How to Use an Onion to Prevent Anaphylactic Shock from a Bee Sting

As one of the millions of people in the world who are allergic to bee stings, I try to carry a bee sting kit with me whenever I'm going anywhere that might be home to the furry little insects. Unfortunately, sometimes bees show up in places where one might not necessarily expect to find them. With no bee sting kit in hand, what can one do to help draw out the poison of the sting to prevent anaphylactic shock? Oddly enough, the answer might be easily found in a common, everyday kitchen ingredient--the onion.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Lighted mirror
• Tweezers
• Water
• Antibacterial soap
• Yellow onion
• Antibacterial ointment or cream and/or cortisone-based or anti-itch cream for bee stings
• Tape
• Gauze
• Cool compress

1. Remove the bee's stinger from the affected area. Use a well lighted mirror and tweezers to remove the entire stinger from the skin before moving on to the next step.

2. Wash the affected area with antibacterial soap and cool water. Rinse the affected area well and carefully pat it dry.

3. Cut a yellow onion in half or into thick slices. Either hold the onion directly against the skin or tape or wrap a whole thick slice of the onion against the affected area. Allow the onion to remain in place for at least 30 minutes to a maximum of 1 hour, or until you go into an urgent care facility, ER or doctor's office.

4. Go immediately to the nearest urgent care facility or ER if the onion does not appear to decrease symptoms of anaphylactic shock, or if the symptoms actually get worse. Even if the symptoms don't appear right away, if you know for certain that you are allergic to bee stings, contact your physician for further instructions before proceeding with any further steps outlined here.

5. Remove the onion once the worst of the stinging sensation has passed (between 30 minutes and 1 hour), assuming that the symptoms do not appear and your physician does not believe you need to come into see him.

6. Cleanse the affected area once again with antibacterial soap, rinse thoroughly with cool water, and pat dry.

7. Apply an antibacterial cream or ointment . You can also use a cortisone-based cream or anti-itch cream that is appropriate for bee stings.

8. Dress the wound loosely with gauze and tape if necessary.

9. If the wound still stings, apply cool compresses to it until it feels less irritated. However, be careful not to put too much pressure on the area.

10. If the wound gets red, irritated or begins stinging again, or if other unusual symptoms occur, contact a physician for further instructions.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to remove the stinger before doing anything else with the wounded area.
• If you know you are allergic to bees, try to keep a bee sting kit on hand at all times.
• Add an onion to your first aid kit whenever you are going camping or other outdoor areas where you might encounter bees.
• Always keep antibacterial soap on hand for cleaning out wounds, and keep antibacterial cream or ointment on hand to dress wounds.
• If you have never been stung before and begin to experience unusual symptoms like uncontrolled swelling, difficulty breathing, dizziness or nausea, go immediately to a health care facility to be checked out.
• Don't use hot water directly on the wounded area for at least 48 hours.
• Keep the wound clean and dressed until it heals.

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