My two-cents worth on poison ivy.  I worked for many years in first aid
as the only medical help in a high school of over 2,000 students.  If
you have poison ivy, there is one very important thing to remember.  It
is the oil on your skin that causes it to itch.  It is very important to
clean the area several times a day by washing with soap, then applying
alcohol.  Then you apply Caladryl over that.  It relieves the itching
for several hours.  The alcohol is the most important part.
 
Don't ever burn poison ivy!  A local doctor's son was on a boy scout
camping trip and they threw poison ivy on the camp fire.  The smoke he
inhaled caused his throat and lungs to swell and close.  Since they were
at a remote place, he barely survived the experience, and then only
because someone knew how to force air into his lungs.  He could not
breathe at all.
 
I am allergic to elm trees and my husband cut several down in our yard.
Not considering the consequences, we burned the wood in the fireplace.
I had much the same reaction.  And again when I tried to remove the
ashes.
 
Sylvia