appears, it can't be spread.  The oil has
already been absorbed by the body and what you're seeing is the body
reacting to the presence of the oil.  Scratching just causes problems
because it causes an open wound that is susseptible to infections.  Poison
oak/ivy is very messy because it shows up as blisters and likes to stay
around for as much as 2 weeks.

The difference between poison oak and poison ivy is very minor.  About the
same difference between a basset hound and a beagle.

> Everyone is born with some degree of tolerance, or immunity to these
> chemical "reactions."  With repeated exposure, this tolerance will
> decrease, until the body develops a defensive reaction - which results in
> the rash, etc.  Some people only need one exposure to get the body to
> react.  Others require many, but it's not infinite.

That sounds like the exact opposite of the way the immune system works.
Isn't the reason you get shots to give your immune system practice so that
it knows what to do what it gets the real thing.  Seems like it should work
in a similar way with poison ivy/oak.

Brian Cluff
Team Snaptek