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A hot shower may be the best remedy for
the sting of a common Hawaiian jellyfish.
Researchers said that putting hot water
on the stings caused by the Hawaiian box jellyfish reduces
pain better than the more common treatments --
vinegar and meat tenderizer. The temperature of the water
used was 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
When a tentacle comes in contact with
a swimmer's skin, implanted stingers release a toxin that
causes pain, swelling and discoloration, but not death. Injury
can be particularly severe when a tentacle strikes a person's
eye.
One of the study's authors, explained
that applying either vinegar or meat tenderizer neutralizes
jellyfish toxin primarily on the skin surface.
The study demonstrates that heat is superior
to the other treatments, because heat
can penetrate the skin and get to the jellyfish toxin that's
been injected.
The Hawaiian box jellyfish, with a body
about the size of a Rubik's Cube armed with four several-foot-long
tentacles, is common throughout the South Pacific. It typically
invades beaches and harbors 8 to 9 days following a full moon.
Hot water treatment may or may not work
for stings from other jellyfish species, though it's always
worth a try.
According to the Hawaii Poison Center
in Honolulu, Hawaiian box jellyfish stings rank second only
to centipede bites in total numbers of sting and bite encounters.
Other leading bite and sting sources include scorpions, spiders
and snakes.
Annual
Meeting Of The American College Of Emergency Physicians Chicago,
IL October 17, 2001
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