A trick for stings by fire ants

Q. My young daughter was stung on the hand by fire ants. Her hand began to swell. We called her pediatrician and he got us into his office right away to see the reaction for himself.

It wasn’t affecting her respiration, so it was not an emergency. He said: “What is an insect sting but a protein byproduct? Make a paste of Adolph’s meat tenderizer and water, and apply it to the sting. It tenderizes meat because it breaks down protein. Get the unseasoned kind. She’ll be fine.”

Since then, we have always kept some Adolph’s in the house and in our camping gear. We use it on bee stings as well as fire ant stings.

A. Meat tenderizers contain either bromelain (derived from pineapple) or papain (derived from papaya). Either enzyme breaks down protein. We first stumbled upon using meat tenderizer for insect stings in JAMA (April 24, 1972). The author recommended mixing a quarter-teaspoonful or so with a teaspoonful of water.

Other readers have reported success treating fire ant stings with vinegar, witch hazel, dilute ammonia, castor oil or benzoyl peroxide (found in over-the-counter acne remedies). Some people claim that putting a fresh-cut piece of onion on a fire ant sting also works well.

Q. I often get muscle cramps in my legs. I have found that drinking pickle juice relieves the cramps within a minute.

It doesn’t matter what kind of pickle juice – dill pickles, sweet pickles or bread-and-butter pickles. I’ve even used relish juice. I’ve recommended it to others who have used it with similar success.

A. Coaches have long relied on pickle juice to treat their players’ muscle cramps. We suspect that vinegar is the magic ingredient.

At one time, people thought muscle cramps were due to dehydration, potassium depletion or low magnesium. While those factors may make people more susceptible to cramps, the more recent hypothesis is that muscle cramps result from motor neurons firing uncontrollably. Strong flavors like vinegar, ginger, hot peppers, mustard and quinine all stimulate receptors that can override the inappropriate nerve firing.

Q. I enjoy reading your column and have found some very helpful information. Yesterday’s paper included an interesting remedy for the burn associated with eating Japanese wasabi. The cure is – surprisingly – vinegar.

Reading that Q&A prompted me to pick up a to-go container of sushi rolls at the grocery store for lunch. When I opened it, I noticed the usual dollop of wasabi was not to be found. I enjoyed the treat until I picked up one of the pieces. Unbeknownst to me, a big glob of wasabi was stuck to the underside.

I immediately realized what happened. By then, though, my mouth was thoroughly coated and on fire.

Recalling what I had just read, I lunged for the kitchen cabinet and took a big gulp of apple cider vinegar. Voila! It stopped the burn immediately. Thank you for such practical advice; you saved one person from a lot of discomfort.

A. The compound responsible for that burning sensation is allyl isothiocyanate. You smell it almost as much as you taste it and could use it to clear the sinuses. We are delighted that the vinegar trick worked so well.

2017 King Features Syndicate Inc.