What to do after being stung by a jellyfish

TAMPA - Over the weekend, hundreds of people on the east coast of Florida, in Cocoa Beach, got stung by jellyfish. If you are at the beach and get stung, what can you do to dull the pain?

There is that wives' tale that says you can use urine to dull the pain, but Senior Biologist Jordan Ward at the Florida Marine Aquarium says you might want to consider something in your kitchen cupboard first.

Ward says white vinegar and meat tenderizer work just fine. The mild acid in each dulls the pain caused by most jellyfish stings.

And how about that wives tale? Dr. Joseph Chiaramonte from Brandon Health Management says it actually works, "because of the ammonia in the urine. It helps denature the proteins from the jellyfish."

But heed this warning:  None of it works if you are stung by a Portuguese Man o' War.  An acid will not neutralize their sting. So instead, you should use warm water.

But not to fear, a Portuguese Man o' War can easily be identified because it has a very distinct purple colored bell-shaped top and it floats on the surface.