re: frick poison ivy

Well, one way to at least get some relief from the itching is hot water. Put the affected part under a stream of warm water and slowly reduce the amount of cold water until is as hot as you can tolerate. You will get either a very pleasant experience or the itching will get very intense briefly, afterwards you should get about 8 hours of being itch free.

Make sure to start with warm water so you don't burn your skin. But this method will work for temporary itch reilef. Do it every 8 hours or so and it will get you through.