Itching (was: intro)

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Gettingwell , " sandracaron49 "

<sandracaron49@a...> wrote:

> About a month ago dear hubby started itching alot.About 2 weeks ago

> it hit me too. It is mostly on my arms,around my waist and on my

> chest. The iching is worse at night, during the day it does'nt

hardly bother me at all.>>

 

I had a sudden onset of very intense itching and hives and it was

mostly at night. If you see any doctor, see an allergist. Benadryl is

sometimes of help but it's not a solution.

 

If you are taking any medications - check with your pharmacists about

additives. Sometimes you can reach a tolerance level to a certain

additive in the medication and by switching brands the itching may go

away. Or even an over the counter pill - such as a vitamin can have

additives that may cause itching.

 

Check your soaps and chemicals used for cleaning. It's not uncommon

to suddenly develop allergies to those.

 

It may also be food intolerances and your body has reached it's limit

in tolerating the offending food. You may want to read up on food

elimination diets. Common allergens are wheat, diary, eggs and soy.

 

I did a food elimination diet for about six months (but six weeks is

a general recommendation) - I eliminated wheat, diary, eggs, all

processed foods, sugars and caffeine. I don't eat meat - but if you

do, eliminating processed meats is essential (because of all the

chemicals and drugs in the meats). Eat organic foods, if possible and

drink only bottled water.

 

Once you've completed the elimination diet - add one food and see if

there is a reaction. Keeping a food diary is essential. A reaction

may be sudden, in a few hours or even a few days. I remember when I

added eggs - I went nuts itching for days!.

 

I also take Quercitin daily - it's a natural anti-inflammatory and

often used for itching. I'm quite itch free now -but I stayed on the

elimination diet (ie: I've stayed off wheat, diary, soy etc). Every

once in awhile I have an itching attack - and sometimes it's a bit of

a puzzle to fiqure out what may have started it.

 

An allergist may do some tests but will likely recommend eliminating

common allergens from your home and diet in the same manner described

above. Save your money!.

 

There isn't a lot of information about itching and allergies. There

are some suggestions that itching is a indication of liver problems -

so you may want to check that route (and I would suggest the liver

problem may be the result of allergies!). I've found most doctors had

very little interest in dealing with itching (they would just tell me

to take benadryl). A good book on allergies is: Allergies: Diseases

in Disguise by Carolee Bateson-Koch.

 

Mary