Hives
Hives
10 Hints to Stop the Itch
Hives are the way the skin sometimes reacts to allergies, physical irritation, stress, or emotions. Special cells start releasing histamine, which makes blood vessels leak fluid into the deepest layers of skin. The often intensely itchy wheals that result may disappear in minutes or hours, and usually within a couple of days. But while you have them, you may not want to appear all swollen and scratching in public. Here are a few things you can do that may relieve the itch and swelling. Like many remedies, what works for some won't work for others, so experimentation is in order.
The Alternate Route
A Touch of the Natural For those who are willing to try something different, here are a few alternatives. Take tea and see. If you suspect emotional times cause your hives and if you want to stay away from synthetic internal medication like antihistamines, you may want to try a nerve-calming herb tea, says SFC Thomas Squier, an instructor in survival training for the U.S. Army Special Forces at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and an herbologist. He recommends peppermint or passion flower teas. Chamomile, valerian, and catnip are other common sedative herb teas. Make a poultice or paste. Herbal manuals often list a poultice of the crushed leaves of chickweed as a remedy for itchy skin. Some people make a paste of water and cream of tartar and apply it to the hives, replacing it when the paste dries and gets crumbly. Put on pressure. Finally, Michael Blate, founder and executive director of G-Jo Institute in Hollywood, Florida, says he's had quick success in getting rid of hives with acupressure. Deeply massage the point on your trapezius muscle (running between your neck and shoulder) located midway on the muscle and just an inch or so over the backside of the ridge. "If it doesn't hurt somewhat, you haven't found exactly the right point," he says. |
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Send antihistamines to the rescue. Over-the-counter antihistamines are about the best thing you can do without a prescription, says allergist Leonard Grayson, M.D., clinical associate allergist and dermatologist at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Benadryl (diphenhydramine) and Chlor-Trimeton (chlorpheniramine) are the most commonly used and are often found in cold and hay fever medications. Caution: Most antihistamines can make you drowsy.
Cool down. Cold compresses or baths are about the best, and only, topical treatment for hives, Dr. Grayson says. Another cool way: Rub an ice cube over the hives. The cold shrinks the blood vessels and keeps them from opening, swelling, and allowing too much histamine to be released. "But it's only temporary," he says. "And if you get hives from cold weather or water, you're out of luck." Hot water only makes the itching worse.
MEDICAL ALERT
The Danger Zone Hives can kill by blocking breathing passages. If you get hives in your mouth or throat, call your emergency number immediately. If you know you're subject to this kind of reaction, you should be under a doctor's care and have a readily available supply of epinephrine. People with chronic hives (longer than six weeks) or with severe acute hives should also see a doctor. |
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Use calamine lotion to relieve the itch. This astringent is famous for its effects on poison ivy itch, but it may help temporarily soothe the itch of your hives as well. Since astringents reduce discharge, they may keep the blood vessels from leaking fluid and histamine. Other astringents that may help hives include witch hazel (especially chilled) and zinc oxide.
Try the alkaline answer. "Anything that's alkaline usually helps relieve the itch," Dr. Grayson says. So try dabbing milk of magnesia on your hives. "It's thinner than calamine, so I think it works better," he says.
Help with hydrocortisone? If you have just a small number of small hives, a hydrocortisone cream like Cortaid applied directly on the hives may relieve the itching for a while, says Beachwood, Ohio, dermatologist Jerome Z. Litt, M.D.
Call in the vegetation vigilantes. The leaves and bark of red alder, brewed into a strong tea, will help hives, says Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., a professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University and author of The Honest Herbal. "Apply it locally to the affected area, and you can also take a couple of tablespoonsful internally." Repeat it until the hives are relieved. Red alder contains the astringent tannin. The leaves of the black nightshade may help also, he says. Wash and boil the leaves in water, put them on a cloth, and apply the leaves as a poultice on the hives.
Remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of hives. "There are myriad causes of hives," says Dr. Litt. "You have to be a detective to find out what causes them." Some of the more common causes are: medications, foods, cold, insect bites, plants, and emotions. Once you find out, of course, try to avoid exposure. "If you know you're going to get hives for whatever reason," he suggests, "take an antihistamine beforehand, and it may prevent them."
PANEL OF ADVISERS
Michael Blate is founder and executive director of the G-Jo Institute of Hollywood, Florida, a national health organization that promotes acupressure and oriental traditional medicine.
Leonard Grayson, M.D., is a skin allergy specialist and clinical associate allergist and dermatologist at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield.
Jerome Z. Litt, M.D., is a dermatologist in private practice in Beachwood, Ohio, and is author of Your Skin: From Acne to Zits.
SFC Thomas Squier, of the U.S. Army Special Forces, is an instructor at the JFK Special Warfare Center and School, Survival-Evasion-Resistance-Escape/Terrorist Counteraction Department of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He is a Cherokee herbologist and grandson of a medicine man. He also writes a newspaper column called, "Living off the Land."
Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., is a professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, and author of The Honest Herbal. He also serves as a Prevention magazine adviser.
