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The Hot Peppers

These little devils are the ones that did me in with a massive chemical burn.

 

If you're looking for a solution to a hot pepper burn (capacsin), when people say cold milk, it's true. Takes the pain out immediately as long as you stay soaking in it.

 

Depending on the amount of exposure, that may do you. I was exposed to about 3 pounds of peppers (insides, taking out the seeds and chopping them), which, granted, is my own daft fault, but still, none of the normal treatments were cutting it.

 

I couldn't use my hands at all, any pressure was an intensification of the heat. Such heat! Like holding a flame.

 

Eventually I read that Maalox worked for someone, a 20 minute soak. I soaked my left hand for 20 very painful minutes (the Maalox does NOT dull the flame, and seemed to intensify it), then washed my hand off and put it in the cold milk bath.

 

Where 20 minutes prior the milk felt like it was was room temperature, when I put the Maalox soaked hand into the milk, it felt like it truly was - ice cold and hard to endure. While I was attempting to soak the left hand in the milk, the right hand was happily in it up to the wrist as if it were a lukewarm bath.

 

About 20-30 minutes after the Maalox soak, my left hand was no longer on fire. It felt muffled and swollen, but not on fire.

 

So I put my right hand in, and soaked it for 20 very painful minutes as well. Same results.

 

So! If you get a severe hot pepper burn, consider using an anti-acid solution to ease it!

 

It took a few days before I could use my hands properly. Typing was a bit hit or miss as my hands were acting as if gloved and were aching some (but not on fire).

 

Moral of the story: always wear gloves while chopping peppers. And keep Maalox and cold milk around for any burns!

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Uploaded on September 5, 2010
Taken on August 29, 2010