Poison “ivy” allergy?  

Ivy, a vine with lobed evergreen leaves and black berrylike fruits is allergic to several people. It might be possible to coax the body to build up immunity to poison ivy. This news comes from researchers of Allergy Associates of La Crosse in La Crosse, Wis. The treatment was a small amount of poison ivy extract placed under the tongue. The goal was to train the body's immune system not to overreact to poison ivy. The patients took skin tests to see if the treatment helped. Those tests showed that after treatment, patients had a much higher threshold for allergic skin reactions to poison ivy. Ninety percent of the patients said they had "far fewer" skin reaction episodes. Patients who said they still got skin rashes reported milder rashes that were quicker to heal than before treatment. The treatment may help people whose jobs and hobbies expose them to poison ivy, but further tests are needed, the researchers note. The findings were presented in Philadelphia at the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology's annual scientific meeting.
Friends, do you find this information helpful, please comment.