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Old 06-21-2018, 02:54 PM   #1
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Mosquito bite treatment - Therapik

We were introduced to a mosquito bite treatment device last year by our fishing guide in the British Columbia Cariboo region. He told us the Therapik reduced swelling and itching and after having used one for a couple of trips into mosquito country we can confirm that it does this for us as well. Apparently it also helps with black fly bites. I am a skeptic but had to admit that it really reduced swelling and itching. It is available in B.C. from our big outdoor store Mountain Equipment Co. for $16.50 Canadian and operates on a 9 volt battery.

I believe the device uses a light/heat beam to neutralize the mosquito’s anticoagulant that we are react to. The anticoagulant the mosquito injects to keep blood flowing is a protein and therefore heat labile. Heat denatures (destroys) it.

If you expect to be bitten by these pests give this device a try. Our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughters also claimed it helped when we last camped with them.

Here is a link to MEC's ad for it:
https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5012-4...Bite-Treatment

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Old 06-21-2018, 06:17 PM   #2
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Years ago...many of them...my great aunt told me to use a bit of saliva on a bite. It has always worked to relieve the itching but all of my spitting is of little use keeping them away. There are products for that.
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Old 06-22-2018, 12:33 AM   #3
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It's also sold in the U.S. through WalMart. Since I seem to attract every mosquito within 10 miles, I ordered a couple and will report on how they work for someone that's a 'skeeter magnet' Thanks for posting!
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Old 06-22-2018, 05:34 AM   #4
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I found for me years ago, if I just let the bites alone and not touch them, the itch and swelling would go away shortly, which is good because I don't ever wear mosquito poison on my skin.

Little sand flies on the other had, especially the ankle biters, do cause me irritation. Maybe this would work for their bites?
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Old 06-22-2018, 08:44 AM   #5
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Mosquitoes blackflies and other such pests bother me as much as anyone else when they are biting. However, I am fortunate in that I very rarely have a reaction of any kind after being bitten. Probably due to the natural extremely high alcohol content of my blood!
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Old 06-22-2018, 08:48 AM   #6
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Wonder if it would work on chigger bites. Being a northerner, I never ran into them until a trip to Florida. Man, are they nasty!
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Old 06-22-2018, 01:04 PM   #7
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Wonder if it would work on chigger bites. Being a northerner, I never ran into them until a trip to Florida. Man, are they nasty!



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Old 06-22-2018, 09:05 PM   #8
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I don't know about those chigger bugs, and I'm told that Thermapik doesn't work on spider bites, but it certainly works for mosquito bites. I was fishing this past week with the same guide that recommended it to me (he's also a fly fishing author) and he again told me how much he values it. So I do NOT have any shares in the company marketing it. I thought that based on our experience I just had to share it on our forum. I swell up a bit with mosquito bites and the next day they are hardly noticeable. Treating them with this device is worthwhile for me even for the one day. My wife, on the other hand, swells up terribly and the swelling and itching persists for a couple of days at least. Using the Thermapik kept the bites from swelling big and reduce the itch significantly.

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Old 06-22-2018, 09:21 PM   #9
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Thermapik "Temperatures of 50° to 60°C at the skin's surface (about as hot as you can handle) generate the necessary heat to act on the venom under the skin."


When I was a kid, my Mom would heat up a metal spoon over a match and then hold the bowl of the spoon on bites that I had gotten. Sounds like it works on the same heat principle.
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Old 06-22-2018, 09:29 PM   #10
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You reminded my husband of something Donna ... In the "old days" whenever he or his brothers had a bite, his parents would blow tobacco smoke on the affected area. They even did it when he was stung by a scorpion at George AFB. Wonder if people still do that today.
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Old 06-22-2018, 09:36 PM   #11
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You reminded my husband of something Donna ... In the "old days" whenever he or his brothers had a bite, his parents would blow tobacco smoke on the affected area. They even did it when he was stung by a scorpion at George AFB. Wonder if people still do that today.
It might be hard to find someone who smokes now-a-days. But I have heard dampened tobacco also takes the sting out of bites.
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Old 06-23-2018, 07:03 AM   #12
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Yes it does Donna. Growing up on a farm we got stung many a time. Our dad chewed back then n he would slap some on the sting and it stopped ASAP.
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Old 06-23-2018, 09:17 AM   #13
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Try this bug shirt If you want to get into places where there are lots of misquitoes especially if you are one of those people that get eaten alive. This is a small company is run by a husband and wife in Ontario.

Elite Edition Bug Shirt - Product Shots - The Original Bug Shirt Company
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Old 06-23-2018, 09:23 AM   #14
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You can get pants and the bug shirt
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Old 06-23-2018, 10:23 AM   #15
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I used to slather myself in DEET to keep the little bloodsuckers at bay, trusting without further consideration that if a product is sold commercially, it must be safe for long term exposure, right?

I’ve become more skeptical as I’ve aged, and sometime back decided that just maybe all those different chemicals we put onto and into ourselves might have some long term and cumulative effects.

So these days we turn to essential oils more and more for a range of things, and have found that some of them work exceptionally well for different things. We use citronella based stuff to prevent getting eaten, but if we forget and get ate up anyway, frankincense oil works great to relieve discomfort and greatly accelerate recovery.

I was a serious skeptic about oils until my youngest daughter’s first bee sting. She got zapped on a trail hike and by the time we were back to camp had a large bullseye red, white, red welt and accompanying pain. Wife daubed her with frankincense and ten minutes later the sting was *gone*, like it never happened! I was amazed, and that day and experience opened my eyes and convinced me that maybe there really was something to this essential oil stuff. Since then I’ve found a great many homeopathic applications that routinely improve our regular quality of life.

A further note regarding bites or stings specifically, melaleuca (tea tree oil) is also great. Peppermint helps with itching, but doesn’t accelerate recovery like frankincense or melaleuca, and do *not* get it in your eyes!
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Old 06-23-2018, 10:33 AM   #16
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I too prefer more natural bug repellents and products to remove discomfort. My daughter is highly allergic to mosquitoes and develops a histamine reaction immediately. The ole standby... Avon's Skin So Soft keeps her mosquitoe bite free. I do use sun screen, the higher the SPF the better for me. Including lip gloss. BUT I've found IF I get sunburned items containing tannic acid immediately removes the burn and heat... cider vinegar full strength and black tea bags are terrific for this. Okay, I may look a little weird with a wet tea bag sitting on my nose. But you get the idea
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Old 06-23-2018, 10:59 PM   #17
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When I was a kid, my grandmother would dab Campho-Phenique on my mosquito bites to stop the itching. Worked for me, and I still use it today. It has the added bonus of reminding me of my dear, departed grandmother every time I use it. As for chiggers, many here in the south, including us, swear by clear nail polish. Supposedly, the little boogers need to breath through the hole they burrow in your skin, and the clear nail polish seals the hole and suffocates them. They will itch like crazy for about a day, then it just stops. You'll have a little red spot while your immune system takes care of the leftovers, but that goes away fairly quickly, too.
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Old 06-24-2018, 07:22 AM   #18
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My wife is itchy for days after a mosquito bite. We are going to try one as she has rejected my solution to go to Chile and ski for the summer! Will report our experience.
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Old 06-24-2018, 08:22 AM   #19
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You can get pants and the bug shirt
Got to be careful with these. If the protective fabric is tight against your back, legs or backside, mosquitoes can still bite you through it. The garments must fit loosely on you to be effective.
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Old 06-24-2018, 08:24 AM   #20
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I think one of the biggest fails people make is to give in to scratching a mosquito bite when it itches. This seems to just irritate a bite even more. I quit scratching bites years ago, and this has seemed to see the irritant go away quite fast. When I scratched, it seemed to last a day or two.
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