Beating the summer bummer of bug bites and bee stings

(ARA) - Ahhh, summer -- July Fourth fireworks, family barbecues, ice cold watermelon, weekends at the beach ... and bug bites. Or worse -- bee, hornet and wasp stings.

“Dealing with biting and stinging insects is one of summer’s bummers,” says Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg, editor of Wilderness Medicine magazine and the author of eight books on outdoor safety. “At best, a bite is annoying and a sting painful. At worst, they can be life-threatening if the person that was bitten or stung has an allergic reaction.”

Repellents can help ward off insects, but even the most powerful are not foolproof if you miss a patch of skin. A summer mosquito bite or bee sting is almost inevitable and can be annoying to adult sufferers and traumatizing to the youngest members of the family.

Van Tilburg offers some tips to help ensure insect bites and stings don’t take a bite out of your summer fun:

* Wash the bite or sting with soap and water. Keep an eye out for infection. If the bite or sting becomes increasingly red or painful, swells or oozes pus, or if the red spot is bigger than a nickel, have a doctor look at it.

* Apply an anti-itch treatment designed specifically for insect bites and stings. Oral antihistamines may help, but also carry the risk of making one drowsy, so stick with a topical remedy. Avoid those that rely on benzocaine or lidocaine, both of which simply mask the itch and need to be constantly reapplied since the relief is short lived. Instead, opt for a benzocaine-free product like AfterBite.

The adult version counteracts the bite with ammonia and the children’s version (AfterBite Kids) gently eliminates the pain and swelling with a baking soda-based cream. Both formulations work to soothe the bite -- providing fast, long-term relief -- and help moisturize the skin. AfterBite contains mineral oil and the kids' version comes with Vitamin E, aloe vera and tea tree oil -- all ingredients that are effective skin softeners. Tea tree oil also kills bacteria, which is an important benefit if a child’s insect bite or sting has become infected through over scratching. If you don’t have a remedy on hand, apply ice or cold to relieve the pain and swelling.

* In case of a sting, remove the stinger and venom sac as quickly as possible. The venom sac will continue to pump venom into the skin, even if you’ve already removed the rest of the insect. If you don’t have extra strength AfterBite Outdoor (which contains baking soda, tea tree oil and ammonia) available, make a paste of baking soda and water and apply it to the affected area for bee stings. For wasps, try vinegar, lemon juice or another acidic substance that may help neutralize the pain-causing toxin.

* Bee, hornet or wasp stings (and some ant bites) can lead to anaphylactic shock, a serious life-threatening allergic reaction. Symptoms include hives, wheezing, dizziness, tightness in the chest, a rapid heart beat and a drop in blood pressure. Anaphylactic shock requires immediate treatment with epinephrine and antihistamines. If someone in your family has a known bee allergy, be sure to keep an epinephrine auto-injector -- prescribed by your doctor -- on hand. Seek medical assistance as soon as possible.

* Bugs aren’t the only stinging creatures to be cautious about during summer months. If your family romps at the beach, beware of jellyfish stings. Some types of jellyfish deliver stings that are merely painful, while a handful can actually give a life-threatening sting. Use AfterBite or vinegar to neutralize jellyfish venom.

“Bites and stings are a reality of summer, but with a little preparedness and proper treatment, they don’t have to be a big bummer,” Van Tilburg says.

To learn more about treating summer insect bites and stings, visit www.tendercorp.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Treat Summer Ailments with Epsom Salt

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Epsom salt has long been considered one of the most versatile household products, but as summer draws near, doctors say there’s an important use that isn’t as well-known: reducing the itch that comes from mosquito bites, bee stings, mild sunburn, poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac.

“Basically, anything that itches or burns the skin, Epsom salt can soothe,” says Dr. Joe Matusic, a pediatrician in Charleston, W.Va., and an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at the Charleston division of the West Virginia University School of Medicine. “It’s inexpensive, it’s readily available and it’s an old-time remedy that works.”

Epsom salt can be used to help reduce itching in three ways, according to Matusic and other doctors:

* Make compresses by soaking a cotton washcloth in cold water that has been mixed with Epsom salt (two tablespoons per cup), then apply to the skin.
* Create a paste to apply to the skin by adding a teaspoon of Epsom salt to about a cup of hot water until it dissolves, then chilling the solution in the fridge for 20 minutes. Note: Clean the skin and pat dry before applying the paste.
* Take an Epsom salt bath, by adding two cups of Epsom salt to the water in a standard-sized bathtub and soaking for at least 12 minutes. The Epsom salt will dissolve quicker if you put it under the running water.

“Epsom salt is always there in the pantry, and you should use it as soon as possible for temporary relief,” says Dr. Susan Jewell, an award-winning doctor and scientist in clinical research medicine. “I use it myself.”

Epsom salt helps draw the moisture out of lesions caused by rashes, such as poison ivy, according to the doctors. And with bites or stings, Epsom salt reduces the swelling, which eases the itching sensation because the body’s nerves fire less frequently, the doctors say.

People should consult their doctors for serious or persisting skin conditions.

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