Sweat it Out

After serving as a feast for the mosquitoes on Friday and Saturday, I went to work on Monday as an itchy, uncomfortable mess.  And since I got bit on both ankles, every time I moved my feet, my shoes rubbed against a bite.  It was so bad that on my lunch break, I went to the store to pick up some anti-itch cream, which only helped a little.

Frustrated, I decided to go for a run after work to sweat out the allergens -- which is actually not possible.  It's a commonly held myth that you can sweat out toxins, like from poison ivy or alcohol, but since the liver processes toxins, sweating more won't squeeze the bad stuff out the body.  So saunas are out, but exercise is different because it increases blood flow, forcing your blood to move through your body, including through you liver, meaning any processing will happen faster.

So I covered my exposed limbs with bug repellent and I ran.  I ran nearly 7 1/2 miles, despite the over 80 degree weather.  For the first couple of miles, I thought I would have to stop because the itching was driving me crazy.  But I kept running and the itching subsided and I eventually made it back home.  After a desperately needed shower, I looked at my bites.  Amazingly, the redness and swelling had gone down on every bite.  By the next day, I was only barely aware of the bites that covered my right leg.

I don't know if my understanding about why going on a run helped my bug bites is right or not, but the results are clear enough that I know what I'm doing the next time I'm dealing with itchy mosquito bites.