Hi Jean, I've never been nailed by a brown recluse - yet - but have been interested in therapies for various venomous critters since rattlers, scorpions, black widows and some pretty nasty hornets and ants live hereabout. One of these therapies is a remedy for normally 100% fatal snake bites, and for the moment I can't remember the species or the location other than semi-tropical. The remedy however was to apply electric shock to the site of the bite - as from a lawnmower spark-plug, though piezo-electric barbecue lighters, etc have also been suggested - to the area of the bite. The suggestion was that the electric ZAP altered the chemistry of the venom, rendering it harmless. So perhaps the thera-pik has more to do with it than simply pain reduction? (BTW, enzymes are not alive, they're like organic facilitators for reactions, but your analogy makes sense.) If I track down the reference for the info on the snake-bite thing I'll post it, seems a brief shock might beat weeks of pain and tissue necrosis.
Thanks for continuing the story, never mind the piffles, they litter the landscape. Take care, Malcolm On Thu, 2009-07-02 at 20:22 -0500, Jean Baugh wrote: > Hi, > > I got sidetracked by a 'piffle' but here is the last part of the Brown > Recluse Spider bite story. > > I had approximately 8 months to think about what to do if this ever happened > again, so was prepared. Even then I panicked, thinking about how much pain > and length of time would be involved if I was wrong. > > I'd been cleaning cobwebs with a long handled brush, the exact same thing > I'd been doing the first time. It is a shed that builds up with spiders and > webs because it is dry and ideal for them. I was very careful this time, to > make sure I didn't stand under when cleaning the webs. I then took a letter > to the mailbox and by the time I got back to the porch, I felt an intense > itch, a '10' on the scale. I pulled my jeans up and saw a glowing red > bubble about the size of my little finger. I ran for the house and found > the 'Thera Pik'. This is a 9 V battery operated gadget that will stop > chigger bites, wasp bites etc, but is NOT recommended for spider bites. It > works by heat and kills the enzyme from the bites. Since the Epsom Salts > worked so well, considering, the first time, I rationalized it might very > well work if you used it before the bite spread. > > I used the 'Thera Pik' and never once felt the heat, which is not a good > sign. When my finger got tired, I released the trigger. There was quite an > indention around the bite but the itching had stopped. This was on my shin > between my knee and instep. By then, with the first emergency out of the > way, I realized I had a second bite on the same leg, in the groin. Again, > used the 'Thera Pik' but the heat was felt after awhile, unlike the first > bite. I then used the 'Thera Pik' a second time on the first bite and > finally felt some heat after awhile. > > I then used hydrogen peroxide, colloidal sliver, oil of oregano, would have > used some ozonated olive oil but couldn't find it, then thought of bagging > and using ozone. I just wrapped the areas with plastic wrap and ran the > hose under for awhile. > > Both bites felt very intense, not itchy but like a volcano might feel, about > to erupt. I then thought of using some bentonite clay and paper tape. It > felt very soothing. > > I kept the clay and paper tape going for 5 days and then quit since there > was no reason to continue. > > If I ever have to do this again, would definitely use the 'Thera Pik", clay > and paper tape. Also the ozone, since I have it. > > My opinion is, the 'Thera Pik' killed the BRS enzyme and the clay soothed > and enhanced the heat therapy. The ozone was good insurance. > > Jean > > > > -- > The Silver List is a moderated forum for discussing Colloidal Silver. > > Instructions for unsubscribing are posted at: http://silverlist.org > > To post, address your message to: silver-list@eskimo.com > > Address Off-Topic messages to: silver-off-topic-l...@eskimo.com > > The Silver List and Off Topic List archives are currently down... > > List maintainer: Mike Devour <mdev...@eskimo.com> > >
