Recently I came down with my first case of poison ivy. And it's a doozy. A trip to the doctor last Monday has me on medication that's clearing it up quickly, though. I'll be happy to see it go away completely! Since this was my first case of the scratchy stuff, I did a little research online and discovered that a lot of the things I thought were facts about poison ivy turn out to be nothing but myths.

• Scratching will cause the rash to spread. Technically, this isn't true. The rash is caused by contact with urushiol oil from the poison ivy plant. If your skin still has traces of the oil and you scratch, you could transfer the oil to another part of your body. But, once the oil is gone, scratching will not spread the rash. However, take it from my personal experience, you don't want to scratch. I'm on a heavy-duty antibiotic to clear up the infection I have as a result of scratching.
  
• Poison ivy is contagious. Again, only contact with urushiol oil will cause the reaction. The rash itself is not contagious.
  
• Once allergic, always allergic to poison ivy. Not necessarily. Your sensitivity can change over time.

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Ever had someone tell you they were allergic to exercise? I bet you rolled your eyes and thought, 'yeah, right!.' But it just so happens that some people do have an allergy to exercise--it's extremely rare but it does happen.

According to Fitsugar, It's called exercise-induced anaphylaxis, and it's symptoms include feeling itchy and hot within the first few minutes of exercise, followed by more pronounced symptoms like hives, fainting, vomiting, difficulty breathing and swollen lips, throat and eyes. But before you go self-diagnosing yourself, remember this: There's only been 1,000 documented cases in nearly 40 years, so it's pretty rare.

Want to know more about exercise-induced allergies? Head over to Fitsugar for more info.

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There is a wooded area in a nearby community that's open to the public. Though it's smack-dab in the middle of a city, you really feel like you're escaping to the wilderness there. My son and I like to visit it for day hikes and he also likes to ride his bike on the trails. Though the trails are groomed and maintained for public use, off-trail it's a woods like any other. If you're not careful, you can definitely run across some of the poison plants -- poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. You can avoid the itch by recognizing the plants:

• Poison ivy. In some areas poison, ivy grows as a vine. In others it's more of a shrub. The identifying trait is it's three-leaf configuration.
• Poison oak. Poison oak is somewhat similar in appearance to poison ivy, but the leaves are shaped more like an oak tree's. The underside of the leaf is lighter than the top and is covered in hair.
• Poison sumac. Common in swampy areas, poison sumac is a woody shrub with leaves arranged in pairs and clusters of green berries.

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I'm a magnet for mosquitos. They always find me, always bite me, always leave swollen mounds of skin that itch like crazy. I swear, my whole family can be gathered in the back yard on a beautiful evening -- we're having beautiful evenings here in Florida right now -- and no one will even know the mosquitos are out. Except me. I'll know because it will take only moments for them to seek, target, and strike me.

I have several bites on my legs right now, most of them on my lower legs and ankles -- not ideal for my morning runs. My socks rub the ankle bites and in addition to trying to simply power myself forward for three miles, I've now got to manage a fair amount of itching.

Here's one opinion on what I should do to alleviate my mosquito madness.

• Numb the area with a topical anti-itch remedy containing ammonium solution or menthol (brand names: After Bite, Sarna) or a topical analgesic.
  
  

• Apply a cool compress to calm itching and reduce swelling.
  
  

• Use a topical hydrocortisone cream for allergic reactions with a lot of swelling.
  
  

• Try oral Benadryl (if safe for you) to reduce the histamine reaction that causes itching and swelling. Avoid topical Benadryl, which can cause an allergic reaction.

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Adding salt to your food is generally frowned upon--that dreaded sodium is no good for your body--but that doesn't mean you should throw out your salt shakers. According to Mark's Daily Apple, here are some interesting ways to use salt:

• In your shoes: Putting a pinch of salt in your shoes will help reduce odor. Who knew?
• On your hands: Mix some salt with white or malt vinegar and rub it in your hands to get rid of the smell of chopping garlic or onions.
  
• On your apples: Submerging apple slices in a solution of cold salt water will keep them from going brown without compromising taste.
  
• On bites: A paste of salt and water will help relieve itch and pain associated with bee strings and mosquito bites.
  
• In your coffee: A small pinch of salt will take away any bitter taste in your java.
  
  

There are lots more ways to use salt -- head over to Mark's Daily Apple for more great tips.

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Have you ever had an itch so bad that you felt like sitting for hours just to scratch? It's almost compulsive, but there's a deliberate connection between the brain, skin, and that need to fix an itch. In fact, scientists say even fish scratch themselves (I'll just have to take their word for it).

So what makes it feel so good? They used MRI machines to test 13 people as they scratched their legs, even without needing to. Researchers discovered that an itch doesn't even have to be present for a scratch to feel good. The brain pepped up where pleasure resides and at the same time suppressed areas of pain sensation.

Not only that, but areas regarding memory were also affected. This sends pleasure signals through the spinal cord to tell our brain "Keep scratching!" It is also the same reason that compels us to rub our stubbed toe or hurt head after bumping into something. Just imagine pain signals and pleasure signals trying to crowd into the brain at the same time. This traffic jam effect blocks out some of the sensations you wouldn't want to feel! Check out more here if you're curious about this mechanism.

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