April 13, 2011

How to Treat Jellyfish Stings

Posted in Category : Natural Cures

Jellyfish are known to be found in almost any ocean in the world. This may be the case if the individual is simply wading close to the shoreline or even if they are in deep waters. The sting of the jellyfish will tend to vary in terms of the degree of toxicity which could range from the mild variety of beach jellyfish that are commonly found to the highly toxic and very often even deadly man of war jellyfish. One of the primary symptoms of a jellyfish sting is an intense burning sensation at the area of the sting which may cause a great amount of pain and discomfort to the individual. Jellyfish stings first aid should always include covering the stung area with some sand from the beach itself. This is known to be effective in treating jellyfish stings because the sand from the beach is known to have the capacity to draw out the toxins from the jellyfish sting. It is advisable to keep the jellyfish sting area covered with the beach sand for at least 10 minutes.

Another way to know how to treat jellyfish stings is to immediately wash the sting with some apple cider vinegar after clearing out the sand that may have been on the sting area. Apple cider vinegar is known to be one of the effective remedies for jellyfish stings because it not only helps in disinfecting the sting but also helps in minimizing the pain. Jellyfish sting treatment at home also includes rubbing some aloe gel on the jellyfish sting area. This should ideally be done after washing the affected area with some apple cider vinegar. The aloe is known to soothe the stinging sensation and also act as a barrier to any possible infections or dirt from entering the sting area. In this jellyfish sting treatment, once the aloe gel has been applied on the jellyfish sting one should then cover the area with some medical gauze and then secure the gauze with some tape. Natural remedies for jellyfish stings also include applying some castor oil to the jellyfish sting area on a daily basis until one notices it healing. One may use a cotton ball to apply this castor oil on the jellyfish sting. One of the home jellyfish sting treatments also includes preparing a paste of water and some unseasoned meat tenderizer. This paste should be applied to the jellyfish sting if it continues to hurt even after a couple of days. If required this paste may also be applied immediately after being stung with a jellyfish. However, you would need to wash the area with some apple cider vinegar first.

While using this treatment for treating jellyfish stings one should remember not to leave the paste on the sting area for more than 10 minutes. Jellyfish stings can also be treated naturally by rubbing some antihistamine cream onto the jellyfish sting. This can be done mostly if one tends to experience swelling or hives or even excessive redness for quite some time. The first step of a jellyfish sting treatment is to try and deactivate the jellyfish stinger and then remove the jellyfish stinger from the victim’s skin. The first step that a person should take when stung by a jellyfish is to immediately get out of the water because after being stung, the pain experienced may be so extreme that the person may even lose their ability to swim. One of the home remedies for jellyfish sting treatment also includes applying some shaving foam to the sting area which is known to be helpful in taking out the stingers as well as provide some temporary relief from the pain.